At a ceremony Wednesday morning in Charleston, South Florence High School’s Cody Slaughter was named the 4A Athletic Director of the Year by the South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association.

“In his three years as the South Florence athletic director, Cody Slaughter has worked continually to improve opportunities for our student-athletes,” said South Florence Principal Shand Josey. “Under his leadership, our athletic department and athletic facilities have expanded and now provide our students with unlimited resources and experiences.”

Josey said that Slaughter encourages South Florence students to pursue excellence in all areas, not just in athletics.

“Coach Slaughter has encouraged our students to be leaders and grow in character by establishing and maintaining high expectations for athletes,” Josey said. “South Florence is very fortunate to have Coach Slaughter as athletic director and we are proud of this well-deserved honor.”

Superintendent Dr. Richard O’Malley also praised Slaughter.

“Coach Slaughter has built a great athletic program over the last several years,” O’Malley said. “He is always willing to go above and beyond for his coaches and his student-athletes and this award is evidence that people from all over the state are now seeing the difference he is making. He has brought a winning tradition back to South Florence. ” 

Though he was the one who brought home the title, Slaughter was quick to share the limelight with his coaches. 

“It has been a good year for us, it has been a lot of fun,” Slaughter said. “Our coaches do such a good job getting their kids ready for competition, getting their kids ready for whatever the sport throws at them. We have all shown a lot of improvement and a lot of our teams have exceeded expectations from pre-season projections. When you have that kind of success within your program, you get a little bit of recognition for it.” 

Slaughter began his career as a Bruin in a year when COVID greatly impacted athletics. South Florence has made up for it in the years since, including bringing home the first football state championship title in the history of the school. Their fledgling wrestling program also brought home its first championship title, with wrestler Kennedy Williams earning herself a spot in school history. 

“When I started, everything was kind of upside down as far as what we’re used to as athletic directors, coaches and student-athletes,” Slaughter said. “A lot of things have changed on our campus since then. When I first got here it was a little bit of a shock, the difference between South Florence and where I had come from in Bluffton. Now, more and more each day, it feels like South Florence is a step ahead. I keep thinking back to the coaches we have here and the amount of work that they put in. That is what drives all of it: their effort and their vision for their individual programs. That is in alignment with my vision for the athletic department and Ms. Josey’s vision for the school. When you have that kind of alignment, things take off and that is what’s happening for us now.”