by Cory Woodroof | Sep 30, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
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...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 13, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Nashville has lost an icon, and Lipscomb has lost its biggest fan. Chuck Ross has died at the age of 68. Ross passed away on Friday morning due to complications of diabetes and fluid on his lungs. He was receiving hospice treatment at the Lakeshore Heartland Nursing Home. For six decades, Ross was one of the campus’ most recognizable faces. He attended nearly every sporting event that Lipscomb had to offer, cheering on his beloved Bisons and Mustangs with the now-hallowed chant, “Beat’em, and beat’em bad!” Ross’ death comes in a year that saw the passing of another Lipscomb legend; former high school football coach Glenn McCadams passed away in March. Nashvillians will remember Ross for various reasons. Some may mention having received one of Ross’ infamous phone calls, possibly asking for a game’s score or the next day’s weather. Some may recall humorous encounters with the Bisons fan, with many stories likely ending with a rubbing of Ross’ noted Bison belt buckle. Former Lipscomb Academy head basketball coach and current Nashville Christian head coach Mike McPherson added to the memories of humorous phone messages, recounting a rather lengthy message Ross had left him. “He called and left me a voicemail one time, and at the end of the message, he started going through every sports team on campus,” McPherson said. “He said, ‘Go Mustangs, go Lady Mustangs, go Mustang soccer.” He then went on and started naming every team on the college campus. The voicemail last about 10 minutes of Chuck saying go every team on campus.” McPherson remembers Ross as a great motivator of teams, having brought...
by Cory Woodroof | Mar 3, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Looking to build on Thursday night’s win over the University of Jacksonville, the men’s basketball team turned in a valiant effort at home Saturday night against the University of North Florida Ospreys (13-18, 8-10 in conference), but effort wasn’t enough to take the win. The team fell to the visitors 85-78 in a game that solidified the Bisons’ bracket seating for the Atlantic-Sun tournament. After a strong start by Lipscomb (leading by six at 14:55), North Florida fought their way back to make it a close first half. That is, until the last three minutes, where the Bisons went on a run, widening the margin to seven at the half. The second half saw more strong play from Lipscomb, holding a 10-point lead with a little more than 10 remaining. Unfortunately, the Ospreys once again chipped away at the lead, eventually taking the top score at 3:30. After this, the game became a back-and-forth of jumpers, layups and free-throws, with the Ospreys hitting key shots at moments, and the Bisons missing when it counted. North Florida walked away from Allen Arena with the win. The Bisons end their regular season 12-17 (7-11 in the A-Sun). Senior Deonte Alexander, who was honored at half court before the game for Senior Night, led the Bisons in scoring with 19, while redshirt sophomore Carter Sanderson added in 16 points. Junior Khion Sankey led the team in rebounds with nine and had 12 points on the night. Sankey said he felt that the team’s shooting percentage in the second half was a cause for trouble. “I feel like we played hard. They just made...
by Cory Woodroof | Feb 17, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
Looking to shake off Thursday night’s loss to Stetson, the men’s basketball team posted up an 84 -74 win over the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles, currently the top team in the Atlantic Sun, Saturday night in Allen Arena. The victory snaps the Eagles’ seven-game win streak and marks the second time this season the Bisons have bested the visitors (they defeated the Eagles 87-78 in OT on Jan. 17 in an away game). The Bisons (now 10-15, 5-9 in conference) overcame a rough start that saw the Eagles (19-9, 11-4 in conference) leading 12-4 after the first four minutes of the half. Lipscomb slowly reduced the margin in the next six minutes, tying the ballgame at the 10 minute mark. The teams continued to battle for the lead, with the Eagles holding a slim four-point margin at the break. However, the Bisons fought their way back in the second, finally gaining the lead for good at 5:33 after a jumper by redshirt freshman Stephen Hurt. Lipscomb held off FGCU long enough to snag the big win. Sophomore Martin Smith was the team’s leading scorer and had a career night with 30 points. He also had 10 rebounds, which nets his first career double-double. Hurt also had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Deonte Alexander added in 14 points. Martin Smith (whose brother Malcom was held out tonight with an injury) said he felt that this win in particular was especially beneficial to the Bisons. “This is a win we needed,” Smith said. “Everybody’s kind of bunched up in the A-Sun.” Smith said he was happy...
by Cory Woodroof | Feb 8, 2013 | News Slider, Sports
The men’s basketball team (now 9-14) ended a three-game losing streak with a soaring 76-58 win over the Northern Kentucky Norse (8-12) Friday night in Allen Arena. The team net their fourth conference win of the season. For most of the first half, it was all Lipscomb. Senior Deonte Alexander put the Bisons up 5-0 in the first two minutes of the game and continued to be a major factor throughout. The Bisons maintained a solid lead during the first, heading into halftime up by nine. After the break in action, the Bisons refused to let up. Leading by double-digits for most of the game’s second half, Lipscomb emerged victorious through strong offensive and defensive performances. Alexander led in scoring with 22, while sophomores Martin and Malcolm Smith both had 11. Freshman Stephen Hurt had nine points and a team-leading 10 rebounds. Junior Khion Sankey said he believes that the Bisons breaking the Norse’s four-game win streak was a large indicator of the team’s hard work invested during practice and recent games. Despite the big win, Sankey said that there is still work to be done, as the team hosts A-Sun rival Stetson on Thursday, Feb. 14. “We just took it to [the Norse] today,” Sankey said. “We can be happy today, but we can’t be too happy. It was only one game. So, we’ve got to keep going forward – keep practicing...
