COLUMBIA, SC — South Carolina baseball coach Ray Tanner knew it was time for a change more than a decade ago when his program was at the height of its success. Tanner couldn’t help but feel that way in his final months as athletic director, even as the Gamecocks were on the upswing.
Tanner, 66, announced Friday that he would retire after the fall semester, ending his more than 12-year tenure as one of the longest-tenured ADs in the Southeastern Conference.
“It was time” to change, Tanner said. “When I was a baseball coach, I didn’t leave the baseball program because I thought it was no longer a good idea to be an athletic director, it was time. And I knew it was about time in that role, too.”
Tanner had won national championships in 2010 and 2011 and nearly won a third in a row before losing to Arizona in 2012, when he was named head of the department.
He leaves the company at a time when sports in South Carolina appear to be on the up.
The women’s basketball team visited the White House this week after winning its third national title and, under coach Dawn Staley, will begin the season as favorites for another NCAA tournament trophy.
He hired former LSU baseball coach and national championship coach Paul Manieri this summer to help the Gamecocks regain their CWS success.
Tanner signed a long-term contract with men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris after leading the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in seven years.
And the football team is off to a good start, hosting No. 16 LSU in a sold-out game on Saturday while ESPN’s “College GameDay” was in town.
“I was a little hesitant about today myself because we have a lot going on,” said Tanner. “But, like I said, there’s never a perfect time. But today is not a sad day, it’s a happy day.”
Tanner had been discussing his future with university president Michael Amiridis for the past few months. The longer the talks went on, the greater the chance that the news would come out sooner than both sides wanted, Tanner said.
“I’ve had a few people reach out to me. I’m not going to name names, but a few have reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, what do you know about this? I’d like the job,'” ESPN’s Rece Davis, host of “College GameDay,” said Friday from Columbia.
The nationwide search for a new sports director will begin at the end of November, Amiridis said.
Tanner will receive his current salary of $1.175 million through June 30, 2025. He will make $987,500 next year and $800,000 in the final year of the contract, which ends June 30, 2028, “unless extended by mutual written agreement,” according to Armiridis’ letter accepting his decision to resign as AD and move into the new role.
Tanner’s tenure had its ups and downs.
The women’s basketball team has won three national titles under Staley: in 2017, 2022 and most recently in 2024. And although Tanner was still the baseball coach when Staley came on board before the 2008-09 season, he helped her stay with the Gamecocks despite other outside opportunities.
Tanner has hired two full-time football coaches during his 12-year tenure with the football team as he attempted to make progress in the difficult SEC.
Will Muschamp served from 2017 until his firing before the end of the 2020 season, finishing 28-30 overall and 17-22 in the SEC.
Current coach Shane Beamer was hired in December 2020 and had two successful seasons in his first three years.
Tanner said he was honored to be at South Carolina for nearly three decades and to have the chance to continue in another capacity. When his successor arrives, Tanner will be athletic director emeritus and presidential adviser and will focus on fundraising and community engagement.
“I am pleased that he is continuing to serve at the university and that he is willing to do so,” said Thad Westbrook, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Ray, he may not have a degree from South Carolina, but there is no one who loves our university more.”
Tanner came to South Carolina as a baseball coach in 1996 and subsequently participated in the College World Series six times.
Tanner said his successor would need to be “flexible” to navigate the new, rapidly changing world of college sports.
Amiridis said he would look for an experienced athletic director who had a similar respect for the sport as Tanner.
Tanner said he will not be closely involved in the selection of the next athletic director.
“I’m grateful for the time I’ve been able to spend in South Carolina and for the opportunities that have been presented to me,” he said. “We have a great place, we have wonderful people and I’m excited to stay in a role that will be new to me but will certainly elevate me in ways I haven’t experienced in years.”
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