Carl Boland is the new athletic director at Asheville School.
ASHEVILLE – Carl Boland can take a few steps outside his cushy office in the Rodgers Memorial Athletic Center for a better vantage point.
What does he see?
The answer Monday morning was a lot of Asheville School football coaches and players grinding through an early-season practice.
Boland was with them in spirit.
The Blues’ new athletic director graduated in 1999 after lettering all four years in three sports (football, baseball and basketball) for them. Boland was born in Columbus, Ga. His family lived in Montreal for much of his high school career, but Boland still considers Asheville home.
“It’s more than just a job, you’re a member of a community when you come here,” Boland said of Asheville School.
“Along with my duties as athletic director, I’ll be teaching a class in humanities. I’m excited about that. My wife and I, along with our daughter, live on campus. I’ve been down here since July. I really wasn’t ready for (the transition) a few weeks ago, but now I feel like I’m caught up.”
Boland, 36, replaces Chapman Davis who had been the Blues’ athletic director since 2005. She is staying on as a coach.
Boland said he would have liked to be part of Gus Schill’s staff for this upcoming football season, but his new responsibilities preclude that. As it stands, Boland will carry out his A.D. duties as well as be a co-coach for the boys basketball team. Boland said that he and Larry Kollath will share titles next winter.
Head of school Arch Montgomery is also excited about the hire for the Blues.
“Carl Boland understands what it means to lead by example in the context of a close boarding school community,” Montgomery said.
“He will be just the kind of triple-threat example to our students that we treasure.”
Boland comes to Asheville School from the Norfolk (Va.) Academy but had previously been a Blues assistant coach from 2003 to 2005.
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