By Sophie Kellerman and Aaron Schmelzer
Memories filled Allen Arena on Sunday afternoon as the Lipscomb community celebrated the life of fan Chuck Ross.
Ross passed away earlier this month at the age of 68, leaving behind a legacy of support for local sports.
Through his fandom, Ross impacted the lives of the many, with a large group of local journalists, sporting figures and former Bisons lending their time to share a funny story and kind word about Ross.
“Chuck was the roots that connected so many people and communities,” said Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson as he opened up the memorial.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter, ESPN analyst Buster Olney and Voice for the Nashville Predators Pete Weber were among the multitude of people who recorded short anecdotes and well wishes that were shown throughout the service.
Jonathan Seamon interviewed former Bisons basketball players Alan Banks, Richard Taylor, Chris Martello, Greg Glenn and Keith Edwards about their experiences with Ross.
“I thought Chuck was somebody that we were doing something for,” Taylor said. “The reality is, as time passed, it was exactly the opposite. Chuck was such a role model for all of us.”
“Describe Chuck in one word,” Seamon asked the former Bisons. None of them had to think about their answers very long.
Laughter, compassion and unconditional love were just a few of the words that came to mind.
Ross was not only a fan of the university sports. He also loved going to the Lipscomb Academy high school games and helping out any way he could.
“For high school football games, Chuck’s job was to call and tell us how many buses were coming and and what time they would be there,” said Patrick Cameron, Assistant Director of Campus Security and a good friend of Ross. “Chuck’s just a very special person who had a lot of love to share, and he’ll be missed a great deal.”
Jimmy Davy, author of Ross’ biography Beat’em and Beat’em Bad!, said that Ross should hold a record for the amount of times he used the telephone.
“Chuck should be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most phone calls in the history of man since there’s been a telephone,” Davy said
Ross was well known for consistently calling radio stations, TV stations and newspapers to ask questions and even challenge what the outlets said. Ross also had a history for calling opposing coaches when the weather was bad to cancel the scheduled games.
Even through his many phone calls, Davy said that Ross was always a joy to work with.
“It was a joy to work with him,” Davy said. “The thing I remember the most was how appreciative he was. He wanted to hear what everyone was saying about him.”
Former Lipscomb basketball coach Don Meyer shared a few memories of his time spent with Ross. Meyer was the one who initially made Ross a part of the Lipscomb basketball team when he brought him in the locker room for the first time.
“I served as an assistant coach to Chuck Ross for 24 years,” Meyer joked. “He’s a hard man to work for. He didn’t like to lose.”
Meyer mentioned the lessons that Ross taught him over those 24 years.
“Chuck cared about people. When someone hurt, he hurt,” Meyer said.
“He taught us you have to care more about the teammates than yourself. He taught me what it’s really all about.
“I just want to thank Chuck so much for how he impacted our players.”
Though his legacy as a fan lives on, Ross will always be remembered by many as a loving person and a lovable person, as Davy said.
“He was a person to be loved,” Davy said. “[He] was a guy that cared for you and hoped that you cared for him.”