Director of Athletics, John Sutyak, has announced the promotion of  Gary Holden to Associate Director of Athletics. This promotion is effective immediately.

Holden has been a staple of the Ferrum College community, joining the Panthers in October of 1991 when he was named Sports Information Director. He was promoted to the Assistant Athletic Director role in January 2004 and spent six months as Ferrum’s Acting Director of Athletics from June through December 2019.

“I am extremely happy that we are able to reward Gary with this promotion,” stated Sutyak.  “Gary has been an unbelievable leader to so many people at Ferrum, past and present. He represents everything that Ferrum stands for in serving others above himself and in being an inspirational member of the entire community.”

While still serving as the Sports Information Director, Holden also will oversee 12 varsity sport programs in the department, as well as athletic facilities and various compliance functions.

He will also be leading Ferrum’s operations as the Panthers host the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling Championship at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia, in March 2023.

Holden served as Tournament Director when Ferrum hosted the 2019 NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling Championship in Roanoke.

“I appreciate the confidence from the administration, and especially from John Sutyak,” said Holden. “Ferrum has been good to my family and I over the past 30+ years, and I hope I’ve done my small part to help make things better for student-athletes, coaches and teams here.”

In addition to his administrative duties, Holden spent 10 seasons as Ferrum’s Men’s Tennis Coach from 1999-2008, earning USA South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors twice (2003 and 2006). He also served two seasons as Women’s Tennis Coach from 2002-04, leading the Panthers to a USA South Tournament runner-up finish in 2002. Holden served on the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Committee from 2004-08, the final year as National Chair.

Holden created the Ferrum athletic department’s official website, www.ferrumpanthers.com, in August 2007 and has served as primary webmaster since then.

He also created the official website for the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) in 1996, and is currently serving in his 27th year as that organization’s webmaster.

Holden’s work in intercollegiate athletics began in 1985, where he served two years as Assistant Wrestling Coach and then four years as Head Wrestling Coach at his alma mater, Plymouth State University in New Hampshire.

In his four years at the helm of the Panther mat program, he produced 21 All-Conference wrestlers, four conference finalists, one conference champion, two national qualifiers, and one NCAA Division III All-American. Holden was named New England College Conference Wrestling Association Rookie Coach of the Year in 1988 and Coach of the Year in 1990.

He is the author of the book Black & Gold, A History of Athletics at Ferrum College, which Holden wrote and self-published in 2014. Holden is a 2021 Inductee of the Ferrum College Sports Hall of Fame and a 2015 inductee of the Plymouth State University Athletic Hall of Fame.

A native of Nashua, New Hampshire, Holden was a two-time New Hampshire state finalist in wrestling for Nashua High School, winning the 140-pound state title and Outstanding Wrestler Award in 1981. He and his wife, Leslie, have been married 31 years, reside in Ferrum, and are the proud parents of two grown sons, Taylor and Drew.