SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College assistant football coach Marcus Wood has been tapped to fill an administrative position at the college.

In his new role as assistant vice president for Athletic Development, Wood will spearhead fundraising efforts for EMCC’s athletic programs. Long-range plans call for the construction of an athletic operations center at the Scooba campus to consolidate coaching staff and the addition of a women’s soccer field for the Golden Triangle campus.

Future upgrades are anticipated for EMCC’s baseball, softball, basketball and rodeo facilities and hopes are to install a new scoreboard at Sullivan-Windham Field.

“We are at a great place now with our athletic facilities but we want to make sure we continue to improve,” Wood said.

Wood, who is in his ninth year at the college, served as the Lions’ offensive coordinator. He assumed his new role in January. He now reports to EMCC Vice President of Institutional Advancement Nick Clark.

“Top-notch athletic facilities are a must if we are to continue to attract some the nation’s best athletes,” Clark said. “Many colleges across the country continue to grow and we need to do the same if we want to remain competitive.

“EMCC has excellent academic and career technical programs and our athletics programs are among the best in the region. We want to keep it that way. We are encouraging former EMCC players, alumni and friends to contact Marcus and support our efforts.”

A former all-state safety for the EMCC Lions, Wood graduated in 1996 from Mississippi State University with an undergraduate degree in elementary education. He earned a master’s degree from MSU in 1998 in sports administration. He coached at Mississippi high schools for 10 years, with stints at Meridian High School, Philadelphia High School, Columbia High School and Gulfport High School.

He later served as a volunteer coach at Holmes Community College and as a graduate assistant coach at MSU before accepting the offensive coordinator job at EMCC in 2007.

Wood resides in Scooba with his three sons: Marc, 17, Parker, 15, and Will, 12.

“With this new position, I will be able to spend more time with my boys and I am really looking forward to that,” Wood said. “While I know I will miss the relationships I had with the players as a coach, I am very excited about the new path I am about to embark on.”

David Boykin, who served the last three seasons as Starkville High School’s offensive coordinator, has been hired to fill Wood’s coaching position at EMCC. Boykin has coached with some of the best high school football programs in Mississippi over a period of nearly 20 years.

Wood can be reached by phone at 662-476-5025 or 601-934-5119, or by email at mwood@eastms.edu.