WINFIELD, KS - Doug Hall has resigned as head men's basketball coach at Southwestern College to become the director of operations for the men's basketball team at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Hall leaves as the third-winningest basketball coach in the college's history, compiling a 145-92 record after completing eight season at the helm of the Moundbuilders men's basketball program.

"This was a very difficult decision," Hall said this week. "Southwestern has been good to me-they made me a head coach at age 29-but as competitive as I am, I've always wanted a chance to coach at the Division I level, and this is a chance to get my foot in the door."

President Dick Merriman says the search for a new coach will begin immediately.

"Doug's teams provided lots of memorable moments for our fans and I'm grateful for all he's done for the college.  We'll move forward as quickly as we can to find a coach who can build on the winning tradition Doug established at Southwestern."

Hall's teams have been some of the most successful in the college's history, with the best eight-year span in the 103-year history of Southwestern College basketball. During this period they had the best single season in school history (2006, with 28 wins), three consecutive 20-win seasons (2005-07), and reached as high as fifth in the NAIA national rankings during 2006. That conference champion team played in the national NAIA tournament. The seven consecutive winning seasons from 2003-09 were the most at the school since 1947.

He gives credit to his assistant coaches for sharing in the team's success.

"Gregg Hackerott has been here as long as I have, and he's probably taught me as much about basketball as I've taught him," he said.

"The thing I'm most proud about is that we've done it the right way, with good kids," Hall said.

"All of the seniors I've had have graduated, except for a couple who just need to finish a couple of hours this summer. That's 31 out of 33 seniors."

Like Southwestern when Hall became head coach in 2001, UMKC is in a rebuilding mode. The current head coach has completed his second year at the college.

"That's one of the things Coach (Matt) Brown and I talked about," Hall says. "Southwestern was 3-26 the year before I became head coach, and a couple years later we were playing for the championship."

Hall has also served the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference for several years as the Men's Basketball Sport Chair and National Rater - positions he was selected to by his fellow coaches within the conference.

According to KCAC Commissioner, Dr. Scott Crawford, "I wish Doug all the best in his new career pursuits.  I have enjoyed working with Coach Hall over the past years as the men's basketball sport chair and national rater.  His commitment and service to the conference will be missed."

Hall came to Southwestern as an assistant coach to Brad Horstmann in 1996. He met his wife, Tiffany (Granzow), at Southwestern, and the couple now have two children-Darren, 5, and Katie, 2.

Southwestern College is a private institution granting undergraduate and graduate degrees and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.  More than 1,900 students attend classes at the main Winfield campus, at six professional studies sites, or online around the world.