Gregory Ruff / Meritorious Service
Administrator, Sports Information / Media Relations / Communications, Broadcaster
1998–present
Gregory Ruff has been the voice and the storyteller of Trevecca athletics for more than three decades, shaping how Trojan sports are seen, heard, and remembered.
After graduating from Trevecca in 1987, Ruff returned in 1998 to become the university’s first full-time Sports Information Director and Director of Sports Broadcasting, leading its sports information office, pioneering live streaming, and broadcasting Trojan games for more than three decades. His work and leadership have shaped the identity of Trevecca sports.
Since then returning, he has built an award-winning athletic communications program while continuing his unmatched broadcasting tenure.
Athletic Communications Leadership
- Founded Trevecca’s first Office of Sports Information, expanding publications, media coverage, and digital storytelling.
- Led the creation of the university’s first live audio streaming (2003–04) and later video streaming (2006–07) for Trojan sports. Today, nearly every sport benefits from the groundwork he laid.
- Under his leadership, Trevecca earned more than 30 “Best of CoSIDA” or “Best of NAIA-SIDA” awards for publications, websites, and design.
- Recognized nationally, including the 2016 NCAA Division II Excellence in Communications Award for his work with cross country.
- Elevated to Assistant Athletic Director in 2020 after more than two decades of service.
Ruff has broadcast Trevecca athletics for 33 seasons, beginning as an undergraduate and continuing through the NCAA era. Beyond Trevecca, he has called games for Vanderbilt, Belmont, the OVC Championships, NAIA National Network, TSSAA Championships, the Nashville Speedway, and professional teams like the Nashville Stars. His freelance work spans ESPN Radio, CBS, ABC, Fox Sports, and Westwood One.
He has held leadership roles with NAIA-SIDA, the TranSouth Conference, and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and presented nationally at CoSIDA conventions. His mentorship has trained countless students in sports media.
ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME / PLAQUE
GREGORY RUFF
INDUCTED 2025
IN THE CATEGORY OF MERITORIOUS SERVICE
Ruff has been the voice and the teller of the story of Trevecca athletics for more than three decades. Ruff shaped how Trojan teams and athletes were seen, heard, and remembered. Ruff began his Trevecca journey as an undergraduate sports broadcaster on WNAZ, Trevecca’s radio station, in 1981. He returning to the Hill in 1998, following a successful run in local radio and TV, as the university's first full-time Sports Information Director and Director of Sports Broadcasting.
Ruff helped reshape the strategies for enhanced engagement on behalf of the athletics program in the following ways:
· Traditional local media outlets - newspapers, TV, and sports talk radio
· Creation of the Trojan eChronicle, an email newsletter featuring stories, game and event promotions, and statistical updates, with a subscriber list of over 20,000 alumni, students, athletes, employees, family members, fans, and media.
· Collaborated with David Klimkowski to create one of the nation’s first collegiate live-stream broadcast channels in 2008. The high-quality broadcasts rival the content produced by larger and more highly funded athletic programs.
· Created a suite of social media channels, including YouTube, Facebook, X, and Instagram, which has featured overall department news and content for the 17 Trevecca intercollegiate programs
· Garnered dozens of national awards for media guide production, broadcasting, and sports coverage, and served as a presenter at the CoSIDA national convention.
Over his more than 30 years of work with the Trevecca athletic department, Ruff’s personal investment in telling the Trevecca story has never been more evident than in his unmistakable voice on the mic. He’s thrilled Trojan fans with his calls of nearly every Trojan sports team. Ruff’s work includes mentoring dozens of student workers, many of whom followed him into sports broadcasting, media relations, and other forms of media creation.
His legacy includes the personal relationships forged with untold numbers of student-athletes and coaches who wore the Purple and White over the years. His ability to connect with them helped keep them connected following their time on the Hill.
Trevecca’s intercollegiate programs have been marked by excellence in their achievements. Trojan fans, and the world at large, know about these milestones because Ruff was there to tell the story of how and when it happened.
