August 24, 2021, Stones Rivers Country Club
An accomplished athlete and head coach of many years, Harris has been named the first full-time athletic director for Rutherford County Schools.
Harris succeeds Tim Tackett, who has served as a part-time athletic director for the district since 2013.
In the expanded role, the athletic director works with middle and high schools to coordinate athletics and help brand Rutherford County Schools’ extensive programs.
Harris — an educator of more than 30 years who most recently taught U.S. History at Siegel — has a storied and award-winning athletic record.
He grew up in Knoxville and won a state championship in basketball as a student-athlete with Holston High School.
He was recruited to Middle Tennessee State University by Coach Jimmy Earle — a personal mentor to Harris. As a senior, he started at center for the Blue Raiders and will always be remembered as a part of the team that upset Kentucky 50-44 in 1982 during the NCAA Tournament.
He served as an assistant basketball coach at Gallatin, Smyrna and Riverdale before serving as head coach at Holloway for a year before being named the head coach at Siegel High School.
Harris coached Siegel boys basketball for five years from 2003-2008 and led the Stars to three state playoff appearances, including a trip to the Elite 8 and twice to the Final Four. His overall record at Siegel was 113-55. He retired from coaching after the 2007-2008 season but never left the world of prep athletics. He spent time as a soccer administrator, drove for the school’s wrestling team and was a resource to his former assistant coach.
Academic enhancement has also skyrocketed under Massaro’s leadership. Massaro inherited a football program with a national-low score of 812 and saw it increase to 990 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2009. In October 2019, Middle Tennessee’s student-athletes posted a Graduation Success Rate of 92 percent which set a new school record. It marked the sixth straight year the Blue Raiders have either equaled or set a new school record.
Massaro is also heavily involved in community service projects and organizations. He is currently a member of the Noon Rotary Club and the Murfreesboro Tennis Commission. He has also served on the Rutherford County United Way Board, the City Golf Commission, the Red Cross Board and on the search committee for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce president. Massaro and his wife, Cindy, have four children: Hank, Lainey, Rachel, and Ben.
Please join us as Chris updates us on the future of MTSU athletics and college sports in general.
