SUMNER RETURNS TO SGU AS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Coach Sumner taught at St. Greg's when I went there from 1979 - 1981

SHAWNEE (May 5, 2006) - Long-time Shawnee resident and St.
Gregory's sports figure Don Sumner will return to SGU as its athletic
director, the university announced Friday. Sumner, who was an instructor
and coach at St. Gregory's for 35 years before retiring in 1997, fills
the spot vacated by Sharlyn Kennon, who resigned in October. SGU
volleyball coach Craig Case had been serving as interim athletic
director.

"St. Gregory's is my love. I spent a good part of my life there,"
said Sumner, who will also coach the men's and women's golf teams.
"Things are a little different with athletics since I was at St.
Gregory's, so I'll have to get my feet wet pretty quickly. But I can't
think of any better place to do that than St. Gregory's. It's definitely
the only place I would have considered taking a position like this."

Sumner's name has been synonymous with St. Gregory's athletics. He
took over a basketball program that was only three years old in 1961,
serving as head men's basketball coach and interim women's basketball
coach. In that span, Sumner compiled 621 wins, led the women's
basketball team to its first winning season, was named the Bi-State
Conference Coach of the Year five times and earned the Region II NJCAA
Coach of the Year Award. He was inducted into the St. Gregory's Sports
Hall of Fame in 1999.

Sumner also was an instructor of natural sciences during his
time at St. Gregory's, teaching biology, zoology and nutrition. He was
named St. Gregory's College Teacher of the Year in 1977. In 1997, he
served as alumni director and men's golf coach. He served as athletic
director from 1970 to 1996. Sumner has received two Benedictine Service
Medals for his contributions to St. Gregory's.

"I am very excited to have a long-time friend and colleague
returning to St. Gregory's," said Abbot Lawrence Stasyszen, SGU's
president. "During his time here, Don committed himself to his students'
success and to the mission of St. Gregory's. I think he brings with him
the affection and esteem of generations of St. Gregory's alumni."

An outstanding athlete in his own right, Sumner was named to the
Mid-State Conference All-Star Team at Shawnee High School in 1954. As an
Oklahoma Baptist University basketball player, he was named to the
Oklahoma Collegiate Conference All-Star Team in 1957 and 1958. He is
still the all-time record holder for free-throw shooting percentage at
OBU and was inducted into the OBU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979.
Sumner, a Shawnee resident for 67 years, serves on the
Pottawatomie Finance Authority and is a past board member of the Shawnee
Country Club. He owned a barbecue restaurant in Shawnee from 1998 to
2004.

Sumner received his bachelor's degree in science from OBU in 1958
and earned a master's degree in natural science from the University of
Oklahoma in 1966. He and his wife, Jenetta, have been married for 48
years. Sumner has two children and three grandchildren.
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