Irmo’s Paul Calvert is the Yellow Jackets’ new athletic director after serving in the same capacity at Columbia High School since 2015.
The Irmo High School athletic department and new athletic director Paul Calvert are a perfect match.
Calvert comes to Irmo after an eight-year stint as Columbia High School’s athletic director. He left the Capitals on a high note.
Despite only winning two games last fall, Columbia’s football team made its second straight playoff appearance. It is now under the guidance of head coach Stephen Roberson. The boys basketball program made its first quarterfinal appearance in recent memory under firstyear head coach Samuel Brown. Spring sports also produced some highlights as the boys soccer team, under the leadership of Pierre Fome, made it to the second round of the 2A playoffs.
“We had some good years and bad years,” Calvert said of his time at Columbia. “Last year was a particularly good year. The boys basketball team had a particularly good year. It made me feel good because when we went looking for a new head coach the year before, we didn’t know what we would find. Coach Brown came from Byrnes and had experience at Lexington and J.L. Mann. I felt he would be a good fit at Columbia. He brought in a system I felt would work well at Columbia.”
Now Calvert will attempt to continue the progress made at Irmo, where the boys’ basketball team won a state title this past season and the football team is very optimistic about the upcoming season.
“As far as athletics go, Irmo definitely has a track record of success,” Calvert said. “ There is a lot of investment in athletics here from the facilities to the dedication of bringing in quality coaches to the situation of being the athletic director, with having an administrative assistant and an assistant athletic director. There is just a big push toward athletics and academics and we have the tools to be successful.”
Calvert said he feels this move was the natural step up for his career, similar to when he left North High School to come to Columbia. One challenge for Calvert will be overseeing a pool of athletes that is more than double what he had at Columbia and a staffing pool that is almost triple.
However, he believes there are some things he did at Columbia he can use at Irmo.
“ We have to pay attention to community service,” Calvert said. “We won back-to-back Sportsmanship awards through the High School League when I was at Columbia. That means we completed our community service and didn’t have any players or coaches get ejected. We also participated in the living clean weeks and the captains’ courses. There is time to fit all those things in. I have to make sure everyone is on the same page.”
Another reason Calvert felt he had success at Columbia was the longevity of his coaches.
“We had some coaches who were there for quite a while,” Calvert said. “You have to let coaches get in and build their system.”
Irmo also has coaches with longevity, especially boys basketball coach Tim Whipple, who has been with the Yellow Jackets for four decades. Football coach Aaron Brand is going into his fifth year.
“I think Coach Brand and Coach Whipple are good for Irmo,” Calvert said. “They don’t have a status quo. They build an expectation. They keep working and don’t settle for how things are. They push forward and get the best out of people. I’m excited to work with both of them.”
Calvert isn’t just optimistic about football and basketball.
“ We’ve had a good summer with volleyball, cross country, and cheerleading,” Calvert said. “They all have been working hard. There has been a lot of investment from the athletes, and I feel Irmo is on a good track.”
Overall, Calvert likes the department he inherited.
“I think Coach (Ray) Canady left things in good shape,” Calvert said. “The expectations are growing in all sports, and I want to keep it growing.”
While Calvert has only been on the job for a few months, he’s worked hard to build relationships with the other coaches. He’s met with them and got their input and feedback. He found out what they liked and what needs to be worked on.
As Calvert prepares for his first year with the Yellow Jackets, he knows his work is just beginning.
“I believe the first year is a learning year,” Calvert said. “I want to learn and see what is working well and what needs to be adjusted. I want to make sure we are living up to the standard. I want to push community service and overall citizenship. I want people to be proud of Irmo on and off the field.”
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