Former McCallie coach C.R. “Bubba” Simmons will return to the school, having been named its new athletic director.
At the end of the current school year he will succeed Bill Cherry, who resigned last month after overseeing the Blue Tornado athletic program for 35 years.
“I appreciate the school’s expression of confidence by offering me the AD position,” Simmons said. “I am excited about renewing old relationships and beginning new ones as I start working with coaches, teachers, support staff, students, parents, and alums associated with the athletic department at McCallie School.
“I view this as a great opportunity with big challenges, and I look forward to both.”
Simmons coached at McCallie from 1979 to ’81 and from ’84 to ’94. Although never a varsity head coach there, he was an assistant in football, baseball and track and field. He is now the principal at Lakeview Middle School and was an assistant principal at Ringgold High before that.
“McCallie had such a strong influence on me as a coach, teacher and administrator,” Simmons said. “My time there prepared me for the roles I’ve had later in my career. When this position came open, I was immediately interested.”
A Chickamauga native and Lakeview High graduate, Simmons was the athletic director at LaFayette High from 1998 to ’2000 and head football coach at East Ridge from 1994 to ’98.
“He has devoted his career to mentoring young people,” said Kenny Sholl, head of McCallie’s upper school. “He understands the vital role that athletics play in developing character, and I look forward to seeing our students benefit from his wisdom and leadership.”
Cherry will remain at the school and return to the classroom as a math teacher this fall. During his tenure, McCallie won 65 state championships and added four varsity sports, giving the school 42 teams in 14 sports. He has served as chairman of the TSSAA Division II Athletic Directors Association for the last 10 years.
“We’re very excited that Mr. Simmons will take the reins of our athletics program,” McCallie headmaster Kirk Walker said. “His strong background in school administration and athletics will allow us to continue to enhance the successful program that Bill Cherry has built.”
Stephen has covered high school sports in the tri-state area since the early 1990s, starting at the News-Free Press as a 19-year-old reporter. He has been with the Times Free Press since its inception and has been an assistant sports editor for more than seven years. Stephen is among the most decorated writers in the TFP’s newsroom, winning numerous state and regional awards for his writing on high school athletics. He has two children, Riley ...
