Mark Elliott Retires After 16 Years as Athletic Director

By Maven McGregory

Sports Editor

After 16 years leading Trevecca athletics, Mark Elliott will retire following the 2026-27 school year. 

Elliott was hired in 2011 as director of athletics and has spent his tenure leading the university’s athletic department through major changes.  

Trevecca Nazarene University President Dan Boone said he saw the qualities in Elliott from their first interview that shaped his decision to hire him. 

“It was the combination of his faith, deep love for students, and the student experience. I saw that in him. 
The strength of his own family. The way that he raised his children and the character that he had instilled within them, that gave me confidence that this is the kind of influence he’s going to have on the athletes that come through Trevecca,” said Boone. 

It was the right decision, said Boone. 

“Across the years, I’ve watched him build our athletic teams. His adoption of Christian-Scholar-Athlete as the mantra for the program fits who we are exceptionally well,” he said. 

Elliott introduced Trevecca athletics’ Christian-Scholar-Athlete philosophy, making it the central part of the department’s identity and culture.

“Christian-Scholar-Athlete is the philosophy that we said we were going to be from everything we publish to everything that we have on the walls. If you walk down the sidewalk and ask any athlete, what’s the motto of the athlete department, they would tell you ‘Christian-Scholar, Athlete’. That doesn’t happen for 350 athletes and 70 coaches. It takes a lot of work to get a philosophy across that really is the essence of what we’re trying to do and I’m really proud. of that,” said Elliott. 

One of his primary goals when he arrived was moving Trevecca from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II. 

“I was hired to take us from NAIA to Division II, and that was a four-year process,” said Elliott.  

After four years, all Trevecca’s 15 intercollegiate teams became an NCAA member for the first time. 

Elliott described the time and effort he put into establishing the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and writing its operating codes as a defining part of his career.

“We created the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, whom we transitioned out of, but for me, that was like getting a doctorate or master’s degree because I wrote the operating codes for the GMAC. I don’t want to compare someone who’s published operating codes, but it was like writing a thesis or a dissertation,” said Elliott. 

Elliott said his decision to retire was not tied to one specific moment. Over time, he began to realize the program could benefit from a new vision and a new leader. 

Elliott recognized his decision in the words of former North Carolina men’s basketball coach Roy Williams. 

“I remember when he retired, he said, ‘I’m no longer the best person to run this program,’” said Elliott.  “That really sunk deep in me because that’s the way I feel right now. I was good for the program; the program was great for me. I enjoyed every moment of it. Still do. But I’d just feel like at some point somebody else can run this better than I can. And I think we found that person in Jon Burch,” said Elliott 

Jonathan Burch, associate professor of management, will take over as director of athletics following Elliott’s retirement on July 1. 

Elliott said he first approached Burch about the possibility of becoming director of athletics about a year and a half ago. He and Burch planned the transition before Elliott formally announced his retirement. 

Elliot and Burch worked on a transition plan that allows him to take over gradually until Elliott’s retirement in July.

Burch’s connection to Trevecca extends beyond athletics.  

Boone said Burch’s long history with Trevecca helped make the transition possible. 

“We’ve known Jon for most of his life here. He was an athlete at Trevecca, who had the kind of academic experience that led him to postgraduate degrees to come back as a business professor, teaching in our graduate business program. He has loved Trevecca Athletics from the time that he was a student to where he is today as a parent of one of our students and as the faculty athletics representative. So, the whole idea that we would have to go find somebody new and hope that they fit, Jon resolved all of that.” said Boone 

 As Elliott enters his final year, he wants the athletic department to continue embodying the Christian-Scholar-Athlete philosophy. 

“I want the athletic department to represent the university well, on the field, off the field, in the cafeteria, in the dorm, in the newspaper, in the social media aspect of everything. I want us to represent it because we don’t have an athletic department if we don’t have a university. 
The university allows us to have an athletic department. If we don’t represent the university, then we’re not doing our job. No different than the math department, history department, or religion department. 
So, as a department, I want us to represent Trevecca in a Trevecca way and winning a couple championships would be nice,” said Elliott 

 Elliott said he will miss the relationships he has built with coaches and student athletes throughout his career. 

“I love to talk to coaches about coaching. I love to talk to Doug Novak about basketball. 
I love to talk to Emily Moore about player relationships and how to mature young athletes into what they are going to be covering,” said Elliott 

Beyond those relationships, Elliott said he will miss watching athletes discover what they can accomplish because he understands the journey from his own experience as an athlete. 

“ I cry every time I see athletes because I understand the possibilities, capabilities, and what could happen in their life because of athletics. I’ll miss that piece of it too because I’m aligned with them spiritually, academically and athletically,” said Elliott 

Looking ahead, Elliott expects to remain involved in sports in some capacity while spending more time with his family. 

“The book isn’t closed, the chapter’s closed. I suspect it’ll be in some kind of athletics. I’m not retiring to the beach or to the golf course. But I have 10 grandkids and a lot of them are here in Nashville, so I look forward to getting to know them,” said Elliott.