NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont University men's golf head coach
Scott Flynn announced on Wednesday that he is stepping down from his position after spending 16 years leading the program. Assistant Coach
Daniel DeLuca has been promoted to Head Coach to replace Flynn.
"I want to thank Dr. Greg Jones, Scott Corley, Mike Strickland (former Belmont Director of Athletics), and Dr. Bob Fisher (former Belmont President), for the opportunity to be part of such a special team of people at Belmont," said Flynn. "Belmont is a very special place and it's been a true blessing to work alongside such a wonderful group of coaches, faculty, staff and student-athletes. I'm also excited about the future of our golf program and can with all confidence say that it will be in great hands under the leadership of
Daniel DeLuca."
"I want to personally thank Scott for his contributions to Belmont University and our athletic program over the past 16 years," said Scott Corley, Belmont Vice President/Director of Athletics. "During his tenure here, he has elevated our men's golf program both on the course and in the classroom, served as a great role model for his players, and been a tireless promoter of golf in our state. Scott was a wonderful representative of our University and our athletic program. We will miss his presence in our department."
Flynn took over as the program's fourth head coach in 2008. Under his leadership, the Bruins won 14 team championships, finished runner-up at three conference championships (2015, 2019, 2021) and had six golfers win a total of 15 individual titles. The program also produced three NCAA Individual Qualifiers, three US Amateur participants, two conference Players of the Year, three conference Freshman/Newcomers of the Year, two conference individual medalists, 11 All-Conference selections, and six conference All-Newcomer selections.
Scott also embraced Belmont's ideal of crafting true student-athletes as his program won numerous academic honors. During his tenure, 13 golfers were named GCAA All-America Scholars, while 43 golfers earned academic honors from the Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, and Atlantic Sun conferences. In addition, the program was named a GCAA All-Academic Team each of the last 15 years.
In addition to his work at Belmont, Flynn, a Class A member of the PGA of America, has also helped grow the game of golf throughout the state of Tennessee. He serves as VP and Director of Golf for the Tennessee Golf Foundation at the Golf House Tennessee Learning Center and leads their highly successful player development and junior golf programs. He also oversees the First Tee of Tennessee and its 45 statewide program locations. For his efforts, he was awarded the Labron Harris Sr. Award in 2021 by the Golf Coaches Association of America for his contributions and service to the game.
DeLuca assumes head coaching responsibilities for the Bruin golf program, bringing with him a strong pedigree of coaching and playing success.
"We are excited for Daniel to become our new head coach for men's golf," said Corley. "His playing and coaching experience along with his familiarity with Belmont make him a great fit to lead our program forward."
Even though DeLuca has been a part of the coaching staff for just six months, his experience in the coaching world is extensive.
A native of Lexington, Kentucky, DeLuca previously served as the Head Men's Golf Coach at Murray State during the 2021-22 season. While at Murray, he helped lead the team to eight top-10 finishes and had two golfers earn postseason honors from the OVC, Connor Coombs and Kamaren Cunningham.
Before arriving at Murray, Daniel served as an assistant coach at both the United States Military Academy at West Point (2019-21) and Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas (2017-19).
"I am thrilled at the opportunity of leading the Belmont golf program," said DeLuca. "I have learned so much from Coach Flynn in my time here and I hope to continue to grow and develop the program based on the foundation of athletic and academic success he built over the last 16 years."
As a golf student-athlete at Eastern Kentucky University, DeLuca earned the Ohio Valley Conference Medal of Honor in 2012 and 2016 for having the highest grade point average for men's golf across all OVC teams. He earned his undergraduate degree from EKU in sport management in 2015 and a master's degree in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration in 2017.
DeLuca and his wife Ashton have one son, Hampton, who was born in March. They live in Nashville.
