Displaying items by tag: High School Sports
Tennessee's high school sports organization is making sure student athletes are safe during the current heat wave across the state that is bringing dangerous heat index values.
Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletics Association Executive Director Bernard Childress sent messages to all member schools today reminding school officials and coaches of the TSSAA's policy on heat precautions.
Childress message read:
With the extreme heat and projected heat index the next few days, we want to remind you to inform all coaches that the TSSAA Heat Index Policy applies anytime student-athletes are participating in a school supervised activity. Coaches must have a digital psychrometer or another means to check the heat index onsite. Proper modifications must be made based on the policy which can be found on our website at www.tssaa.org.
Regardless of what the activity is, all outdoor activity must be completely shut down if the heat index onsite is 105º or greater. Indoor workouts must stop if air conditioning is not available and the heat index indoors is 105º or greater. The index must be checked every 30 minutes
If you have any questions concerning this, please feel free to contact our office.
2011 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS Thursday, May 26 | Division II – A | 10:00am CT Thursday, May 26 | Division II – AA | 12:30pm CT Friday, May 27 | Division I – A | 11:00am CT Friday, May 27 | Division I – AA | 2:00pm CT Friday, May 27 | Division I – AAA | 5:00pm CT 2011 GIRLS’ TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS Thursday, May 26 | All Divisions | 6:00pm CT (Running Events Only) 2011 BOYS’ TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS Friday, May 27 | All Divisions | 5:00pm CT (Running Events Only) 2011 SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS Thursday, May 26 | Division II – A | 4:30pm CT Thursday, May 26 | Division II – AA | 7:00pm CT Friday, May 27 | Division I – A–AA | 4:30pm CT Friday, May 27 | Division I – AAA | 7:00pm CT The BlueCross Spring Fling events will rebroadcast on the seven Tennessee Public Television Council television stations, including Chattanooga, Cookeville, Martin/Jackson, Tri-Cities, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville. The stations and over-the-air broadcast channel numbers are provided below, but check local listings for the channel number on your cable or satellite provider. WTCI–TV Chattanooga | Channel 45 WCTE–TV Cookeville | Channel 22 WLJT–TV Martin/Jackson | Channel 11 WETP–TV Tri-Cities | Channel 2 WKOP–TV Knoxville | Channel 15 WKNO–TV Memphis | Channel 10 WNPT–TV Nashville | Channel 8 SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2011 Soccer Championships | Division II – A & AA | 5:00pm CT Sunday, June 5, 2011 Soccer Championships | Division I – A, AA & AAA | 1:00pm CT Saturday, June 11, 2011 Girls’ & Boys’ Track & Field Championships | All Divisions (Running Events Only) | 5:00pm CT Sunday, June 12, 2011 Baseball Championships | Division I – A, AA & AAA | 1:00pm CT The 2011 BlueCross Spring Fling events are presented by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office and the TSSAA Network. For additional information about broadcast schedules for BlueCross Spring Fling events, please visit www.TSSAANetwork.com/BlueCrossSpringFling About PlayON! Sports: PlayON! Sports is an Atlanta-based digital media company and technology provider specializing in the production, distribution, and monetization of professional-quality, low-cost video content. PlayON! Sports' proprietary technology platform includes video production capabilities and a multiplatform distribution system. For more information, contact PlayON! Sports at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit www.playonsports.com. About Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA): The mission of the TSSAA is to serve its members by providing leadership and coordination for the administration of interscholastic athletics, which will enhance the educational experiences of students. The TSSAA will promote participation and sportsmanship to develop good citizens through interscholastic athletics, which provide equitable opportunities, positive recognition and learning experiences to students while maximizing the achievement of educational goals. For more information, contact the TSSAA at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit www.tssaa.org.
HERMITAGE- - - The 2011 TSSAA Hall of Fame inductees, including two from Nashville, have been selected. Twelve new members will be inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame at the annual luncheon at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Murfreesboro on Saturday, April 9, 2011.
Four administrators, four coaches, two officials, and two contributors will be inducted that day to join others in the annual gathering of those selected since the process began in 1982.
Among the inductees are Jean Griffith, contributor from Nashville; and Larry Taft, contributor from Nashville.
Also being inducted at this year’s luncheon are: Ronnie Carter, administrator from Pleasant View; O’Neal Henley, administrator from Jackson; Tommy Layne, administrator from Dunlap; Robert “Bud” Raikes, administrator from Smyrna; J. C. Campbell, coach from Roan Mountain; Johnny Morgan, coach from Etowah; Gary Rankin, coach from Alcoa; the late Jake Rudolph, coach from Memphis; Don Lady, official from Bluff City; Don Sutton, official from Memphis;
The Hall of Fame luncheon will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 9. The luncheon is to not only honor the new inductees and their families, but to honor all past inductees into the TSSAA Hall of Fame. Tickets will go on sale on Monday, February 28. You may purchase the tickets at $25.00 each by visiting our website (www.tssaa.org). Please print off the ticket form and mail it to our office along with a check or money order. All ticket orders will be available for pick-up on the day of the luncheon. There will be NO ticket sales at the door.
Jean Griffith—has contributed well over 25 years to high school athletics and the TSSAA. Her numerous contributions include serving in many different roles at a wide variety of state championship events. These include, but are not limited to, working the scoreboard at state golf tournaments, scoring for numerous track and field relays, and the presentation of medals at all state track meets. Jean has helped in many different capacities at all state basketball and football championships. Her first role in high school athletics was the wife of a high school basketball coach. Her husband, Tommy, was inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame in 2001 in the ‘coaches’ category.
