Ray Tanner is stepping down from his position as athletic director at South Carolina, per a statement by the school on Friday. He announced his intentions in a meeting with the Board of Trustees for the institution, per a report by the Associated Press.
A national search for his successor will begin at the end of the Fall semester, and Tanner will remain in his position until one is appointed. He will then move into an emeritus role for the department, working as a senior advisor to the school’s president focused on fundraising and community engagement.
In a statement, Tanner spoke about how grateful he was to work for the Gamecocks.
“I’m humbled and honored that I have had the great fortune to be a part of this wonderful university and that will continue. For a while now, I have thought there’s going to come a time for Carolina to get a new athletics director, and the president and I have had those conversations. There was interest for me to remain at the university. I agreed to stay in a new role because of my passion for this university, this city and this state.”
Before becoming the athletic director for South Carolina, Tanner was a baseball coach for the Gamecocks and led the team to successive College World Series appearances. He achieved a record of 738 wins and 316 losses at South Carolina, boasting a .700 winning percentage that ranks third all-time among SEC coaches. Under Tanner, the team posted 22 consecutive postseason wins and 12 consecutive wins in the College World Series from 2010-12.
He stepped into the role of Athletic Director in 2012, overseeing massive athletic success for the institution. Under his tenure, the Lady Gamecocks, led by Dawn Staley, became a powerhouse in women’s basketball. The team won championships in 2017, 2022 and 2024 and finished undefeated in the 2024 season.
Tanner also led in improvements in the Gamecocks athletic department, such as ushering the institution into the NIL era, facility upgrades, and a 10-year deal with Under Armour that was signed in 2016.