Mike Cody, a lawyer by profession, has been involved with athletics throughout his life. A graduate of Memphis East High School, he captained Mustang basketball and track teams. Following graduation, he played basketball and ran cross country and track for Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College), where he was named the Most Valuable Athlete in the TCAC in 1958 and set school records in the mile and 880. Mike then attended the University of Virginia Law School and during his stay at Charlottesville, served as volunteer coach of the Cavaliers’ track team. Still an avid runner today, Cody has participated in over a dozen of the grueling Boston Marathons. In 1990 he finished fifth in his 55-60 age class. As tough as the prestigious Boston Marathon is, Cody perhaps surpassed his performances there in a two-day, 70-mile run along the Appalachian Trail through the Smoky Mountains! He also has run in marathons at Memphis, Nashville, Washington, and Jackson. During his forty years of running, Cody has logged over 40,000 miles! In 1992 Cody served as chairman of the Tennessee Sportsfest, which held its statewide championships in Memphis. He assisted the organization in raising over $900,000 to fund the event. So much of what’s great about sports is not the awards or the victories, but the mere participation. Mike Cody’s love of athletics is truly a lifelong affair.
