LANCASTER, S.C. — Buford Yellow Jackets athletic director Eric Funderburk may be near the end of his career, but he still is earning career accomplishments.
Funderburk was named 2A Athletic Director of the Year at the S.C. Athletic Administrators Association conference in Charleston on March 13.
Funderburk, who was representing Region V at the conference and has been named Region Athletic Director of the Year in the past, said he was notified about two months before the announcement that he won the state award.
“When I got the letter, I was surprised,” he said. “I am just a guy who grew up in Buford, played and coached at Buford, and I try to do the best I can as athletic director.”
Funderburk said he never thought he would be in consideration for the state award.
“There are a lot of great athletic directors out there,” he said. “It was nice to be nominated, but I didn’t think I would get it. It was really a big surprise that I got it.”
Besides being a coach at the North-South All-Star game in the past, Funderburk said this recent honor was the biggest one he has gotten as athletic director.
Funderburk will be retiring as Buford’s athletic director at the end of the school year. He has been in education for 28 years and at Buford since the 2008. He became the school’s athletic director in the 2018-19 school year.
For him, winning the award this year is like ending things on a high note.
“Retirement and leaving after all the years I have had in the Lancaster County School District is going to be sad,” he said. “I am proud of what I have done and all the people I have met along the way and all the kids I have been around.
“Getting this award at the end does put a little icing on the top. Makes me feel like I have done something the past couple of years that may have gotten noticed.”
Although it was Funderburk who won the award, he gave credit to his coaches at the school and the Buford community for the support they give the Yellow Jackets athletic programs.
“The only reason I got this is because of the Buford community and our coaches,” he said. “We’ve got good coaches that care about our kids. Our community supports them and our sponsors help us build the program. This award is about everybody in Buford, more than it is about me.”
