About Mike Kimmons, CAA

Retired AD Chair: 

Mike Kimmons


     Mike began his education career in his hometown of Ripley, TN, after graduating from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1983. He spent 15 years at Ripley as a teacher, coach and athletic director. His next stop was at Adamsville Jr/Sr High School, where he served as Assistant Principal and athletic administrator for 15 years. After retiring from Tennessee, he moved to Mississippi and served as principal and teacher at Kossuth High School and Middle School for the next eight years.

     Mike attended the first TIAAA conference in 1991 and attended 22 of the next 23 conferences. In 1995, he received the Ocean Spray WAVE Award for the advancement in female sports for the interscholastic level. In 1997, he was awarded the TIAAA AD of the Year and in 2003 the NIAAA State Award of Merit. He served 5 years on the TIAAA Board of Directors and was the President in 2012-13. Mike was also on the state conference planning committee for 16 years.

     With the TSSAA, he spent 10 years as a district coordinator. In 2008 he received the A.F. Bridges Award for Official of the Year. Mike was a baseball umpire in TN and MS for 33 years and was the first person to umpire the state tournament in Class A, AA, AAA and DII.

     Since 1996, Mike has attended 24 of the last 28 NIAAA national conferences. He was a member of the 1997 host committee. In 2007 Mike taught at the first NIAAA Urban Outreach Program in Memphis where 65 AD’s were in attendance. Also that December, he served as the Chairman of the TN host committee for the NIAAA National Conference. He earned his CAA in 2008. In 2011, he was awarded the NIAAA Distinguished Service Award, becoming only the second of three athletic administrators from TN to receive this award. Along with spending six years on the awards committee, Mike has presented and served as a moderator at several conferences. He also attended 15 NIAAA Section 3 meetings as a TN representative.

     The NFHS asked Mike to serve on the national committee for 2 years when they created the Coaches Education program.   In 2023, he was inducted into the 2023 TIAAA Hall of Fame.

     Currently Mike has completed 16 Leadership Training Classes and teaches LTC 504 and 506 in Mississippi yearly.