Craig Roden has been named the next Lady Parsons head basketball coach, Snead State Community College officials announced.
“We are thrilled to welcome Craig Roden back to Snead State as head coach of our Women’s Basketball program,” said Snead State President Dr. Joe Whitmore. “Craig is an accomplished coach that knows what it takes to win at the collegiate level and build a championship culture on and off the court.”
Roden, a native of Marshall County, returns to take over the women’s basketball program for a second time in his decades-long coaching career.
“I’m honored to be named head coach of the Lady Parsons Basketball Team,” Roden said. “Snead State is an outstanding institution with first-class leadership. I’m grateful to President Dr. Joe Whitmore, Athletic Director Mark Richard and Assistant Athletic Director Casey Underwood for this opportunity. I’m committed to creating a winning culture for our student-athletes – on and off the court – and I’m excited to get to work.”
Roden has amassed a total of 625 collegiate victories over his career, including 132 victories in the women’s junior college ranks. He also holds the distinction of taking three different Gulf South Conference programs (West Alabama, West Georgia and Delta State) to the NCAA tournament – the only coach on the women’s side to accomplish such a feat. Roden is also the second-winningest coach in GSC women’s basketball history.
After serving as an assistant for Livingston University’s (now University of West Alabama) Women’s Basketball Team from 1978-1980, Roden was hired as the Lady Parsons head coach, compiling a 65-34 record from 1980-1984. His 1983-84 squad finished the season 22-4 and was ranked 13th nationally.
Before returning to Snead State a second time to lead the Men’s Basketball program in 1992, Roden made head coaching stops at Livingston University (1984-1987), University of Texas El Paso (1987-1990), and Conners State College in Oklahoma (1990-1992).
From 1992-1995, Roden turned around the Snead State Men’s Basketball program from 2-24 to an 11-18 finish in his first year and 13-13 in his second year, which included a trip to the Regional Playoffs.
In 1995, Roden stepped down to take the head coaching job at Crowder College in Missouri, where his team finished 16-16, won the NJCAA Sub-Region and Region Championships, and finished seventh overall after upsetting the No. 2 team in the NJCAA National Tournament.
From 1996 to 2010, Roden served as head coach at the University of West Georgia. Over that span, Roden totaled 198 wins and was named the GSC Coach of the Year three times.
Roden returned to coach the University of West Alabama Women’s Basketball Team from 2010-2014, and later coached the Delta State University Women’s Basketball Team for eight seasons before announcing his decision to retire from coaching in 2022. Roden posted a 129-87 overall record while at Delta State and was crowned Gulf South Conference champions in 2015 and 2016.
Roden was inducted into the Marshall County Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and the University of West Alabama Hall of Fame in Fall 2022.
Roden is a 1974 graduate of Kate Duncan Smith DAR High School. After attending Snead State for two years and working as a manager with legendary head coach John Kitchens, Roden transferred to Livingston University to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and a Master’s Degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
Roden is married to the former Debra Griffin, of Birmingham. They have three children James Tyler (Brandi) Roden, age 38; John Andrew Roden, age 35; and Maggi (Andy) Nations, age 30. They have four grandchildren including Emily Grace Nations (9), Press Roden (7), Josie Love Roden (3) and Jacie Joyce Roden (7 months).
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