by Carly Bergthold | Sep 4, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb University is in the spotlight once again because of the upcoming film My Many Sons. The movie, former Bison Casey Bond’s tribute to legendary basketball coach Don Meyer, has been filming in and around campus since mid-August, and several of Lipscomb’s own were involved. Mark McGee, Lipscomb Athletics’ media relations director and adjunct professor in the communication department, offered some insight into his experience. “I play Chuck Ross, Lipscomb’s number one fan,” McGee said. “Chuck was at all of our events, and he was usually very vocal.” McGee didn’t get the part by accident. His imitation of Ross’s signature slogan, “beat ‘em and beat ‘em bad,” prompted his co-workers to record it on a camera phone and send it in as an audition. That day McGee got a call from Bond asking him to play Ross. McGee is a featured character, meaning that he has no lines. However, he will have some close ups in crowd scenes, which are close enough for an interesting wardrobe. “The wardrobe lady gave me a plastic bag and a couple of hangers with Chuck’s jacket and t-shirt on them,” McGee said. “The bag had his shoes, his shakers, his megaphone, plus his hat. Everything I had on was Chuck’s.” The combination of McGee’s authentic clothes and Ross’ imitation impressed those on set. “On filming days, people I didn’t even know came up to me and said they wanted a picture made with Chuck,” McGee said. “They didn’t want to pose with me, they wanted to pose with Chuck.” The life of a featured character isn’t all fun and games, though. “It’s a...
by Logan Butts | Jul 22, 2014 | Opinion, Sports
In the past few months, there was a craze among media outlets and just people in general to make a “Mount Rushmore” of everything, whether sport, entertainment, profession or just about anything else you could think of. The premise is fairly simple; you just have to come up with the four most prominent figures of the group of your choosing for a so-called Mount Rushmore of (fill in the blank). Lumination even took a stab at it with a Mount Rushmore of Lipscomb Professors. Inspired by all the discussions of ranking current and historical notable figures, something I love to do, I decided to make a Mount Rushmore of Lipscomb Sports Figures. There are a few rules I came up with to help narrow down the field of nominees: 1. No current athletes can make the final list of four people. Despite the great success of our current athletes, it would not be fair to include a player whose Lipscomb career is ongoing. 2. Current coaches are eligible for the list, but only if they have coached for five or more seasons. 3. Only one coach or athlete from a single sport is allowed on the final list of four. Otherwise, you could have a single sport taking up half of the spots. Now, on to the list. The first spot should be obvious. Don Meyer: Basketball coach, 1975-1999 The late, great Coach Don Meyer was not only one of the pillars of college sports at Lipscomb, but he was also integral to the college basketball community throughout the country. Meyer’s team went 11-19 during his first season with...
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...
