Dr. Ernest L. Stockton was president of Cumberland College (now Cumberland University) for twenty-five years, from 1958 to 1983. During his tenure he was active in many professional organizations, including his roles as president of the Southern Association of Junior Colleges and the Tennessee College Association. Perhaps his greatest contribution to athletics came as the founder and leader of the Tennessee Junior College Athletic Association. It was Stockton who approached area junior college presidents, athletic directors, and coaches to see if there was sufficient interest in forming a junior college athletic association. At his invitation, the college representatives met on the Cumberland campus, May 9, 1968, and the TJCAA was born. Before his retirement in 1982, Dr. Stockton served on the TJCAA executive committee for seven years. Cumberland College enjoyed great success in the athletic arena, winning two of the four awarded championships in the first year of the TJCAA and many more after that. This success was in no small part due to the leadership of Ernest Stockton. Coaches look to their college presidents for leadership and direction, and Dr. Stockton gave total support to both athletics and academics and was always able to strike the proper balance between the two. Dr. Ernest Stockton passed away in 1984. He will always have the respect, admiration, and love of all the Cumberland players and coaches through the years of his service to Cumberland College.
