FORT MYERS, Fla. - Lee McCoy has chased plenty of dreams in a golf career that has taken him from the fairways of Athens, Georgia, to stops on the Korn Ferry and PGA Tours, but coming home to Florida to lead a Division I program was always the one waiting at the end.
FGCU's newly minted head men's golf coach made that clear in his introductory press conference this week, describing the opportunity as one he had quietly hoped for long before the job ever opened.
"I've always wanted to come back to the state of Florida growing up here," McCoy said. "I have family not too incredibly far away... (I) have kind of been looking this summer. I saw that this one popped up, and thought if I could make that happen, that would be an absolute dream."
A native of Dunedin, McCoy takes over an Eagles program that just delivered its most successful season in history, winning the ASUN Championship for the first time in program history and once again reaching the NCAA Regionals. He inherits that momentum, and he wasted no time acknowledging the standard already in place and his plan to build on it. For McCoy, the pull of Southwest Florida went beyond the chance to coach at the highest level of college golf.
"This is an incredible area... it is just an attractive place to come," he said, pointing to the region's golf culture and the friends he already has in town.
Family weighed just as heavily in the decision. McCoy and his wife, Amanda, have a 5-year-old daughter, Lily, and the move puts them roughly two-and-a-half hours from his parents, a shift he called a "huge bonus" for his family.
Professionally, McCoy arrives having led one of the best golf programs in Division II. This past spring, he guided Columbus State to a runner-up finish at the Peach Belt Conference Championships and earned Coach of the Year honors. In three seasons leading the Cougars, he developed four All-Americans, advanced to the NCAA Regionals every year and reached the NCAA Championships in each of his final two seasons. He credits much of his coaching foundation to what he learned while a member of Georgia's program and to Chris Haack, his former coach and mentor.
"I did a lot of things in a very similar way at Columbus State to what I experienced at Georgia," McCoy said. "The spirit of competition being at the forefront of how the team operates is something I'm looking forward to implementing here."
His first priority in Fort Myers is roster construction. McCoy is working on a short runway to fill out his lineup, leaning on relationships built over years of recruiting and competing.
"I'm looking for guys that aren't scared," he said. "Guys that don't quit, guys that really crave competition and aren't scared of being in contention in big tournaments."
Beyond scores and signings, McCoy emphasized the kind of program he wants to build, one rooted in community investment and personal development. At Columbus State, that commitment extended off the course, where he helped lead fundraising efforts for a new 6,500-square-foot team clubhouse. He hopes to forge similar ties in Southwest Florida, though he was quick to note his focus right now is on the roster in front of him.
"I hope we can make that happen here too," McCoy said of engaging Eagles Nation. "The players weren't just playing for me; they were playing for their community."
McCoy also pointed to the standard he wants to set in the classroom and beyond it, describing his goal as developing not just golfers but well-rounded young men ready for life after FGCU.
"We want to turn them from boys into men," he said. "That involves success in the classroom and success off the golf course, and I know that is as important to this university as it is to me."
With lots of ground to cover, McCoy said the next several weeks will be a sprint. But for a coach who spent years chasing a return to his home state, the work is one he is eager to begin.
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