Announcements
Mar 14, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WILEY UNIVERSITY APPOINTS GONZALEZ as DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
MARSHALL, Texas - Wiley University announces Rafael Gonzalez has been appointed Director of Athletics, effective immediately.
Gonzalez brings 14 years of leadership experience. Most recently, he restarted the Wiley University men’s and women’s soccer programs in the Fall of 2023, ending a five-year hiatus. Before being hired at Wiley in April 2022, Gonzalez coached successful junior college programs at Ranger College from 2017-2021 and Jacksonville College from 2012 to 2016. He was named 2017 National Junior College Athletic Association Coach of the Year. Gonzalez led the men’s team to Regional and Conference titles in 2017 and Regional runner-up in 2018 and 2021. He led the women’s team to Regional runner-up in 2018, Spring 2021 and Fall 2021. His coaching career began at his alma mater Lon Morris College in 2009.
“This is something I’ve always dreamed of doing, not just to become a director but to be a servant more than anything else,” Gonzalez said. “My goal as athletic director is to serve the coaches and students at the highest capacity. I want to ensure the coaches and athletes are having the best collegiate experience. I’m extremely excited about this opportunity and looking to Wiley University Athletics even better than it already is.”
He led the Wildcats to three wins last fall. At Ranger, he led the men to 26 wins and the women to 18. Gonzalez won 11 games as men’s coach and 16 as women’s coach at Jacksonville College. While his teams were successful on the field, Gonzalez made sure they achieved in the classroom as 90 percent of his student-athletes graduated and his teams held grade-point averages above 3.0.
Before beginning his coaching career, Gonzalez gained valuable administrative experience as a bank vice president. He will inherit an athletic department that sponsors ten varsity programs and is looking to expand.
“Rafael Gonzalez is an outstanding individual,” said President and CEO Herman J. Felton Jr., Ph.D., J.D., of Wiley University. “He did an amazing job bringing back our men’s and women’s soccer programs and recruiting many athletes to Wiley University. I look forward to him leading our athletic department into a new frontier.”
“Wiley University has a rich history of athletic success with track and field winning the national championship in 2018 and women’s basketball advancing to the national semifinals in 2014,” Gonzalez added. “Baseball has done well in the past. Men’s Basketball has done well. We’re bringing soccer back up and bringing in new sports in the future. My goal is to have every one of our teams be successful.”
One of Gonzalez’s first tasks as head of the Department of Athletics will be finding his replacements as head men’s and women’s soccer coaches.
For more information on Wiley University visit www.wileyc.edu or Wiley University Athletics visit https://wileyathletics.com/landing/index - or contact Sports Information Director Andrew Glover at: adglover@wileyc.edu.
About Wiley University
Wiley University, founded in 1873 and formerly known as Wiley College, is a premier liberal institution, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, with an intentional focus on social good and leadership.
