Davis Faulkner Leaves After a Year and a Half as Director of Operations
Davis Faulkner did not have adapted athletics on his radar, but he saw the job listing for a new director of operations for the Alabama Adapted Athletics program, applied for it, got the job, and began the position in July of 2022.
After a year and a half in that position, Faulkner is
leaving Alabama for a new position at Penn State where he will be the director
of operations for Nittany Lion golf, tennis, fencing, and gymnastics.
His last day on the job was Oct. 31.
“I’m incredibly appreciative of the opportunity that they (program
director Brent Hardin and associate director Margaret Stran) gave me and
everything I was able to learn here from them and the student athletes and the
other staff that worked here,” said Faulkner. “It’s been a great opportunity. It’s
a tremendous program and everybody here is top-notch, so I loved being here. it’s
been an awesome ride.”
The first person with the program that Faulkner told after
he got the offer from Penn State was Hardin.
“He knows where I want to go in terms of my career, and he
was very supportive of my decision,” Faulkner said. “I’m thankful for how
appreciative and understanding he was and how happy he was for me that I had an
opportunity like this at a place like Penn State.”
See also: Men's Wheelchair Basketball Season Preview
He said his proudest moment was probably the National
Wheelchair Basketball Association’s Women’s national championship tournament
that the program hosted at Stran-Hardin Arena this past March.
Alabama won that tournament, which Faulkner acknowledged made
him happy, but he was particularly proud of how well the program and the
university did with hosting the tournament after the months of work that went
into that.
As director of operations for the Alabama Adapted Athletics program, Faulkner was responsible for everything from hiring officials and making sure the scoring table was staffed for home events to arranging and managing all buses, flights, hotels, and meals for when the teams were traveling.
See also: Tyler McKay Returns to Alabama to Take Over Wheelchair Tennis Program
Faulkner actually got his undergraduate degree from Auburn
before coming to Alabama to get his Master’s degree. He got a different Master’s
degree from Mississippi state between those two.
He said there were some jokes about him being an Auburn grad
around the time of the Iron Bowl or when the Alabama men’s wheelchair
basketball team would play Auburn -- which it did four times during the
2022-2023 season, winning all four times – but said he genuinely loved his time
at both Auburn and Alabama.
Faulkner has no plans to set plans to get back involved with
adapted athletics, but he plans on continuing to watch the Alabama teams on their
live stream when he can. He thinks he will get a little emotional when he does.
“Davis has been a fantastic director of operations for us,”
said Hardin. “He cares deeply about our program and our athletes. He is a hard
worker and was always the consummate professional. So, best of luck to Davis.
He will always be part of the Alabama family!”
“I’m very thankful that I got a year and a half to work with
them and to learn from everybody with the program,” said Faulkner. “I’m very
appreciative for that opportunity and for being here as part of this awesome
program, and I’m really excited for the next step.”
A search is underway for a new director of operations, and the job listing was posted on places like the University of Alabama jobs website and Indeed.com. Hardin said the program is "nearing the end of the search."
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