Gary Link to step down as Tolton Catholic High School athletic director
Father Tolton will begin a search for a new director of athletics.
Gary Link will step down as Trailblazers athletic director at the end of the school year, the school announced Tuesday.
During Link’s three-year tenure, Tolton won eight team state championships, nine individual state championships and 10 team district titles.
"It has been a great privilege to serve as Athletic and Activities Director at Fr. Tolton Catholic High School," Link wrote in a statement Tuesday morning. "I take considerable satisfaction in the way Fr. Tolton tackled the many challenges presented to us along the way, staying true to our core values in helping each and every student to develop in spirit, heart, mind, and body.
"I'm filled with gratitude as this chapter of my professional life comes to a close and I look forward to watching Fr. Tolton continue to grow and thrive in the Columbia community."
Link, 69, a former Missouri basketball captain and longtime color commentator, was appointed as Tolton’s interim director of athletics in March 2019. The interim tag was dropped that summer.
The Lindbergh High School alum won three straight Big Eight tournament titles as a member of the Tigers' basketball team during his collegiate career. He played for Missouri from 1970-1974 and, as a junior and senior, was part of the first two teams in program history to win 20 or more games in a season.
Link was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
Under Link, Tolton was recognized by MaxPreps as the best athletic program in Missouri during the 2020-21 school year.
Link also served as an assistant boys basketball coach at the school.
"Mr. Link not only made a tremendous impact on our athletics and activities programs during his tenure, but on the lives of our students as well," Tolton Catholic President Dan Everett wrote in a statement. "He greeted every student by name in the hallways and was always willing to lend a hand wherever we needed him. His positive attitude, smile and signature line of 'GO BLAZERS' will be dearly missed."
More: 'Aaron has no conscience': Meet the Tolton phenom who ties a state contender together
Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 435-414-3261.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Tolton High School athletic director Gary Link to step down
