When the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame meets on October 16th David Blackburn will preside over his first meeting as the President of the Hall. David is excited to lead this distinguished organization into its fifty-first year of celebrating Tennessee’s sports heritage. He intends to continue many of the directives initiated by outgoing President Rita Sparks, of Memphis. Under Spark’s direction, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame has become more than just a Hall of Fame and Museum. It now offers many outreach programs that serve Tennessee’s youth in areas of leadership, healthy lifestyles and character development. The Hall of Fame is currently serving many disadvantaged youth, in middle Tennessee. The Hall is a great place for a field trip providing an enlightening experience for school and youth groups. An internship program is available for college students and the Hall of Fame also offers the Jeff Byrd Memorial Scholarship to college juniors and seniors with a desire to pursue a career in sports related fields.
David Blackburn, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, was elected by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Board to serve as President of the Board at the June board meeting. He will serve as President for the next two years. Blackburn was appointed to the Hall of Fame Board in 2013, by House Speaker Beth Harwell and has served on the board representing East Tennessee for the past three years. David has served as Vice President and on several committees of the board. David’s love for sports and his willingness to serve makes him the ideal leader for this organization.
Blackburn’s leadership has been quite evident at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, where the Mocs have experienced unprecedented success on the playing field and in the classroom. He will provide this same level of outstanding leadership in serving this non-profit that represents all that is good in Tennessee Sports.