Corey Mullins Transitions from Coach to Athletics Director

Corey Mullins was promoted to athletics director for Bluefield University in June of 2022. Mullins, previously the women’s basketball coach at Bluefield, is hoping to bring his success on the court, including more than 100 wins in an eight-year stint, to the AD position. 

Following his promotion from coach to athletic director, Mullins said his biggest worry was entering such a heavy administrative job since transitioning from coaching to full-time administrative work is a drastic change. Being isolated to only the women’s basketball program in his previous position, he said another challenge would be building connections with all student-athletes.

“I want to be more intentional in meeting student-athletes now,” Mullins said. “I want to try to engage more in the student body as a whole.”

What does this look like exactly? Mullins described it as eating more in the cafeteria, talking with all athletes, and finding interest in what athletes want. A big part of Mullins’ ethical scope is building relationships. He spoke about the importance of doing that with not only students, but also coaches.

“A big part of building relationships is finding what others are interested in,” Mullins said.

Since for years his commitment has been to only the women’s basketball team, some students worry that the new athletic director will not be fair and accommodating to all sports. Mullins responded to that concern.

“For the first two months, I just wanted to listen first,” he said, “and figure out where I can make an impact in the department.” That said, Mullins said he wants to build connections and find common interests with athletes and coaches to better understand all sports and the department. 

“I am excited to see our competitive teams succeed this year,” Mullins said. “I want student-athletes to be involved in other things on campus to help diversify the department (Elevate, campus ministry, and student leadership). I challenge our athletes to go out and be a part of campus life (and) absorb the small school experience here at Bluefield. The only way to affect change is to push outside your comfort zone/culture. This experience is what you make of it. The more we commit to this community/family, the better experience we will all have. It is easy to focus on this culture to see what we do not have, but we need to take advantage of the small class size and know the individual stories on this campus.”