Anne Crutchfield
Anne Wright Crutchfield is in her second year as Director of Athletics at Emory & Henry College after serving the previous two years as Interim Director. She also spent five years (2014-19) as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach. As Director of Athletics, Crutchfield leads all aspects of the College’s 26 intercollegiate sports and serves on the President’s Executive Council.
As women’s basketball coach, Crutchfield posted a 98-40 overall record with a 59-23 mark against Old Dominion Athletic Conference opponents. She led the Wasps to the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament in four of her five seasons, including a berth in the Championship game in 2018. That year, the Wasps reached the NCAA Division III Tournament Second Round in their first-ever national postseason berth and won a program-record 23 games. During her time she saw six players earn a total of 13 All-ODAC accolades including a pair of ODAC Rookies of the Year. She was named ODAC Co-Coach of the Year by her peers for the 2017-18 season. Additionally, she coached Taylor Blevins to Honorable Mention All-America honors by the WBCA and a spot in the inaugural WBCA Women’s Collegiate All-Star Game.
Outside of Emory & Henry, Crutchfield has been heavily involved with USA Basketball, coaching for the Winston-Salem Stealers - a USA Basketball Certified Youth Developmental program, and as an on-court coach for USA Basketball Regional Skills Clinics. She also completed the WBCA’s Center for Coaching Excellence program at Columbia University in 2015.
From 1995 to 2014, Crutchfield worked at Franklin County High School, where she was a three-time All-Roanoke Valley District honoree as a player. She has held the positions of Mathematics Teacher and Guidance Counselor in addition to her coaching duties. She also taught mathematics as an adjunct member of the Virginia Western Community College faculty from 2010-12.
The Eagles finished 19-6 in 2013-14 and were ranked fifth in the state in 6A as Crutchfield was named Piedmont District Coach of the Year. In her eight years at Franklin County, the team made regional appearances in seven seasons, with a district championship in 2009. She has led the Eagles to four Western Valley District Tournament titles, coached three district players of the year, three VHSL All-State honorees and earned three district coach of the year awards. For her career, Crutchfield has an overall record of 141-72, with 127 wins coming at the helm of Franklin County.
After graduating from Emory & Henry in 1989, Crutchfield got her start at Patrick Henry High School in the math and science departments and as an assistant basketball and track coach. In 1991, she helped the Rebels to a Hogoheegee District and Region C Championship as well as a berth in the state tournament. During her final year at Patrick Henry, she was the head coach, compiling a 14-6 record.
Crutchfield was a four-year letterwinner on the basketball court at Emory & Henry and was the first woman in ODAC history to be a four-year all-conference selection. She finished her career as the program’s leading scorer with 1,262 points, a mark that currently is third on the all-time scoring list. She was also a member of the 1988 ODAC Championship Team that went 18-7 with a 13-4 record against conference foes. Additionally, Crutchfield was inducted into the E&H Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
Crutchfield graduated cum laude from Emory & Henry in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics, and completed graduate work in mathematics at East Tennessee State University while teaching at Patrick Henry. She earned her Master of Arts Degree in counselor education from Virginia Tech in 2004.
Crutchfield and her husband Jon (E&H ’91) have three daughters. Haley graduated from Emory & Henry in the spring of 2015 while Emily graduated in 2017. Their youngest daughter Maggie is currently enrolled at E&H.