Swanson resigns from basketball at PJC

Thursday morning during a press conference held inside the Lou Ross Center at Pensacola Junior College, Coach Paul Swanson, announced his resignation as head basketball coach at PJC.

Swanson compared his last three years as the Pirates head coach to the movie Groundhog Day.

“The last few years, we have struggled in this league,” he said. “In this league, your life is based on six weeks and 12 games, that’s the bottom line.”

Swanson said the 13 years he spent at PJC were met with struggle, and over the past few years, couldn’t help lift PJC to a championship. 

Swanson will be stepping down on June 30, but announced his recognition early too allow time for the college to find another person to fill his position.

“This is first and foremost, a superior academic institution,” Swanson said. “If you’re not winning, you’re not bringing the motivating juices into the school.”

Under Swanson’s leadership as basketball coach, 90 percent of his players have gone on to four-year institutions, and 80 percent have graduated according to the coach.

Ed Meadows, President of PJC said Swanson had been a detrimental part of the Pirate family over the past decade. 

“He has spent 13 years here fulfilling a mission at PJC,” Meadows said.

That mission according to Meadows was laying a foundation out for the players he recruited.

Swanson admitted that the basketball program had been struggling, and wanted to move on in his life.  Meadows told Swanson that if he ever planned to return to PJC for any other endeavors, the college would welcome him with open arms.

“He is the winningest coach in PJC basketball history,” said PJC athletic director Bill Hamilton. “When you can say that, you’re leaving with your head held high.”

Swanson recruited a lot of local talent into his team including Justin Wright, a Pace High graduate who has played guard for the Pirates for over a year, and knew Swanson for close to five years.

“I understand the business part of it, and the business is to win,” Wright said. “Swanson has taught me to be a better man.”

Hamilton noted that Swanson taught his players to be better people on and off the court.

“Socially he has developed his kids to be better people,” he said.

The basketball coach said the school needed a new face to bring the college back into the light.  Talks of making PJC a state college has been on the forefront of everyone’s mind for the past year.

“A lot of things need to happen here to make things happen,” Swanson said. “I think it’s time for PJC to have a new face, and I probably need a new challenge.”

The coach said he and his family have invested their time and love into the Gulf Coast, and wanted to see the college prosper in the future.

“I’ve spent every second and thousands of hours to be successful in that six week period of time,” he said.  “I just need a chance to recharge my batteries.”