Richard Mc Whirter
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (January 22, 2026) — Richard McWhirter, Assistant Executive Director for TSSAA, is one of the 13 leaders in high school activity programs from across the country to be selected for an NFHS Citation this year, representing Section 3.
An award designed to honor individuals who have made contributions to the NFHS, state high school associations, athletic director and coaching professions, the officiating avocation and fine arts/performing arts programs, the NFHS Citation is one of the most highly regarded achievements in high school athletics and performing arts.
Citations for state high school associations, coaching, officiating and performing arts will be presented June 28, 2026 at the annual NFHS Summer Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Eight of the 13 award recipients represent NFHS-member state high school associations, and the other five represent NFHS professional organizations for officials, coaches, music leaders and speech/debate/theatre directors.
McWhirter has been a leader in high school athletics in the state of Tennessee for more than 40 years. Since 2010, he has been an assistant executive director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) overseeing the sports of football, cross country, and track and field.
However, McWhirter is best known for his advancement of middle school athletics in Tennessee. Under his direction, the TSSAA middle school division more than doubled its membership of middle schools and now hosts 23 state championships in seven sports. McWhirter has regularly been a presenter on middle school issues at national meetings.
Nationally, McWhirter recently completed a term as chair of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and has been Tennessee’s voting member on the committee since 2010.
Prior to joining the TSSAA, McWhirter was the activities coordinator for the Clarksville Montgomery County School System. He also was a TSSAA football official for 27 years and a baseball and softball official for eight years.
For a full list of this year's citation winners, please visit NFHS.org.
