Liberty University to not Renew Dunton's Coaching Contract

The Flames concluded the 2006-07 season last night with a 79-78 loss to No. 6 seed VMI in the quarterfinals of the Big South Basketball Championship.

Liberty University Director of Athletics Jeff Barber has announced that the contract for head men's basketball coach Randy Dunton will not be renewed for the 2007-08 season. A national search for a head men's basketball coach will begin immediately.

Dunton completed his fifth season as men's basketball coach yesterday when the Flames lost to No. 6 seed VMI, 79-78, in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Advance Auto Parts Big South Basketball Championship.

Liberty finished the 2006-07 season with a 14-17 record. Since taking over the head coaching position, Dunton has compiled a 66-85 overall record, posted one winning season in five years and guided the program to its second Big South championship in 2004.

Dunton has been a part of the Flames' basketball program for 14 years, starting as an assistant coach during the 1989-90 season. He was promoted to interim head coach for one year just prior to the start of the 1997-98 season. Dunton left Liberty for four seasons (1998-2002) before returning as Liberty's sixth head coach, a position he took over on March 6, 2002.