Larry Taft—longtime sportswriter with The Tennessean in Nashville. Has covered high school sports for nearly 40 years, having worked his first boys state basketball tournament in 1973 and his first football championship in 1974. He has worked professionally for the Knoxville News-Sentinel, The Democrat-Union (Lawrenceburg), and The Tennessean. He served as the Director of Media Relations at TSSAA for 16 months, before returning to The Tennessean to cover prep sports. He is currently in his fourth year as the Sports Editor at the paper. Mr. Taft has a true passion for high school athletics, and has always made sure it got the coverage it deserved. He enjoys the history of high school athletics and has done numerous nominations warranting the induction of countless TSSAA Hall of Fame members.
Ronnie Carter—Former TSSAA Executive Director who served 31 years in the association, 25 of them as Executive Director. Prior to that he was a teacher and coach at Overton High School in Nashville. Mr. Carter was very involved with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), serving on the Football Rules Committee for 25 years, Basketball Rules Committee for 12 years (Chairman for 8 years), and the Wrestling Rules Committee for four years. He was elected to serve as a member of the NFHS Board of Directors from 1998 – 2002, and had the honor of serving as President for the 2001-2002 term.
O’Neal Henley—Coached girls basketball and football for approximately 17 years at Jackson’s North Side High School before stepping into his role as an administrator. He also served as the offensive coordinator at Lambuth University in Jackson for one year. Mr. Henley served as an Assistant Principal for 12 years and the Athletic Director for six years at North Side. He was the Principal at North Side from 1973 to 1985 and then became the Principal at neighboring Jackson Central-Merry. He served in that position from 1993 to 1997. He was very instrumental in adding sports programs to both schools, and assisted in getting the “Best of the West” program implemented. Mr. Henley also served one year as the Assistant Superintendent of Schools (1997- 1998).
Tommy Layne—Former basketball and football coach at Whitwell High School for 24 years (1968 – 1992). He then became Principal at Sequatchie County High School in 1993, and remains in that position today. Mr. Layne has served on the TSSAA Board of Control since 2001. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association (TACA).
Robert L. “Bud” Raikes—Has served as an educator in Smyrna for over 50 years. He was a football and basketball coach for fourteen years at Rutherford County elementary and high schools. Mr. Raikes is now in his 37th year as the Principal of his alma mater, Smyrna High School. He is an A. F. Bridges Principal’s Award recipient, multi-term president of the Rutherford County Secondary Principals Association, and the school’s football stadium carries his name.
J. C. Campbell—Spent 41 seasons as the head football coach at Hampton High School. He served 49 years in the Carter County School System, and was the athletic director and vice principal at Hampton for 20 years. He has received numerous ‘Coach of the Year’ honors, and the football stadium at Hampton bears his name. Coach Campbell retired as football coach at the end of the 2008 football season, but he remains active working with the freshman team.
Johnny Morgan—Has taught and coached for the past 34 years at McMinn Central High School. He became the girls basketball coach in 1978, and continues in that role today. He has compiled over 700 wins, and has a winning percentage of 71%. His Chargerettes have captured eleven district titles, ten regional crowns, and have made 20 sub-state appearances. Coach Morgan’s teams have made it to the state tournament ten times, and were runners-up in 1997, 2004, and 2010.
Gary Rankin—Has been a successful football coach for 35 years, and is currently coaching the Tornadoes of Alcoa High School. He has coached previously at Warren County, Smith County, and Riverdale high schools. Coach Rankin has over 300 victories in his career, and has captured 9 TSSAA state titles. His Alcoa teams have won the state championship each year since he arrived in 2006 (’06, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10). His Riverdale teams were 5A State Champions in 1994, 1997, 2001, and 2004. He has coached 13 Mr. Football Award Winners, and one Gatorade Player of the Year. For his efforts, he has been awarded numerous ‘Coach of the Year’ honors. Coach Rankin has also served as an athletic director, and is now an Assistant Principal at Alcoa along with his football coaching duties.
The late Jake Rudolph—Coached football at Memphis University School for 39 years. He won 295 games at MUS, and achieved a career total of 302 victories. He had coached one year previously at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia. Coach Rudolph’s Owls won the 1985 Class AA State Championship, and his 1983 and 1990 teams finished as state-runner up. Coach Rudolph was awarded numerous ‘Coach of the Year’ awards prior to his retirement in 1997.
Don Lady—Has worked as a high school baseball umpire for 40 years. He was also a long time administrator in Sullivan County, and was instrumental in the development of the state athletic director’s association (TIAAA). He spent over 30 years in education as a teacher, coach, Assistant Principal, and Athletic Director. Mr. Lady has called numerous district and region baseball tournaments, and in 2009 he worked his third TSSAA State Baseball tournament.
Don Sutton—TSSAA official in baseball, basketball, football, and volleyball for over 30 years. He registered with the TSSAA in 1975, and continued to officiate until 2008. He was a member of the Memphis Association in baseball, basketball, and volleyball and the Mid-South Association in football, where he served as President. Mr. Sutton received a TSSAA Distinguished Recognition and an A. F. Bridges Award for his outstanding achievements in officiating.
