He was given his baptism under fire the likes none in his profession had seen.

When Tanner Stines was named the interim athletic director at McNeese State in January of 2020, things weren’t so great.

The football program had recently been placed on NCAA academic probation and the head coach had taken a job at Syracuse after serving one year. His new coach was just days on the job.

Who knew when he stepped in to temporarily replace Bruce Hemphill that those first challenging days would be the quiet times for Stines?

In the subsequent five months he would see the entire world of athletics shut down due to COVID-19. He would have to try first to figure out how to make it all work before the shut down came.

There were virtual online meetings and times when he had to find housing or transportation for all or some of McNeese’s athletes. Everything was in flux.

All this while knowing the school was looking for his replacement.

“I can’t say enough about what Tanner did for us,” said McNeese President Dr. Daryl Burckel. “He kept our head above water and kept us moving forward. He stabilized us.”

Stines kept the job for six months as the Southland Conference changed and figured out how to survive. He then stayed on as associate athletic director to help McNeese through two hurricanes and rebuilding of facilities, becoming the man behind the scenes to new A.D. Heath Schroyer.

“Tanner is a rock star,” Schroyer said. “He was the perfect fit to me. What he does best are my weaknesses.”

For nearly seven years Stines has moved up the McNeese athletic department ladder, building and then rebuilding the Cowboys on all levels as the university changed.

Now he is moving back home.

Stines will head to his alma mater, the University of Georgia (2010 B.A., 2104 M.A.), where he will be an associate A.D.

“You have mixed emotions,” said Stines, who will leave McNeese on April 12. “Georgia is home but McNeese has been a big part of my life.”

It will be hard to judge just how important Stines has been to McNeese. No question he leaves the place better than it was when he got there, but so much of his work was done when our attention was centered elsewhere.

Stines had to deal with things nobody had before, which he said helped him in the long run.

“We were making it up as we go,” Stines said. “There was no book to follow when it came to the pandemic. I learned the ability to take it one day at a time and then move on to the next new problem was the key.”

Schroyer took over the role in July of 2020, but he continued to use Stines a much more than a sounding board, giving him added responsibilities and opportunities.

Then came last December when the duo had to find yet another head football coach. They spent hours traveling the country interviewing candidates and finding the right fit.

“I can’t tell you how important Tanner was to that process,” Schroyer said. “He kept me on task.”

Stines is an indication of the change in McNeese’s athletic department over the years. In the past it was known as a place many came to retire, but not now. Stines has helped change that image, turning McNeese into a department where younger people come to learn before moving on.

“This shows that good, young talent wants to come to our school and bring their skills to learn,” Burckel said. “It shows that our department can lead to a great career.”

Stines will be missed mostly by those inside the department, but what he brought to the school likely will live on. He will always be remembered for helping change McNeese.

That won’t be forgotten by those who watched him work during the toughest of times.

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Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com