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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Matthew Gillespie
615-889-6740
1/8/09

RONNIE CARTER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TSSAA

HERMITAGE - - -Ronnie Carter, Executive Director of TSSAA, announced at the January 8, 2009 Board of Control meeting that he will retire in June 2009. Carter is the third Executive Director in the association's history and was preceded by Gill Gideon (1972-86) and the association's first director, Mr. A.F. Bridges (1946-72).

Mr. Carter joined the TSSAA in 1978 as an Assistant Executive Director. He was named Executive Director in 1986. He is the fifth longest tenured active Executive Director in the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations). Since he was hired in 1978, he has seen approximately 180 executive directors at the other 50 state high school associations. Only two other NFHS member state associations have had three or fewer executive directors than TSSAA since their associations were formed. The Connecticut association, which hired their first director in 1969, is currently on their second director and the Rhode Island association, which hired their first director in 1968, is currently on their third director.

Carter has spent over 40 years of his career involved in secondary education and athletics as a teacher, coach, official, and administrator. Prior to joining the TSSAA, Carter taught mathematics and coached football, basketball, wrestling, and track for 11 years at the secondary school level in Nashville.

Mr. Carter has been very involved with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) since he has been at the TSSAA. He was a member of the National Federation Football Rules Committee for 25 years, Chairman of the Football Research Subcommittee of the Football Rules Committee for eight years, a member of the NFHS Basketball Rules Committee for 12 years, Chairman of the NFHS Basketball Rules Committee for eight years, and member of the NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee for four years.

Mr. Carter was elected to serve as a member of the NFHS Board of Directors from 1998-2002. He had the honor of serving as President of the NFHS for the 2001-2002 term.

Carter, 63, has been married for the past 39 years to the former Caroline McMahan, who is a retired teacher. They have a son, Jim, who is married to the former Heather Douglas and they have two children, Cole (6) and Rylee (3). They also have a daughter, Amy, who is married to Keith Whitfield and they have two children, Mary Caroline (4) and Drew (3).