David Hicks was named athletic director at West Virginia State University on June 17, 2025. He replaced Nate Burton, who has since joined the Furman University athletic department. Hicks is a Chapmanville native.
David Hicks was named athletic director at West Virginia State University on June 17, 2025. He replaced Nate Burton, who has since joined the Furman University athletic department. Hicks is a Chapmanville native.
David Hicks hasn't had that much time to settle into his new role as the new athletic director of West Virginia State University.
Hicks, who assumed the role on June 17, has adjusted to the quick landscape of a new university, along with the ever-changing world of collegiate athletics.
The Chapmanville native comes back to West Virginia after spending more than a decade at King University, where he served from 2011-25. Hicks steps into a role that was occupied by Nate Burton until this past March.
The West Virginia State Yellow Jackets athletic department is under new leadership as David Hicks, a Chapmanville native, replaced Nate Burton last month.
Hicks comes back to the Mountain State after serving over two decades in college athletics, including the last 14 years at King University.
Hicks joins host Taylor Kennedy on the latest edition of Coaches Corner and discusses various topics surrounding WVSU and Division 2 athletics.
While at King, in Bristol, Tennessee, Hicks oversaw a plethora of things like a $2.9 million budget and more than 30 full-time coaches and staff members.
He also added five new varsity sports to the university's athletic department, including women's flag football, acrobatics and tumbling, bass fishing, women's triathlon and e-sports.
"It's been great," Hicks said on being back in West Virginia. "This is a tremendous part of the country with a lot of great people. You get amazing amounts of community support. I obviously know very well the history and traditions of West Virginia State. It's exciting from that standpoint. On a personal level, I've been able to reconnect with a lot of folks that I stayed in touch with through the years but had some lost contact with a little bit. But, it's really been great.
"I love this area, this part of the country and [it has] some of the best people in the world when you look at, not only with the university, but this area."
The athletes at King University not only excelled on the playing field but in the classroom.
Hicks saw the athletes at his last stop achieve a GPA above 3.0 for 13 consecutive years.
The West Virginia native took care of increasing the contributions through the Tornado Athletic Club, which saw a 300% increase.
King University also earned three NCAA grants, which were used to further programming and inclusion at the school.
“I am happy to welcome David Hicks to the Yellow Jacket Nation as West Virginia State University’s new athletic director,†WVSU President Ericke S. Cage said. “Athletics is an important part of West Virginia State University, and I know that under David’s direction, we will reach new heights for our student-athletes both on the field of competition and in the classroom.â€
Part of Hicks' career of more than 25 years also include a 13-year stint at Rhodes College, where he served as assistant athletic director for facilities and softball head coach.
While serving as the softball coach at Rhodes, he led the program to four conference tournament appearances in six seasons.
Hicks also led Rhodes to the most wins in school history with 29 wins in 2009 and regular-season wins with 27 in 2010.
The Chapmanville native has seen this dynamic realm of college athletics take twists and turns while he's been in the business.
"For me, as far as who I am, it's really about providing student athletes with a meaningful experience and giving them something that they're going to remember 25-30 years from now," Hicks said. "They can look back on their time as a college athlete at West Virginia State and say, 'Hey, that was meaningful. It changed my life.'
"When I wear West Virginia State gear, [alumni or community people] either recognize my face or name and talk about what a great experience they had here. That's what it's all about."
A settlement back in June during the House v. NCAA case granted schools, primarily in Division I, the capability to directly compensate athletes and distribute more than $20.5 million to athletes, an amount which will increase over a 10-year period.
That settlement has no effect on Division II or III athletes.
However, Hicks wants him and his department at WVSU to be cognizant of what's happening at the Division I level because, normally, what happens there trickles down to other divisions.
"You've got to be very nimble and be able to adapt quickly because that changes almost daily and there's a trickle-down effect," Hicks said. "We're not impacted nearly as much as the Division I and Power Four level, but there's a trickle-down effect. There are expectations that student-athletes have. Now that they can generate some revenue off of name, image and likeness.
"So, for us, it's really just about continuing to generate revenue, identify new revenue sources and do that through fundraising, sponsorships, ticket sales and whatever that is. It's about providing the student athletes with a great experience."
Hicks does believe that his imagination and creative landscape has to be able to adapt when figuring out ways to generate new revenue.
"You've always gotta be creative," Hicks said. "You've gotta never be afraid to try something and fail. I played baseball in high school and college. I've got a little statue or whatever on my desk and it says, 'You can't steal second base with your foot on first.' So, I think you've always gotta be willing to try something new and innovative. If it doesn't work, you move on to the next one.
"But, it's just finding those new revenue sources and partnerships that can benefit the individual or community that's supporting us and the university."
West Virginia State has traditionally been known for a loyal and passionate fanbase. It's one that many people in the Kanawha Valley rally behind and it's something that Hicks doesn't take lightly when representing the Yellow Jackets.
"In the four weeks I've been here, I can already sense the amount of support that we have from the community around the greater Kanawha Valley but also from our alumni," Hicks said. "There's just been a swelling of support not just for me personally but also for our programs. We need to pay that back. Our student-athletes have been good in the past about getting out in the community, serving and giving back. That's something that I want to increase."
Hicks has been a strong advocate of making the overall college experience worthwhile for athletes, rather than them just paying the tuition to attend and it not being worth the time.
He believes that spending the money that could help improve that experience can help athlete morale.
"My priority is always on giving the student-athletes the best possible experience," Hicks said. "I want to make sure that they know that they're loved and are appreciated. So, anything that we spend on is [us saying], 'Hey, are we making the student-athlete experience better with this?' Without getting into the specifics, if you looked at our budgets, you would see that's where we're spending the majority of our resources.
"Let's make sure that they have the gear, equipment and facilities they need to compete in a manner that gives them the best opportunity to win."
