A native of Jackson, Tennessee, Dr. David Blackstock is in his 33rd season as athletic director at Union University. In the spring of 2006, he returned to the coaching ranks as he took over the softball head coaching duties.
Over his career, Blackstock has coached baseball, women’s basketball and softball. He is known for his tremendous coaching success but just as much for his character and leadership. Dr. Blackstock heads an athletic department that is currently made up of 10 varsity sports and two junior varsity sports. For his efforts as athletic director during the 2003-04 season, Blackstock was voted the TranSouth Conference AD of the Year.
Blackstock spent 17 seasons at the helm of the women’s basketball program at Union, where he compiled a 509-89 overall record, earning his 500th career victory during the 1998-99 season. Numerous accomplishments have been a part of his basketball coaching career, including the 1998 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship. In addition to the national title, Blackstock was named NAIA Coach of the Year. The Union Lady Bulldogs have been among the NAIA top five winningest programs in the nation from 1991 to present.
Blackstock began his campaign at Union University as a baseball player in 1960 where he played for the Bulldogs until 1964. In 1967, Blackstock graduated from Memphis State University with a Master of Education degree and then moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he received his doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi. Blackstock then returned to Union in 1973 as athletic director and instructor in the physical education department. He took over the baseball program in 1977 where he eventually guided the team to a third place finish in the NAIA World Series in 1983, the school’s first and only appearance in the series.
Blackstock was named Baseball Coach of the Year in 1981 and 1983. It was at that same time Blackstock turned his attention to the women’s basketball program. During the Lady Bulldog campaign, Blackstock and his teams went to the NAIA District finals 11 times, capturing five district crowns, the 1998 national championship, and 12 conference championships. He guided the team to 10 national tournament berths in his final 12 seasons, participating three times in the title game.
In 1998, Blackstock was inducted to the Jackson-Madison County Hall of Fame. And in 1999, his distinguished career earned him a spot in the NAIA Hall of Fame.