EAST GREENSBORO – The end is near for North Carolina A&T's first-ever head men's and women's golf coach, Richard Watkins. Both teams are entering their final tournaments of the 2022-23 season. Each team begins play in the PGA Works Championship at Shoal Creek Country Club/Bent Brook Golf Course on Monday, May 8, and will conclude the tournament on Wednesday, May 10. 

Earlier this year, Watkins announced he would step down from his post as the head men's and women's golf coach as part of his overall retirement from 32 years of service at A&T in various roles and 45 years of involvement in public education. In all his functions at A&T, Watkins will be most recently remembered for spearheading the building of the Aggies' first varsity golf programs. The women's program started in 2016 and the men's program came a year later. 

"We've come a long way," said Watkins. "When teams in the past struggled, they shot 84, 85, 86. The guys we have now when they struggle, they shoot 78, 79. That's a huge difference. Sometimes they turn in scores, and I'm saying, 'That ain't bad.' They're turning those scores and saying, 'That's terrible.' 

That's a good sign that we're headed in a good direction. I like the direction we're going. I like the attitude of the young men and women coming here. They're not satisfied. But they're doing the things they must do to improve themselves." 

It was the culmination of a vision that Watkins said started in the 70s when he was a student at High Point College (known as High Point University today) and met Dr. Otis Tillman, a medical doctor for 45 years and a 1953 graduate of A&T. 

THE VISION BEGINS
Dr. Tillman and Watkins became golfing buddies, leading Dr. Tillman to encourage Watkins to start a golf program at A&T. When Watkins graduated from High Point College in 1976, he immediately began his graduate studies at A&T. It was at that point Watkins met legendary A&T men's basketball coach and Director of Athletics at the time, Cal Irvin. 

Irvin agreed with Dr. Tillman that A&T needed to start a varsity golf program and, therefore, a club team formed under the guidance of Dr. Sullivan A. Welborne, who at the time led the intramural programs at A&T. But the vision of varsity golf programs would not come to full fruition until the university started exploring the expansion of A&T Athletics with its Preeminence 2020 initiative that began in 2010. 

With the strong backing of the late Ralph Shelton, a business and civic leader, an A&T graduate, and an avid golfer, the dream of recruiting student-athletes to play golf at A&T started to become a reality under the leadership of Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr., and Director of Athletics, Earl M. Hilton III.  Eventually, Dr. Tillman got his wish when Hilton tabbed Watkins to head the women's and men's golf programs. Something Dr. Tillman got to see before he passed away in 2019. 

"Trust me; this is one job where I never woke and said, 'Man, I don't want to go up there.' I absolutely love this, and I love what I'm doing. But it's time to step aside and let somebody else take what I've built to the next level." 

GOLF FINALLY BEGINS IN AGGIELAND
Watkins has constructed two impressive programs. The women have won seven tournaments in its seven years of existence, including three straight in the National Women's Collegiate Tournament. The women's program has also produced some excellent golfers, including Christyn Carr, who starred at A&T for four years. 

Carr won three tournaments during her career. In 2021, she became the first female collegiate player to shoot under 70 at the notoriously difficult Alotian Club golf course at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in Roland, Ark. 

The men won their first-ever tournament in 2019. Golfer Diego Gonzalez won two medalists honors in his career, and Xavier Williams finished tied for first at the HBCU Challenge last season, leading to him becoming the first A&T golfer – men or women – to win a conference weekly honor when the Big South named him its men's co-golfer of the week. In addition, Cody Lissner became the first men's golfer to win a tournament on Oct. 16, 2019, at the UMES Collegiate Golf Challenge. The men have won four tournaments since their inception in 2017. 

The men's golf program received national attention when former NBA player and champion J.R. Smith decided to return to college to earn an undergraduate degree. Smith chose to attend A&T. An avid golfer, Smith also decided to walk on to the men's golf team as a 36-year-old freshman. It has led to two major documentaries that featured A&T. 

The golf teams have also entered successful business partnerships with major companies such as Smithfield Foods, Grant Thornton and Taylor Made Golf. Watkins loves discussing the growth of his program. 

"You want to make sure that we find the right person to move the program forward," said Watkins about his replacement. "My shoes will not be that hard to fill, but whoever we bring in must keep the program moving in the right direction. That's where I see us. You must recruit. You must find financial support for the program. 

Our budget is a golf budget, so you know what a golf budget will be not only for us but the majority of collegiate golf programs in the country. So, anything we can add to our program, add to our ability to move forward and stay attractive to quality student-athletes, the person coming in needs to adapt to that."

WATKINS' WORK HISTORY
Watkins has served several roles at A&T. His primary responsibility before taking over the golf programs was as an instructor in the Department of Human Performance and Leisure Studies. It was known as the Physical Education Department when Watkins started at A&T. 

After receiving his master's degree, he was a physical education instructor, head baseball and volleyball coach and supervisor of physical education student teachers at Texas College (Tyler, Texas) from 1982-92. His Texas College baseball teams won six straight Interregional Athletic Conference baseball championships from 1986-91, and he was named coach of the year in each of those seasons. Texas College also made the NAIA District Baseball Playoffs six times during his tenure. In addition, he was volleyball coach of the year in 1985 and from 1987-91.

From 1993-96, he was the baseball coach for the Aggies, helping the Aggies win the '93 MEAC championship. Watkins also ran North Carolina A&T's National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) for many years.