Ray Tanner, as head coach of the USC baseball team, won two College World Series National Championships. As USC athletics director, Tanner now reads budget reports and counts beans, instead of line-up cards and pitches.

Tanner spoke at the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce Breakfast, Tuesday. It was at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

Tanner was the director for the NCAA basketball tournament games that were played in Columbia this past weekend.

NCAA officials “said it was very special,” Tanner said. And those involved said they would love to come back. Some estimates indicate the tournament games played at the Colonial Life Arena had an impact of up-to $5 million on the local economy.

USC also hosted the NCAA Women’s Tournament on the campus of UNC-Charlotte. The Gamecock Women, coached by Dawn Staley, won two games there, and advanced to the NCAA’s Sweet 16 for the sixth year in a row. The USC Women play Baylor Saturday in Greensboro, N.C.

“It was quite a weekend,” said Tanner. He said Columbia was well received by the tournament participants. He said his staff “heard kind words” from all of the teams.

Aside from court performance, Tanner said Gamecock student-athletes have one of the highest grade-point-averages among NCAA schools.  USC athletes, there are close to 450 of them, just recorded their highest GPA ever at 3.33. The graduation rate for the basketball team is 100 percent and the football team’s graduation rate is 93 percent.

Tanner mentioned that the MLB’s American League MVP last year was Jackie Bradley Jr., a former USC player. And Steve Pearce, also a former Gamecock, was named World Series MVP. Both play for the Boston Red Sox and met with a Gamecock “Spurs Up” sign after their World Series win.

Tanner also said USC is one of only about 20 college programs in the country that operates (in the black) without subsidies, by generating revenue via ticket sales, marketing opportunities and other means.

Tanner said new facilities include the new Football Center and an indoor track. USC is also planning an indoor tennis facility.