Bernard Childress, executive director of the TSSAA.Seated behind his desk at TSSAA headquarters in Hermitage earlier this week, Bernard Childress was candid with his feelings about the relationship between the state’s high school sports governing body he oversees and its 330-plus member schools.
Now in his fourth year as the executive director, Childress began his career in education as a high school teacher and basketball coach at Columbia Central, followed by eight years as an administrator, including four as principal before coming to work for the TSSAA in 1995. Throughout those years until now, Childress has earned a reputation as someone who tries to serve the best interest of student-athletes, even when that means upsetting the status quo or the adults setting the rules.
His corner office is encased by four glass walls, which not only makes for a scenic, panoramic view but also is an accurate metaphor for the transparency with which he operates his daily job.
For months Childress and his staff put together notes and reasons why the board of control, which sets the rules for state prep athletics, should punt the current six-classification football playoff system and return to the five-class format that had been used for 16 years without much complaint.
Childress made that recommendation in July, just before the board voted, despite knowing that one fewer playoff classification would mean more than $100,000 less revenue for the TSSAA.