Mike Tribue
No element of life’s odds appeared to favor Mike Tribue.
Living through segregation – and desegregation – in the South, specifically metro Nashville, Tribue confronted daily discomfort.
“I was at Haynes High School as a ninth-grader and then Donelson in 1967 because desegregation started,” Tribue said. “Davidson County and metro government came together for metro Nashville.
“It was a very scary time, because I was one of the first few blacks to ever attend Donelson High School. There were four of us, three girls and me.”
Those formative years constituted the foundation for Tribue, who became a three-sport standout at Donelson – basketball, football and track, became the first college graduate in his family and then dedicated his life to giving back as a high school coach, teacher, principal.
Tribue also carved a career officiating high school athletics, working extensively as a track and field official who evolved into the role of director for the Tennessee State Championships.
It’s that backdrop of officiating, coupled with his career of service, that sees Tribue honored as a TSSAA Distinguished Service Award recipient.
He traces his entire journey to those days of desegregation.
“It shaped me for everything that I have grown through in my adult life,” said Tribue, who became a hometown-star at Fisk University and garnered an NFL tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles. “Those experiences taught me how to get along with folks, when to keep my mouth shut and…when to react and be heard.”
Tribue still is heard these days as an assistant basketball coach at Cane Ridge High School, where his wife, Joanne, is the head coach – and boss.
“Well, I told her, that’s the only time she’s in charge is when we’re on the basketball court, Tribue, whose football scholarship fueled his path to college, said. “She laughed at that like you just did.
“But I think one of the greatest things between her and I is that when I was principal at McGavock and teaching and coaching, she was at Hunters Lane and we never brought anything home about our sports. But at least when we played each other, one of us would be happy and the other one could be happy for the one who won.”
It’s the joy in continuing to help guide youth on a path for potential success in life that keeps Tribue serving through the decades.
“You hit the nail on the head, I just enjoy being around the youngsters and if I feel like I can help change one life that’s headed in the wrong direction, it’s worth it,” Tribue said. “That’s why I’m still doing it.
“And when these kids come back as adults, and I tell all the young coaches and teachers, when they come back and tell you what they’re doing and tell you how you helped them, I tell them that’s worth a million dollars to me.”
TSSAA proudly salutes Mike Tribue for his contributions to student-athletes in Tennessee as an official, coach, teacher, and administrator.
