FLORENCE, Ala. (June 8, 2026) – Matt Terry is coming home to North Alabama.
Following successful stints leading the golf programs at Louisiana Tech and Troy, Terry was announced by UNA Director of Athletics
Dr. Josh Looney as the new Schmitz Family Head Men's Golf Coach for North Alabama on Monday.
Terry is a native of Moulton, Ala. However, his roots in Florence go much deeper.
Terry attended some of UNA's youth camps growing up and later met his wife, Dixie, for the first time on UNA's campus. His wife, the former Dixie McCreless, lettered in both softball and volleyball at UNA. The two married a few years after that first meeting and now have three children.
His most recent stop at Louisiana Tech lasted nine seasons and brought tremendous success, including multiple individual appearances from the school in the NCAA Division I Regionals. The most recent was Niilo Maki Petaja in 2025.
This past season, Terry also led LA Tech to its lowest single-round score at a Conference USA Championship in program history at 280 (-8).
"We are excited to welcome Matt Terry to North Alabama as the next leader of our men's golf program," said Looney. "Matt has compiled an impressive record of success at Louisiana Tech and Troy, where he consistently developed championship-caliber teams and student-athletes. As an Alabama native and a proven winner in this state, he understands what it takes to compete and succeed at a high level.
"Men's Golf has long been one of the flagship programs in our athletic department, and we were looking for a leader who could build upon that tradition while positioning the program for even greater success. Matt's vision, experience and competitive drive make him an outstanding fit. We are also excited to welcome Matt and his family to Florence, including his wife, Dixie, a former two-sport student-athlete at UNA, which makes this a special homecoming for their family."
Prior to taking the Louisiana Tech job in 2017, Terry spent 15 years building a contender at Troy. With Terry coaching both the men's and women's programs for 11 of those years, both competed in the NCAA Regionals in 2015. This started a three-year stretch for the men's program that saw three straight NCAA appearances from 2015-2017. The women appeared in three of his last four seasons in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
In that three year stretch for the men, nine of Terry's golfers earned all-conference honors. The Troy men's team won the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Championship – its first ever as a member of the league.
Prior to Troy, Terry served as the head coach at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Ala. from 2000-2002. During his three seasons there, he led the Buccaneers to the national tournament three times, finishing in third place twice before winning the championship in 2002.
A native of Moulton, Ala., Terry has been an avid golfer since dropping baseball to concentrate on the sport in high school. Terry has professional experience playing on the Hooters, Central Florida/Tommy Armour and North Florida PGA Winter tours. He also participated in the 1998 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, better known as q-school.
"I'm extremely excited to join the North Alabama family and come home," said Terry. "I appreciate the faith that Dr. Looney and Dr. (Janae) Walker have in me with bringing me to Florence. I'm excited to get started on the journey with the Lions. I want to thank Ryan Ivey, Mary Kay Hungate, President (Jim) Henderson and everyone that touched my family's lives at Louisiana Tech. You guys truly made it feel like home every day. I will always cherish our time in Ruston."
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