Updated commentary: What Bill Peterson’s separation from Shorter really means — and watch what happens next

Shorter news release on Bill Peterson leaving as athletics director: Click Shorter

Our opinion: Veteran athletics director Bill Peterson is out and Matt Green is the interim AD as major changes are under way within Shorter University’s athletics community. Look for a succession of personnel changes to follow this one, Hometown Headlines has learned.

A media release sent shortly after 11 Thursday morning stated Peterson was retiring at the end of the semester.

Few will believe that - and that includes this publication.

University insiders point to differences among Peterson, Shorter president Dr. Don Dowless and other administrators over a continuing series of issues, including employee and contractor compensation, as well as overall money woes. That standoff apparently came to a head on Tuesday and ended with Peterson’s exit as athletics director. A highly successful businessman before joining the Shorter program as a volunteer, Peterson didn’t need the money.

The athletics department, under his careful guidance, has kept Shorter’s reputation credible in the community in the wake of fall out from the university’s “morality” code several years ago that continues to divide alums.

Peterson joined Shorter as athletics director in March 2007 and was observing his eighth year in that position. A successful businessman and son of former Florida State Coach Bill Peterson Sr., the younger Peterson joined the school first on a more relaxed agreement, and the job and responsibilities grew as the program flourished. Peterson was one of the architects behind Shorter’s conversion from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. The 2014-15 season marked the first one Shorter was eligible to compete in post-season NCAA play. Peterson also helped anchor the local steering committee that brought the NAIA football championship and the NCCAA Victory Bowl to Rome’s Barron Stadium in recent years.

Peterson likewise has worked to help renew ties between the university and some parts of the community put off by the “morality” code. That included very public support of Dowless. Amid all the internal issues, Peterson continued to make the daily commute from the Powder Springs area to the hill to promote and support one of the most successful athletic departments in the state.

This biography is included on Shorter’s website:

Bill Peterson enters his seventh year as Shorter University’s Director of Athletics. Since being named Director of Athletics in 2007, Peterson has guided Shorter’s athletic department into unprecedented levels of success.

His decision-making and expertise have propelled Shorter to record finishes in the NACDA-Learfield Director’s Cup in each of the last five years, including a program-best second place finish following the 2011-2012 academic year that helped Shorter lay claim to what many believe is the best athletic year in the history of all Georgia colleges and universities.

Peterson was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Athletic Director of the Year in 2010 and is currently spearheading Shorter’s transition to NCAA Division II. Shorter is currently in year two of the three-year transition process and is competing in 2012-13 for the first time as a full member of its new league, the prestigious Gulf South Conference.

Since 2007-2008, Shorter has won eight national championships and 24 conference championships.

During the 2011-2012 year, Shorter won its second straight NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field national championship as well as the school’s first-ever NAIA Softball national championship. Shorter’s competitive cheerleading program won a fourth national championship in four years as a program, capturing the Small Coed national title in the NAIA Division at the NCA National Cheerleading Championships in Daytona Beach.

In 2012-2013, Shorter began competing in the National Christian College Athletic Association. During the first season of membership, men’s basketball and women’s indoor track & field brought home NCCAA national titles; while volleyball, softball, and women’s outdoor track & field added runner-up honors. Men’s golf, women’s basketball, men’s tennis, and men’s track & field also earned national tournament berths in 2013.

In Peterson’s tenure, Shorter has had 366 All-Conference honorees and 182 student-athletes honored as All-Americans. While the athletic achievements are numerous, the academic accomplishments and track record of community involvement of Shorter’s student-athletes clearly embodies his vision of excellence.

Shorter’s number of NAIA Scholar-Athletes has grown from five in 2007-2008 to a record 29 in 2011-2012. Overall, 100 Shorter student-athletes have earned the title of NAIA Scholar-Athlete over the past five years while a total of 459 have been named to their respective Conference All-Academic teams.

Shorter has boasted the Southern States Athletic Conference’s Female Honor Student-Athlete in each of the past four years — Becca Thomas (2009), Whitni Tucker (2010) and Kelly Ellison (2011, 2012) — and have seen Tucker and Ellison named the NAIA’s National Emil S. Liston Award winners as the nation’s top female basketball players on account of playing ability, scholarship and character.

The Shorter athletic department has become increasingly involved in the Greater Rome and surrounding communities, helping to raise tens of thousands of dollars for a variety of charitable organizations and causes including breast cancer research, childhood cancer awareness, financial support of Mal’s Pals, Inc., and the support of military service men and women.

Shorter has been recognized nationally for its community service efforts as a Shorter team has been honored by the NAIA as a National Champions of Character Team Award winner in three of the last four years — Softball (2008), Baseball (2010) and Women’s Basketball (2011).

In January 2008, the NAIA announced that Peterson, Shorter University and Rome-Floyd County had been awarded the bid for the 2008 and 2009 NAIA Football National Championship to be held at the Hawks’ home football facility, Barron Stadium. Because of the rampant success of the 2008 and 2009 championship games, Peterson and the Rome Host Committee not only hosted the 2010 and 2011 championshp contests, but also inked a long-term deal with the NAIA to host the Football National Championship through 2015.

Prior to taking the helm of the Hawks’ athletic program, Peterson served three years in the position of recruiting coordinator for the Shorter University football team. He came to Shorter from Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Ga., where he served as head baseball coach. In 2005, Peterson led Mount Paran to a school record 24 wins and a berth in the state finals while being named the Atlanta-Journal Constitution Coach of the Year.

Prior to coaching, Peterson was President and Co-Founder of Horizon Medical Products (HMP), a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Atlanta.

Peterson played collegiate football at Texas Lutheran College where he was a member of the 1974 NAIA national championship team coached by the legendary Jim Wacker. He finished his college career at Florida State University where he graduated in 1978 with a degree in Accounting.

Peterson’s father, Bill Sr., is credited with bringing the professional passing game to college football. Bill Sr., coached at Florida State from 1960-70, at Rice University in 1971 and for the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1972-73.

Peterson and his wife, Joanna, have four children: Will, Molly, Ben and Sam. Will was a senior tight end for the 2008 Mid-South Conference Western Division champion Shorter football team and Ben is a junior offensive lineman for the 2012 Football Hawks.