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 him in a few times to inspire his own Mustang squads while at Lipscomb.
“I remember the great speeches he gave before our games to get everyone fired up,” McPherson said. “You could really see his joy in doing that.”
McPherson admits that sorrow was not one of the things he thought of when Ross came to mind.
“People felt sorry for Chuck, but I never did,” McPherson said. “I like to think of him as America’s dream kid. He gets a free ride to every game, got everything paid for.
“I really think of Chuck as one of God’s special agents to teach us life lessons.”
Even from his first days as head coach, former Lipscomb men’s basketball coach Scott Sanderson knew who Ross was. Actually, the Lipscomb fan had a very important question to ask the new coach.
“When I first took the job, he didn’t say, ‘Hey, hello,’ nothing,” Sanderson said. “All he wanted to know was, ‘Am I travelling with the team?’”
Actually, Ross and the Sanderson family had a special connection with each other.
“For the last seven or eight years, we’ve had him over for Christmas lunch, and about two months prior to it, he would call every day wanting to know what time to be there and what food we were eating,” Sanderson said.
Associate Athletic Director for Internal Affairs, former women’s basketball coach and “Lipscomb Lifer” Frank Bennett recalled Ross coming to watch him play basketball during his days at the high school.
From the time Bennett came to the university to the time Don Meyer left the university, Ross would travel with the men’s and women’s team to conference games. Bennett said trips back to school would always be fun, with those traveling joking around with Ross.
Bennett also mentioned Ross’ famous pre-game pep talks.
“Some of those were so funny,” Bennett said.
Another one of Ross’ noted habits was, on occasion, making “schedule changes.” On one occasion, Ross had actually called opposing teams, “representing” the university, and had cancelled ballgames.
He also told of a time Ross called the Lady Bisons basketball team before a game.
“Another similar thing – we were going to leave at twelve o’clock,” Bennett recalled. “I came to old McQuiddy Gym lobby and was going to get ready about an hour and a half early. I looked down there, two or three girls were coming in – their hair was completely soaking wet, and they were trying to brush it out.
“A couple more came in, and I said ‘What are y’all doing here an hour and a half early?’ They said ‘Chuck just called the dorm and said we’re leaving in ten minutes. You better be there quick, or you’re going to be in big trouble.’ So, there’s lots of stories like that.
“You could get a room of former Lipscomb athletes and could tell stories all afternoon long,” Bennett said. “We learned a lot from him – his friendship, his childlike faith. Just [him] being one-hundred percent behind Lipscomb was a real blessing to everybody.”
Bennett said that while there will be sadness from not seeing Ross around anymore, he’s happy in the fact that Ross is currently celebrating in Heaven. Bennett said he looks forward to seeing Ross once again.
Former Tennessean editor/writer Jimmy Davy called Ross “Nashville’s Number One Sports Fan,” in the surname of his Chuck Ross-centered book Beat’em and Beat’em Bad.
Davy remembers Ross as a true individual – a Halley’s Comet of a human being that enriched the lives of all he encountered.
“He is one of those guys that comes along, and there’s no one like him,” Davy said. “Not even when he was a young child. He is special – a lot of trouble because of his zeal sometimes and because he was somewhat handicapped socially, but my life was certainly enriched by knowing him. I think he enriched a lot of lives, and I know his devotion to Lipscomb.”
Any Lipscomb fan could tell you who the school’s big rival is, and Ross shared in his distaste for the Belmont Bruins.
“He was almost embarrassed when he would get caught with tickets to Belmont games,” Davy said.
Although he was a lifelong Bison, Ross had no qualms with supporting other local teams. Davy noted Ross’ support of the Nashville Sounds, town’s minor league baseball team.
“Lipscomb was first, but a love of sports was right up there with them,” Davy said. “He was a great Sounds fan. He knew everyone in the stands that had been there more than twice and could remember their names.”
Davy noted the special relationship that Ross had with former men’s basketball coach Don Meyer.
“I know he was a special friend to Coach Meyer who would occasionally let Chuck give the pep talk. He would always end with “let’s beat ’em and beat ’em bad.'”
In speaking with Lipscomb Athletics, Meyer shared his thoughts of Ross’ passing.
“With the passing of Chuck Ross Lipscomb has sustained a big loss with the example he set for having a passion for life,” Meyer said. “He was my friend. I can tell a million funny stories.
“It’s not funny losing a guy like Chuck. He loved everybody and knew everybody. He’s probably the most well-known guy in Nashville.”
Davy said that while Ross’ passing should be mourned, the longtime fan now claiming his ultimate victory.
“It’s sad, but Chuck is better off. The people in Heaven will have to deal with his voice up there,” Davy said. “He has been one of my favorites.”
Associate Athletic Director for Development Andy Lane reaffirmed the idea that Ross was, indeed, not just Lipscomb’s biggest fan – but a generous, loving person.
“It’s a sad day for Lipscomb Athletics,” Lane said. “You know, for five decades, Chuck really has been Lipscomb’s No. 1 fan, and so Chuck was always there. He had his briefcase, and his purple and gold shaker, came early and really was the first to get here and last to leave.
“I talked to him last Saturday, and you knew he wasn’t doing real good, and I asked him, ‘Chuck, well, tell me your favorite Bison,’ and he thought for a second. And I even made a suggestion of a couple. And he said, ‘Well, I like ‘em all,’ and that was Chuck. He didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. He was always nice and saw the good in everybody and had a real spirit of a childlike spirit that’s just amazing – that we really all need to have.
“He’s going to be missed, and we’ll try to carry on his memory.”
Visitation will be at Phillips-Robinson Funeral Home on Monday, from 4 to 8 p.m. Ross’ funeral will be at the Hillsboro Church of Christ at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
A celebration of Ross’ life will be hosted by the university in Allen Arena on Sept. 29 at 2 p.m.
Brianne Welch and Carter Sanderson contributed to the story.
Please feel free to share your memories of Ross in the comments section. Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics.