Sports are Dr. L. Stewart Hobbs’ first love – a passion he plans to continue to pursue as Rowan-Salisbury’s countywide athletic director.

His experience as an athletic director, coach, superintendent, principal and teacher goes back to August 1983.

“I went into education because I wanted to be a coach,” Hobbs, 54, said, adding that he played football, basketball and baseball as a student.

Since his retirement a year and a half ago, Hobbs said he’s missed his involvement in schools in athletics.

“I just wanted to stay involved and I really had a passion for athletics,” he said.

The school board unanimously approved Hobbs for the part-time, 12-month position during a called meeting Friday. He will earn $26,465 a year and could start as early as next week. He will report to Assistant Superintendent of Operations Anthony Vann.

This is a new position for the district. From 2004-06 an assistant superintendent covered athletics under their regular duties.

“We have a tremendous need for this position,” Vann said, adding that the position should create some consistency amongst the district’s schools.

Hobbs will be responsible for holding one joint meeting for all athletic directors each school year, as well as five for high school and two for middle school athletic directors.

He will report all significant athletic occurrences to Vann, attend all statewide meetings sponsored by the North Carolina High School Athletics Association and update Rowan-Salisbury’s athletic handbook.

Hobbs’ responsibilities will include reviewing athletics-related candidates for human relations and develop a long-term facilities needs assessment for all Rowan-Salisbury schools and recommend needed policy changes.

His duties also include working with schools, external customers and certified trainers; attend as many athletic events as possible and being an advocate for athletics in the community and to the school board.

Hobbs has an extensive background in education, having served as a superintendent, principal, teacher, athletic director and coach. He most recently served as the superintendent of Yadkin County Schools from July 2011 until he retired in October 2013.

The position with Rowan-Salisbury gives him the opportunity to stay involved in athletics and education, he said.

Prior to his time in Yadkin County, he was superintendent of Stokes County Schools for three and a half years and of Sampson County Schools for more than four years.

Hobbs isn’t new to the role of athletic director. He’s served on both the county- and school-level.

His first position out of college was as a teacher, coach and athletic director during the 1983-84 school year for Pender Academy in Rocky Point, near Wilmington.

Between June 2000 and November 2003, he took on the position of countywide athletic director for Sampson County Schools.

He continued his involvement with athletics on the district-level in his role as superintendent for Yadkin and Stokes counties because neither district had a countywide athletic director.

Hobbs has also been the president, vice president and a member of the Board of Directors for the N.C. High School Athletic Association.

He received his Doctorate of Education in Education Leadership and Cultural Foundations in 2000 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a master’s degree in education administration from Fayetteville State University in 1990, a minor in safety and driver education in 1987 from East Carolina University and a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Hobbs is married to Dr. Ann Lambros and they have an adult daughter, Adrienne Loffredo and two grandchildren.