University of West Florida

Dave Scott started his term as athletic director at the University of West Florida on May 21, 2008. During his time leading the department, UWF athletics has seen unprecedented growth while its teams continue to enjoy success.

Scott's duties include managing daily operations, implementing strategic initiatives and developing athletic priorities with staff input. During his tenure as athletic director, the department has finished multiple large projects. Most recently, Scott oversaw the completion of the Sandy Sansing Sports Medicine Center, a $6 million state-of-the-art facility to enhance the quality of care for student-athletes. The athletics department will also be opening a new Academic Center for student-athletes in the spring of 2025. UWF athletics previously completed a visioning team process and facilities master plan under his watch, and he also led the department in adding women’s swimming and diving (2013) and football (2016).  

The football program has achieved unparalleled success in its nine seasons of competition. The Argonauts are the fastest startup program to not only qualify for NCAA post season play, but to also advance to the national championship game in its second year and second-fastest to win the national championship in year four. UWF has finished in the top 25 in average attendance in all nine seasons, leading the Gulf South Conference.
Scott was instrumental in getting facility enhancement projects completed thus far in his tenure. It had been over 30 years since the last dedicated athletics facility was constructed. The University completed a state-of-the art baseball/softball covered hitting facility in fall 2015, which in 2017 was named the Members First Credit Union hitting facility following a $100,000 naming rights gift. Scott also led the completion of a lighted artificial turf football field in spring 2016, new bleachers at the soccer complex and the modern Darrell Gooden Sports Performance Center, a multifunctional academic/athletics operations center that houses a football locker room, a state-of-the-art athletics performance center for all student-athletes in spring 2018.

In 2010, UWF was the inaugural recipient of the NCAA Division II Game Environment Award of Excellence. The department has also developed a new set of athletics logos and rebranded itself under his watch.  
 
Under Scott, the Argonaut Athletic Club booster group has increased in membership from 142 in 2008 to currently more than 1,700 with the largest single gifts to Athletics occurring in the last five years. the 2018-19 year was one of the most successful in history for the department more than $3,000,000 raised for athletics through fundraising and sponsorship. UWF saw a record in sponsors and sponsorship support with 104 sponsors and more than $600,000 in corporate support.

Scott came on as interim athletic director in Spring 2008, and during his first year the Argonauts claimed five Gulf South Conference championships. He was named full-time athletic director on February 13, 2009.

The Argonauts have continued to succeed at the conference level with Scott at the helm, winning at least four conference titles every year thus far. UWF has won 125 conference championships (GSC – 118, NSISC – 7) with 81 of those championships coming under his watch. The 118 GSC championships are the most all-time in league history (Troy, second with 58). Under Scott’s watch UWF has won the GSC women’s all-sports trophy 10 times. In 2011-12 the Argos also won the men’s trophy, sweeping the awards for the first time under Scott and the third time in history. The Argos earned a sweep again in 2012-13, 2015-16, and 2016-17. The Gulf South Conference began awarding an Overall All-Sports Trophy in 2013-14, and UWF has won this prestigious award every year since its inception, six in a row. 
 
Not only have the teams succeeded on the field, the Argos also succeed in the classroom. UWF student-athletes have had a higher cumulative GPA than the general student body for 22 out of the last 23 years. UWF has earned eight CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, and 138 GSC All-Academic Team selections in Scott’s tenure.

The Argonauts have seen success at the national level under Scott’s watch with six national championships: men’s golf in 2008, baseball in 2011, women's soccer in 2012, men's tennis in 2014 and 2017, and football in 2019. UWF also produced its first national champions in swimming and diving in 2016, with individual champions in the 1M & 3M diving and 100yd breaststroke. The women’s swimming and diving team followed up in 2017 winning six individual national championships.  In each of Scott’s 12 seasons, at least one team has advanced to compete at a national tournament. UWF earned its highest final ranking in school history in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup in 2016-17, reaching third.
 
Scott was honored by his peers following the 2013-14 season, earning a NACDA Division II Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year award.

UWF has hosted multiple postseason tournaments during Scott’s tenure, including NCAA Division II national championships in men’s and women’s soccer in 2011 and 2015 and women’s volleyball in 2012 and 2017. UWF has also hosted NCAA regional competitions in baseball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, women’s golf and women’s soccer, and GSC postseason tournaments in baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.


Scott serves the Gulf South Conference as well. He is the administrative liaison for men’s and women’s soccer and is a member of the Awards Committee. Scott had also been an active member of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). He was an integral part of the Region II host committee in 1995 for NIRSA, hosted several National Flag Football Championships, and he has published the NIRSA Special Events Manual. He also received the NIRSA Regional Award of Merit. For his many contributions to NIRSA, he was inducted into the NIRSA Flag Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Scott is actively involved in the community, serving on the Board of Directors for Pensacola Sports.

He has been employed at UWF since 1990, and in his over 30 years of service, he has been actively involved with athletics. From 1994-2002, he was in charge of marketing and promotions for the department. He was also an integral part of the planning committee for the 2006 NCAA Division II Fall Sports Festival, which was hosted by UWF.

Before moving back to athletics, Scott served as UWF’s director of recreation following many years as assistant director. His duties included administration of a comprehensive and varied program of recreational activities designed to meet the needs of the university population. During this time, he was honored with the Student Affairs Award of Excellence twice, which recognizes staff for a commitment to outstanding service.

Scott has a variety of other experiences that include coaching, teaching and media coordination. He was a department adjunct instructor during the 1990s, which included the team sports course, along with supervision of directed studies and internships. He also acted as the media coordinator for one of the original Pensacola Sports Festivals, in which he was involved in all aspects of public relations and publicity, by setting up interviews and promotions and coordinating sports information for the festival. Scott also acted as an assistant golf coach for one year. The golf team finished fourth at the NAIA National Championships under Scott's guidance.

Scott, the son of Harold and Beulah Scott, attended Gilmer County High School in Glenville, West Virginia. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from West Virginia University in 1985 and received his master’s degree in health, leisure and sports at the University of West Florida in 1988.

Scott is married to the former Carla Marek. Their daughter Kasey is a graduate of UWF and is pursuing a graduate degree at Belmont University. Dave’s other daughter Chelsea who also graduated from UWF and is currently the Recreation Manager for Navy Federal Credit Union.