‘Weak spot for kids’ drove Childress’ success
COVID-19 decisions ‘still eat at me today’
Bernard Childress was awoken this week out of a deep sleep.
It’s happened before the past two years. It’s always for the same reason.
That’s when the TSSAA executive director flashes back to 2020 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the toughest time of his 27 years with the TSSAA and 13 as the person overseeing the state’s high school sports association.
“I woke up (Sunday) night thinking about those kids that lost their entire spring season,” said Childress, who announced his retirement Wednesday from the TSSAA effective July 1. “I know they are OK. But that really took a toll on me.
“There was nothing we could do about it. When we had to cancel the basketball tournament OK, that took a toll. But the major toll was when we had to tell every one of those spring sport athletes — especially those seniors — that you aren’t going to have a season. I haven’t gotten over that yet.”
And that is perhaps the best glimpse of who the Columbia native is and where his heart has been over the past 41 years as an educator. Childress has a place in his heart for young athletes and always wanted to see them succeed in the sports arena.
There were times he made difficult decisions. He has ruled athletes ineligible and he has placed disciplinary actions that have ended seasons. That was part of his job in upholding the bylaws of the TSSAA and making sure improper actions by others faced punishment. That was his job, to follow the bylaws when making rulings.
But no one that knows Childress can ever say he didn’t care about the athletes.
It’s why during the Super Bowl he said he couldn’t root for either team. There were former Tennessee high school players on both rosters.
“When I see athletes from Tennessee competing at the highest level, man that makes me proud,” Childress said. “But the other thing we have to realize is 98% aren’t going to make it that far.
“I’ve constantly said to our staff that we have to make sure our events and our sports the very best we possibly can in the preseason, regular season and offseason. We have to make sure we’re doing the very best we can because for 98% of them, this is the best they are going to get. We can’t fail them. That’s the attitude I had and attitude I’ll leave there with.”
And that’s why there have been times he’s stayed awake since the pandemic, thinking about those senior athletes that never got a 2020 spring season.
His goal in life has been to give athletes an opportunity to perform on the best stage he could as the executive director of the TSSAA. But in that case he couldn’t. When schools were forced to close their doors because of COVID, it ended their seasons.
“I just have a weak spot for kids and want them to be successful,” Childress said. “That was my biggest disappointment — without a doubt, it was my biggest disappointment. But there wasn’t anything we could do about it.
“And that still eats at me today.” Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.
“When I see athletes from Tennessee competing at the highest level, man that makes me proud . ... I’ve constantly said to our staff that we have to make sure our events and our sports the very best we possibly can in the preseason, regular season and offseason. We have to make sure we’re doing the very best we can because for 98% of them, this is the best they are going to get. We can’t fail them. That’s the attitude I had and attitude I’ll leave there with.”
Bernard Childress
Retiring TSSAA executive director