Tallahassee State AD Brett Rutherford back where it all began
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Brett Rutherford left Tallahassee State College, then Tallahassee Community College, for three years.
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But his heart still resided at 444 Appleyard Drive.
“TSC is a very special place for me,” said Rutherford, in his introductory press conference as the school’s new Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation on Wednesday, July 8.
“I’ve been gone for a few years. Some things have changed. A lot has stayed the same, and I’ve remained an Eagle fan from afar through those years.”
Rutherford spent the early years of his professional career working as TSC’s Lead Broadcaster and Sports Information Assistant in 2021, then was promoted to Assistant for Athletics and Communication in 2022.
He left TSC in September 2023 to accept a job at Wake Technical Community College as its Assistant Athletic Director for External Operations in North Carolina.
In May, TSC announced that Rutherford will return to Tallahassee as the new athletic director, replacing Chuck Moore after four years. Rutherford’s first day in the AD’s office was July 1.
“Today’s introduction is not a welcome, but a welcome back,” said Dr. Sheri Rowland, TSC’s Vice President of Student Affairs and former interim athletic director. “During his time here, he made a lasting impact through his work in communications and student-athlete support.”
Rowland explained TSC’s decision to appoint Rutherford as athletic director.
What stood out was the 26-year-old’s “passion for student athlete success and vision for TSC athletics.”
“When we set out to hire our next director of athletics and campus rec person, we were looking for someone who understood the department from every angle,” Rowland started, “Who was a good fit for our college culture, and really understood the role that athletics plays in higher ed.”
TSC AD Brett Rutherford's journey helps with vision to lead department
A Riverview native, Rutherford comes from a family of educators, sparking an interest in working in college sports.
His first opportunity came while studying for his degree at Florida State University.
Rutherford would do play-by-play for Seminoles games from his Tallahassee apartment.
Then he got a call that would catapult his career working in athletics.
Former voice of Eagles sports, Luke Fay, invited Rutherford to the Bill Hebrock Eagledome to call a basketball game. Once basketball ended, Rutherford stayed on and called baseball and softball games.
And the rest was history.
He’d go on to land a full-time job with TSC, then TCC at the time.
“I had no experience, and TSC provided an opportunity to me when no one else would,” Rutherford reflected. “I know that when all someone needs is an opportunity to showcase their talents and potential, TSC is there to give them that opportunity, as they were for me.”
With Rutherford at the helm, it’s a new era for TSC Eagles sports.
Men’s basketball has a new head coach in Trent Short. Former longtime coach at the school, Gary Droze, has also returned to lead women’s cross country and track and field, and is tasked with rebuilding TSC’s competitive running programs.
Rutherford is also on the search for a new head softball coach.
Off the court, track, and field, the newly hired young athletic director wants the Eagles to excel in the classroom and be active in the community.
“We can win here,” Rutherford said, “And I know that right now we have the resources at our fingertips that those levels of success can only get higher as we move forward into this new chapter of TSC athletics.”
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat under the USA TODAY Network.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee State AD Brett Rutherford back where it all began