The victories continue to mount, now 469 and counting, as Christopher Newport head coach C.J. Woollum climbs the ladders of Division III's most successful head coaches. Starting his 25th season, Woollum ranks 24th among active Division III coaches in winning percentage with a mark of .702. That comes from an overall record of 469-199. Those 469 wins place him tied for 18th among active coaches, but all of the 18 ahead of him have taken more than Woollum's 24 seasons to amass their totals. When you look at everyone who has ever coached in Division III, Woollum is 24th in winning percentage and tied for 32nd in total victories but, again, only one coach on that list won more than 469 games in 24 years. But Woollum's career is not just about winning percentages and total victories. It's about winning in all respects. After guiding the Captains to a 13-14 record in his first season at the helm, CNU posted a 19-11 record in his second year, won its first conference championship and made the first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. There would be many more titles and some outstanding NCAA play in the years to come.
Overall, CNU has played in the NCAA tournament 16 times in the intervening years, reaching the Elite 8 in 2000-01 and the Sweet 16 on four other occasions. In conference play, the Captains have won 12 titles which led to automatic NCAA bids and finished either first or second 16 times in the last 18 regular seasons.
During that span, Woollum has coached some of the finest players in Division III history, including one who, arguably, might be the best ever. Lamont Strothers was a three-time All-American and still ranks as the third leading scorer in the Division's history, even though his playing career ended in 1991. He was also one of the few Division III players ever selected in the NBA draft, going in the second round in 1991.
All told, he has coached nine All-Americans and 11 players who have gone on to play professionally in just about every corner of the globe. Much of this has been accomplished while wearing the two hats of basketball coach and Director of Athletics. He took over the latter job in 1987 and has overseen the growth of one of the top Division III athletic programs in the nation.
As examples, CNU has won the USA South President's Cup, for the top overall department performance, for the last 11 years as well as the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Award for the best overall won-lost record among Virginia Division II and III schools for six of the last 11 years. CNU teams have made a total of 67 NCAA appearances heading into the 2008-09 year and CNU athletes have been named All-American an astounding 537 times.
In addition, Woollum has directed the construction of some of the finest facilities in Division III, and in many cases, other divisions as well. A new football stadium and indoor athletic center are the show pieces. However, outstanding new facilities have also been built for baseball, softball, field hockey, tennis and lacrosse, all since 2000. In his earlier years, Woollum even served as CNU golf coach, directing his teams to six NCAA tournaments in 13 years and having at least one individual make the field in 12 of the 13 years. He had four players earn All-American honors. One of those, Scott Scovil, won the individual national title and another, Scott Causby, captured the most prestigious regular season tournament in Division III, the Gordin Collegiate Classic. Woollum is a native of Alexandria, Va., and a graduate of Kentucky Wesleyan. He also has a Masters from Marshall. He has two daughters, Kristy and Emily.