The decision to give up his post as Union Pines’ boys’ basketball coach to become the school’s athletic director was not one Bobby Purvis came to easily.

“I’ll be very honest with you, it’s probably the hardest thing I’ve done professionally in my life,” he said.

But the greater good, as well as the challenges the position offers, convinced Purvis that taking over an athletic program he’s been a part of for three decades is the right thing to do.

“I’ve always tried to convince my players that in some way and in some point in time, it’s always about something a little bit bigger than yourself, and this whole athletic program and this whole community and this whole school is far bigger and more important than anything about Coach Purvis,” he said.

“Yeah, it’s very hard, but having said that, I think at the end of it, my conclusion was that it’s the right thing to do. Being a coach will always be a part of me, but this is a new challenge.”

Purvis replaces Steven Ross, who is moving into an assistant principal role with the school. Ross served two stints as the Vikings’ athletic director, first from 1995 to 1998 and then from 2007 to this past school year.

During Ross’ second stint overseeing the athletic program, the Vikings won the Wachovia Conference Cup for the Cape Fear Valley 3A Conference in two of three years, including the 2009-10 school year. Ross also oversaw multiple facilities improvements to the baseball field and football stadium, the latest of which was putting up new lights at the football stadium this summer.

“We are most fortunate to have such outstanding candidates in both positions,” Principal Robin Lea said. “Bobby’s experience and expertise in the athletic arena should be very beneficial as we continue to build on our past successes.

“We are very proud of our athletic program, and we are confident that Bobby’s commitment and loyalty to the total school program will serve an even larger population in the role of athletic director.”

Purvis took over as Union Pines’ head boys’ basketball coach prior to the 2000-01 season after serving as head coach for the Vikings’ girls’ basketball program for 19 years. In all, he’s been a coach for 32 years.

He also served as Union Pines’ Athletics Hall of Fame chairman since its inception in 2005 and will serve as Cape Fear Valley Conference president for the coming school year.

He takes over an athletic program that’s already performing at a high level.

“First of all, we have a good program now,” he said. “We obviously have some good coaches here. We have some teams that have done and, I think, will continue to do well. We have a community that’s very supportive and that’s going to support us. We’ve got a wonderful school. We’ve already got a lot of good things, and I think the task is to try to get it a little better.”

Purvis says that challenge — to try to make the athletic program even better — is a motivating factor for him.

“I knew that this was a challenge that was being offered to me, and I’m a firm believer that if you stay in this thing, you’ve got to be ready and willing to accept the next challenge, whatever it is,” he said.

He says the timetable for hiring a new boys’ basketball coach is however long it takes to put the right person in place. More pressing, his first hire will likely be a new boys’ soccer coach for a program that has gone into fall practice without one.