The TSSAA is paying tribute to a hall of famer during the two-week Blue Cross Basketball Championships at MTSU's Murphy Center.

A seat, with Nelson Smotherman's name, sits empty on press row. Nelson passed away last Friday (March 3rd, 2023). He was a fixture at TSSAA events for more than 60-years. One of his many stat books sat on the desk along with a tribute to his work. Nelson kept stats for more than 4,000 state games.

TSSAA Executive Director and Murfreesboro resident Matthew Gillespie said, "Nelson, basically, in my eyes, was a walking encyclopedia. He worked thousands of TSSAA events over 60-years. I've worked closely with Nelson since I started at TSSAA nearly 25-years ago, but knew him a little before then. Our state tournaments won't be the same without Nelson being there and providing tid bits of knowledge to myself and countless members of the media covering the event. We always made sure to have a reserved spot for him on press row for basketball and credentials for every event. He was inducted in the TSSAA Hall of Fame in 1997 as a Contributor. He is the definition of what a TSSAA contributor is, better than anybody."

A fitting tribute for Nelson to have his spot reserved at a TSSAA event one more time.

 

READ MORE ABOUT NELSON SMOTHERMAN

Share your thoughts and memories of Nelson here.