Midland Christian School announces a strategic expansion of its athletics leadership — honoring what has been built and investing in what comes next.
Midland Christian School has long believed that its greatest resource is its people. Today, that belief is reflected in a significant expansion of the athletics leadership structure — one that positions the Mustang program, and the school’s broader development mission, for the next chapter of its history.
At the close of the 2025–26 school year, Chris Ryburn will step into a newly created role as Director of Development for MCS Athletics. Phil Dawson, who joined MCS this past year as Assistant Athletic Director and head football coach, has been named Director of Athletics. Both moves are effective at the end of the current school year.
A Role Built for This Moment
For years, MCS leadership has recognized that the next stage of institutional growth demands a dedicated development effort — one focused on the relationships, resources, and long-term funding that sustain everything else. With the school’s capital campaign underway and the 75th Anniversary on the horizon, that investment is no longer aspirational. It is essential.
Chris Ryburn, who has served as Director of Athletics and head boys basketball coach, is the person MCS has chosen to lead it.
“This role was designed with Chris in mind. His relationships across our community, his credibility as a coach and leader, and his passion for what MCS represents make him the right person to carry our development vision forward. We are not moving Chris out of anything — we are moving him toward something we have been building toward for years.”
— Dr. Greg Anderson, President, Midland Christian School
Ryburn’s move is not a departure from the MCS community he has helped shape — it is a deeper investment in it. He will continue to serve as head boys basketball coach, remaining on the sideline with the student-athletes who have long been at the center of his work.
Dawson Ready to Lead
Phil Dawson arrives in this role with a track record that made him an immediate fit at MCS. Before joining the Mustang staff, he served as Athletic Director at Hyde Park School and built high school leadership experience in Nashville — developing the program management skills and organizational vision that MCS was looking for. In his first year as Assistant Athletic Director, he has demonstrated exactly what the school hoped to find: a clear understanding of the MCS culture, strong relationships across the coaching staff, and a forward-thinking approach to program development.
“Phil is a natural and great fit for this position. You can see that he has a clear vision for where our athletic department needs to go. He sees the whole picture and I’ve enjoyed being in the room with him and seeing the wisdom with which he leads. I can’t wait to watch where he leads MCS athletics.”
— Chris Ryburn
Dawson steps into the Director of Athletics role with a 5-to-7-year vision for the program that spans facility development, competitive excellence, coach development, and student-athlete formation.
What Stays the Same
The Mustang athletics program will continue without interruption. Ryburn remains head boys basketball coach. Dawson continues as head football coach while assuming full AD responsibilities. The two will work in close collaboration, as they have throughout this past year.
For MCS families and supporters, this moment is a reflection of something the school has always believed: that the right people, placed in the right roles, build something that outlasts any single season.
The best chapters of Midland Christian Athletics are still ahead.