Bio

Gary Hilton is in his fifth season as the head men's golf coach at the University of Tampa. He was officially named the program's seventh head coach on August 12, 2019.

In his most recent campaign, Hilton led the Spartans to the postseason where they placed sixth at the 2023 SSC Championships and made an appearance at the NCAA South Regional tournament. He coached Jonty Marshall, who earned second-team All-SSC honors after finishing the season with a scoring average of 71.96 and a national ranking at No. 70. 

Hilton previously spent three years as the head men's golf coach at Albany State University. Prior to his stint at ASU, Hilton led the Darton State College men's golf program from 2013-16.

Hilton was named the head coach at ASU in 2016 and it immediately paid dividends as the Golden Rams won three consecutive Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championships in their first three years of existence. He was also honored as the top coach in the conference all three years.

He led the Golden Rams to three straight NCAA South Regional appearances, marking the only bids in program history. Under his guidance, he coached the SIAC Golfer of the Year in each of his three seasons, beginning with Dominic DiGiacomo in 2017. Tyler Hanson was named the 2018 SIAC Golf Player of the Year while Chase McLain captured the same honor in 2019. His teams also excelled academically with a 3.30-plus GPA in each of his three seasons at the helm.

During his tenure as Darton head coach, Hilton guided the Cavalier golf program to 13 tournament wins, including three Region XVII Championships and the 2014 District IV Championship. Hilton was named Region XVII Coach of the Year in all three of his seasons at Darton State College and District Coach of the year in 2014 during his first season at the helm. In his first three seasons, Hilton's Cavalier golf teams finished the seasons nationally-ranked.

Hilton's program also produced student-athletes who were successful both academically and athletically. He coached three PING All-Americans, nine All-Region XVII selections & two national all-academic selections. Under Hilton's guidance, the Cavalier golf team continually sent student-athletes to the four-year colleges and universities at NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA levels.

• SIAC Championships (3): 2017, 2018, 2019
• Region XVII Championships (3): 2014, 2015, 2016
• District IV Championship (1): 2014

• Region XVII Coach of the Year (3): 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016
• District IV Coach of the Year (1): 2013-2014
• SIAC Coach of the Year (3): 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019

Hilton is a 2013 graduate of Georgia Southwestern University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in education. He also received his master's degree in public administration in 2018 from Albany State University.

Hilton is also a former Darton State College golfer. He played for the Cavaliers from 2000-2002 and was a two-time team captain. During his playing days, Hilton helped begin the long winning streak of 15 straight Region XVII Golf Championships. He was on the school's first team to qualify for the NJCAA National Championships and was an all-region selection during his sophomore year. Hilton continued his collegiate golf career at Georgia Southwestern State University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Education.