Bluffton athletic director leaving for another in-state position

Bluffton athletic director Cody Slaughter is leaving the school for another in-state position.

Slaughter will be the new athletic director at South Florence High School. He replaces Bob Wilson, who announced in the fall he would be retiring. The move was made official Thursday night.

‘Biggest factor in the decision to switch jobs was the opportunity to work in what I believe will be the most competitive region in the state of South Carolina from top to bottom,” Slaughter said. “The challenge was appealing and the passion that the South Florence community has for their athletic programs is appealing. Add to that the exciting changes that are taking place over the next few years with the addition of on-campus stadiums and it was a no-brainer.”

South Florence will be moving down to Class 4A this year and in Region 6 with the likes of West Florence, Wilson, Darlington, Harstville, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach.

The Bruins were scheduled to move into their on-campus football stadium this fall but it got pushed because of the coronavirus. South will play its games at Memorial Stadium, which it shares with West Florence and Wilson.

Slaughter has been Bluffton’s AD since 2017. Before becoming Bluffton’s AD, Slaughter previously served as the school’s varsity wrestling coach, assistant football coach and testing coordinator.

Slaughter also worked as a teacher and coach at Gaffney, Bamberg-Ehrhardt and Sumter high schools before landing at Bluffton.

“What I’ll remember and miss most from my time at Bluffton are the relationships that I was able to develop with our coaches, student-athletes, teachers, and community members. I had a principal, Ms. Donica, that took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to lead our athletic department, for that I will be forever grateful,” Slaughter said. Bluffton has some of the most supportive teachers I have ever been around and that’s what makes Bluffton an excellent school. The coaches at Bluffton are excellent and are so dedicated to the student-athletes, those kids are really fortunate.”