Stacy Adams
athletic director, Valparaiso High School
Stacy Adams is completing his sixth year as a high school athletic director, helping athletes and programs at multiple schools strive for excellence in this portion of a long career in education-based athletics.
Adams is in his first year as athletic director at Valparaiso High School, guiding the Vikings to success in multiple sports while motivating and supporting all the school’s athletes and coaches, supervising numerous events, creating and following a strict budget, creating a new Coaches’ Manual, overseeing contest scheduling and ensuring that the program adheres to IHSAA and Duneland Athletic Conference regulations.
Adams previously was athletic director in 2014-15 at South Bend Washington and 2015-19 at Griffith, performing many of the same tasks at those schools that he has done since joining the staff at Valparaiso.
At South Bend Washington, he helped guide the Panthers’ athletic finances from a negative balance to a positive balance while mentoring coaches and athletes to reach their highest potential.
At Griffith, Adams took over a program that had been last in the state in sportsmanship and, under his direction, finished first in the state in 2017 and second in the state in 2018 in that area. In addition, he and his Griffith staff hosted sectional and regional events in basketball, baseball and softball while also starting middle school teams in swimming and soccer as well as sixth-grade teams for basketball and volleyball.
Adams is a 1984 graduate of Gary Lew Wallace High School, where he was a standout football player. He earned an associate’s degree from Joliet Junior College in 1987 and a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University in 1990, again excelling in football at both colleges and playing for coach Tom Horne while at Joliet JC.
Adams earned a master’s degree from Valparaiso University in 1997 while an assistant football coach working for Horne at VU. Adams joined the VU football staff in 1991 and served as a Crusaders’ assistant coach for 14 seasons, including the offensive coordinator for eight years. The football program went 66-82-1 during that span and twice was co-champions of the Pioneer Football League (2000 and 2003).
Adams was named to succeed Horne as Valparaiso University’s head football coach in 2005, compiling a 15-40 record over five seasons in that position. While at VU, he was one of only 10 black NCAA Division I head football coaches in the country.
In 2010, Adams became head football coach, assistant track coach and dean of students at East Chicago Central High School. He served as head football coach for four seasons, leading the Cardinals to a 32-14 mark. His final team went 11-3 and captured sectional and regional championships. He was named Coach of the Year by The Times of Northwest Indiana in 2012. He was voted Region 1 Coach of the Year by the Indiana Football Coaches Association in 2012 and 2013.
Adams then moved into athletic administration, initially at South Bend Washington. In 2016, while at Griffith, Adams began his first term on the IHSAA Board of Directors. Now in his second three-year term in that role, he helps create IHSAA policies and procedures for the organization’s 22-sport program. In addition, he serves as a mentor to other athletic directors from across the state.
Adams married his wife, Donna, in 2004. They have one son, Jaden. Adams also has two step-sons, Richie and Aaron.