On June 1, 2025, John Rushing became the fifth Athletic Director in Wallace Community College's 60-year athletic history. Since his four predecessors either coached a team or served in other positions on campus, Rushing will be the first Athletic Director of the Governors to be focused solely on overseeing the department. With the additions of cross country and golf, and plans to add more sports, Rushing will be tasked with leading the department through an exciting period of expansion of Governors' Athletics.
Originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Rushing spent the previous five years at Chipola College as the Assistant Athletic Director.  He gained valuable National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) experience during his time in Marianna, Florida where he learned the particulars of academic eligibility, compliance, and bylaws/policies. As part of the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA), he served on the Equity Committee and Sports Information Committee. In 2023-2025, he served as the Chair-Elect of the Panhandle Conference, one of the toughest conferences in NJCAA Athletics.
In the five years Rushing was at Chipola, the Indians won three men's basketball state championships, two women's basketball state championships, and one softball state championship. The teams attended a combined ten NJCAA Tournament appearances which included two semifinal appearances in men's basketball and one semifinal appearance in women's basketball. The teams also won a combined seven Panhandle Conference Championships: baseball (1); men's basketball (5); and softball (1).Â
During his tenure, the Appreciation Club, Chipola's athletic booster club, increased its membership each year. He helped rebuild 75 years of athletic history in order to preserve important records and memories. This included a touchscreen monitor in the club's gathering place that outlines the accomplishments of the past and celebrates athletes who moved on to play at the next level, collegiately and/or professionally. He also helped to adorn the walls of the college's Milton H. Johnson Center, home of the basketball programs, with the department's team and individual accomplishments of the past.
Prior to his time at Chipola, Rushing was the Director of Baseball Operations at Troy University from 2011-2020. In 2013, the Trojans won the SunBelt regular season championship and participated in the NCAA Regional in Tallahassee, Florida. Troy made a return trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 in the Athens. Georgia Regional.
From 2005-2011, Rushing was the Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach at Tuscaloosa Academy in his hometown. His squads won the area championship twice and advanced to the AISA playoffs five times. The department won 17 State Championships during his five-year tenure as Athletic Director.
Rushing's first experience with the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) came at Bevill State Community College in Fayette, Alabama. In 2001, he joined Coach Joey May's staff and helped lead the Bears to their first ACCC D2 Baseball Championship in school history. After a runner-up finish in 2002, Bevill State once again won the 2003 ACCC D2 Championship and finished 3rd at the NJCAA D2 World Series in Millington, Tennessee.
From 2000 to the summer of 2011, Rushing was the head coach of Tuscaloosa Post 34’s Senior American Legion Team. During his tenure, Rushing led Post 34 to the American Legion State Championship Game nine out of his 12 seasons, including seven championships. In 2013, Rushing restarted the Troy Post 70 baseball program consisting of players ages 13-19 in the Troy area. Post 70 advanced to the Senior State Championship game in four of the six seasons Rushing was Head Coach. His teams won the championship and advanced to the Southeast Regional in 2016, 2017, & 2018. The 2016 team marked the first time Troy had won the State Championship in the 95-year history of American Legion Baseball.
Over 80 former players that Rushing coached, played Division I or professional baseball including current big leaguers, David Robertson (Philadelphia Phillies) and Brendan Donovan (St. Louis Cardinals).
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