Andrew Sapp named ECU men's golf coach

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina University has named Andrew Sapp its new head men's golf coach announced Director of Athletics Jeff Compher Thursday. He comes to ECU after six years leading the men’s golf program at the University of North Carolina.

“I am extremely excited to be coming to ECU as its head men’s golf coach,” Sapp said. “I would like to thank Jeff Compher and Associate Athletics Director Mike Hanley for entrusting this team to me. I know how passionate Pirate Nation is about its athletics programs and I look forward to working with our players to make it proud of our team on and off of the golf course.

“Everyone my wife and I met on our visit were so wonderful to us; it truly feels like a family atmosphere at ECU.”

Sapp, who currently serves as president of the Golf Coaches Association of America, led the Tar Heels to the NCAA Championship finals for the first time in 10 years this past season, where they finished 18th. UNC captured seven team championships and six individual titles during his tenure. Players who competed under Sapp posted six of the Tar Heel’s 18 lowest career stroke average scores.

Sapp coached two All-ACC performers and one PING All-America honorable mention player, while leading the Tar Heels to four NCAA regional championship appearances. He also had 17 players named to the ACC All-Academic Team.

“I am so pleased to welcome North Carolina native Andrew Sapp to ECU as our new head men’s golf coach,” Compher said. “He is highly respected inside the golf community and has a wealth of connections and experience, leading two programs into the NCAA Championship finals. I know he and his family will fit right into our community and Pirate family.”

Prior to returning to lead his alma mater, where he was a four-year letterman from 1989-93, Sapp served as the head men’s golf coach at the University of Michigan for nine seasons (2002-11).

He led the Wolverines to a third-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Championships and a 10th-place finish in 2011. Sapp coached Michigan to four consecutive regional appearances from 2008-11, including a victory at the 2011 NCAA Central Region Championships.

The Wolverines won eight tournament titles and eight individual titles during his time in Ann Arbor. He had one player selected third-team All-America and two receive honorable mention honors. Four Wolverines were named to PING’s All-Midwest Region team on five occasions and three were selected to the All-Big Ten team on four occasions with one player receiving Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year honors.

Every senior who played for Sapp at Michigan completed his degree and his teams scored a perfect 1,000 each year of the APR and ranked in the top 10 percent of all golf programs in 2009 and 2010. Thirty-four Wolverines earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, and the NGCA selected four Wolverines on five occasions as Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars.

Sapp began his coaching career at North Carolina as an assistant coach to Devon Brouse from 1993-98. He then accompanied Brouse to Purdue as associate head coach of the men’s and women’s programs for four years (1998-02).

Sapp earned a pair of degrees from UNC, a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1993 and a master’s in sports administration in 1996.