“If they keep score I want to win.”

Those were a few of the words from new Howard Payne University Director of Athletics Adam Bright, who was introduced to the public at a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Bullion Suites at the Mabee University Center.

“I’m committed to excellence, but beyond that knowing that the university is committed to excellence and the changes that have happened here the last five or six years, where we’re headed as a university, knowing there’s a commitment to excellence not just on the scoreboard but in everything we do, that felt like home,” said Bright, who comes to HPU after serving as an associate athletic director at NCAA Division I Sam Houston State.

More than 60 applicants from 22 states applied for the position, according to Dr. Nathan Penland, HPU Vice President for Student Experience.

Dr. Cory Hines, Howard Payne University President, said, “Today we are ushering in a new and exciting chapter in the history of HPU athletics. I was initially somewhat surprised when I began to hear about the unbelievably talented and highly qualified candidate pool that began to emerge from this key role need on our campus. But, honestly, the more I thought about it, the less surprised I became. I say this because other people see what we see. That is we have a storied history here, we have an unbelievable athletics legacy, while at the same time we have an amazing opportunity before us to build something great in the days ahead.”

Hines then spoke about Bright, stating, “From the very first time I met him I knew he was the perfect one for this role. His passion, his energy, his ideas, his vision and his experience have uniquely prepared him to build the kind of athletics department that we need here at HPU. I’m of the opinion we stand at a launching point with tremendous opportunity before us. I have 100 percent confidence in Adam’s ability to lead us into the days ahead. I love that Adam knows how to dream big, how to develop strategy, how to execute and how to see solutions in the midst of challenges.”

Hines brought an autographed basketball to the press conference from the 2008 Lady Jackets women’s basketball national championship team, that resides in the home of the HPU president.

“I love seeing this because it reminds me, it can be done,” Hines said. “Every time I see this I’m motivated to ensure we’re doing everything we can to build a championship culture on our campus. I think it’s time for us to get another one of those. I don’t know if it will be a basketball, or a golf ball, or a tennis ball, or a baseball, or a football, or a softball, or a volleyball, but we need another one those balls in the president’s house.”

Bright echoed similar sentiments.

“Our best days are ahead of us,” Bright said. “We’re going to compete for championships. I want banners, I want rings, pure and simple. I want to fill the Coliseum with banners and I want to see people walking around campus with rings. That’s who we can be, that’s who we will be. But we have to understand we can’t become who we want to be by remaining who we are. We’ve got to do the things that are uncomfortable and have those growing paints because we’re going to get there. We’re not going to leave a stone unturned, we will go find excellence, we will achieve excellence, but in all of it we’ll be champions for Christ in all that we do.”

Bright also addressed the student-athlete experience, stating, “That has to be a top priority for us. We want to talk about retention and all those things, but before we talk about that we have to talk about the student-athlete experience. It has to be great, something they’re proud of, something that shows when they walk in a room there’s something different about them. And what is that? It’s because they go to Howard Payne.”

Bright also wants Howard Payne sporting events to become the place to be in Brownwood going forward.

“We’re going to reimagine what game days look like,” Bright said. “It needs to be an experience to come to, something you look forward to. Along with that, we need to reimagine how to get know our student-athletes. What does our social media content look like? I want you to come to a game because you know that student-athlete because you’ve seen them. We want you to get to know our student-athletes and want you to come to a game because you feel like you need to support them because you know who they are.”

Regarding the greatest strengths of HPU athletics as he enters the job, Bright said, “I know we have a great staff of coaches and leaning into them I know there’s some history here, that’s a big piece, and there’s just a love for the university. So many people have been here for a long time and love this place, there’s something special here. We have to become story tellers and  tell the story of what’s going on here and what’s special here, so that excites me. I think we have a staff that’s on board to do that.”

As for the greatest challenges Howard Payne faces, “The world of college athletics is changing, that’s no secret. Figuring out what that means for us, riding the waves of change that are going to be coming at the higher levels, those are going to trickle down and have an impact here in some form or fashion. Having the ability to be nimble and having the ability to see what’s going on and have contacts around the country to get a sense of what’s next and make a plan for it, those are the things we’re really going to work on. And just like everywhere else we need to figure out a way to find more resources to be good stewards of. There’s some big projects that are out there for us to go take care of over the next decade, and I’m excited to start attacking those.”

Bright closed his comments to the public by stating, “Today starts a new chapter for Howard Payne athletics and I invite you to come help us build a foundation for the transformation that’s about to transpire here. There’s going to be questions asked about what happened at Howard Payne, what changed? That’s what we want, people saying what did they do? There’s no reason we can’t become the model Division III school in the state of Texas when you come look and see what’s going on. An ultimate goal for us will be having schools come here and ask what’s our secret sauce, and for us to simply be able to say we love the Lord and we love our kids. That’s going to be our secret sauce and we’re going to find a whole lot of success along the way.”

The full press conference can be found at HPUsports.com.