I mentioned earlier in today’s Daily Dirt that a DIII head coach with over 400 wins would be stepping away today. Here it is…
Page Moir, the winningest men’s basketball coach in Roanoke College history, announced Tuesday he is stepping down after 27 seasons at the helm of the Roanoke program to pursue other opportunities.
During his tenure in Salem, Moir the Maroons to 428 wins which is tops among current Old Dominion Athletic Conference coaches. Moir’s teams won three Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships, made six trips to the NCAA Tournament and had five seasons with 20 or more wins.
“Twenty-seven years in one place is more than enough, especially in this profession. I was blessed to be surrounded by incredible student-athletes and assistant coaches. Ed Green left the Program in great condition, and I am confident the next coach will feel the same with the outstanding young men I had the opportunity to coach this past season. This last group was among the best I have been around. It made this decision very difficult. But with our returnees, and the opening of the Cregger Center, Roanoke will be able to attract a great coach.”
“It’s time,” said Moir. “Carnivals end. Circuses close. Roanoke has provided me an extended honeymoon. It’s been super, but now it’s time. I had my moment on the stage. The trick in life is to know when to leave”
Moir was honored by his peers as the ODAC Coach of the Year in 1994 and again this past season when he led RC to its best season since 2008-09 with 19 wins and both regional and national rankings during the year. In addition, D3hoops.com named Moir the 2016 South Region Coach of the Year.
“This is a bittersweet moment for Roanoke College,” said Director of Athletics Scott Allison. “While we’re happy for Page and wish him well in his pursuit of a new challenge, we recognize all that he has done for Roanoke. As men’s basketball coach, Page embraced his role as an ambassador for his program, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, the game of basketball, and most importantly, Roanoke College. And you’d be hard pressed to find a better team player. We’ll miss Page dearly.”
Just one of two coaches in the history of the ODAC to reach 300 wins, Moir became the all-time winningest head coach in RC history, passing Maroon Hall of Famer Ed Green in 2003. Moir notched his 400th win in 2014.
Of the four-year players to pass through the RC program, the graduation rate over the past 27 years is 100-percent, with 34 players going on to graduate school, two onto law school and six others to medical school.
“I’m as proud of the fact that we graduated 108 student-basketball players during my 27 seasons as a head coach, as I am winning 428 basketball games,” said Moir. “My guys continue to amaze me as they go on to became husbands, dads, community leaders, and enjoy success in their chosen careers.”
A fixture in the basketball community, Moir was appointed to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Board of Directors in 2002, becoming one of just two Division III coaches on the board. Moir was elected President of the NABC and served from 2014-15 in that role.
The Maroon basketball program is just as successful in its community involvement. The entire team has volunteered with the Virginia Special Olympics and assisted the Roanoke City School System with their Extended Day Program. His teams have participated in Big Brothers, Big Sisters with junior Colby Shorter leading the way as a three-year member of the organization. The Maroons have also been involved in “Dream to Read” program and attended “Career Day” at Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem, VA.
In his time as head coach, Moir has involved the Roanoke basketball program in several charitable organizations. The V-Foundation Classic has raised more than $80,000 for the local chapter of the American Cancer Society and the V-Foundation.
Moir is a product of one of the great family coaching stories. His father, Charles Moir, coached at Roanoke from 1967-73, leading the Maroons to a 133-44 record, five 20-win campaigns, four NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 1972 National Championship. He was named NABC College Division National Coach of the Year following the 1972 season. After a successful stint in Salem, Charles Moir moved on to successful stops at Tulane University (1973-77) and Virginia Tech (1977-87). A 1974 Roanoke College Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, the elder Moir compiled an overall record of 616-238 over 31 seasons as a head coach. He is listed in the top-75 collegiate coaches of all-time in a number of wins and winning percentage (.667).
The quest to find Roanoke College’s 10th Head Men’s Basketball Coach will begin immediately, said Allison.
Photo Courtesy Roanoke Athletics
