O.D. Vincent retired from coaching and left Duke after just one season Dec. 14 to become senior associate athletic director at the University of Washington, his alma mater.
Vincent, who came to Duke from UCLA to replace the late Rod Myers in 2007, led the Blue Devils to one win in the spring season and two fall wins. He was a standout college golfer at Washington, where he started as a head coach.
Vincent had indicated to Duke officials that he wanted to get into athletics administration, said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations.
"Leaving our team, Duke University and the coaching profession is the most difficult decision I have ever faced," Vincent said in a statement. "I feel so good about the future of our program here at Duke and the future of the young men on the team. I will miss everyone a great deal and always look back on my time at Duke with tremendous fondness."
In his short tenure, Vincent was perhaps best-known for his role as a defendant in senior Andrew Giuliani's lawsuit against the University for Giuliani's allegedly wrongful termination from the team last year. Giuliani, the son of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, sued the school July 23, and the University filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in September.
Vincent's departure, however, had "nothing to do" with the lawsuit, a Duke Athletics spokesman told The Chronicle in December.
Ryan Ressa, an assistant coach under Vincent, will assume day-to-day head coaching responsibilities until Duke concludes its national search for a head coach.
Although the Department of Athletics announced it wished to have a coach by the start of Spring semester, a spokesman said Tuesday that the school is still "in the process" of searching.
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