National Football Foundation

A Nashville native, Brunette earned honors as a football player and wrestler in high school. He graduated in 1973 from Memphis State University with a bachelor’s degree in education, and he continued his education by earning a master’s degree in 1975 from the George Peabody College for Teachers at Vanderbilt University.
 
Brunette began a coaching career in 1978, and he spent a dozen years coaching football and wrestling before his appointment as the athletic director and physical education coordinator for the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools in 1991. As the area’s athletics director, Brunette oversaw more than 700 middle and high school coaches, and under his leadership the school system experienced a notable increase in student-athlete participation while emphasizing safety, sportsmanship and integrity.
 
Throughout his distinguished career, Brunette has contributed to numerous sports organizations, and he has earned multiple career achievement awards. He worked with the Tennessee Titans to facilitate the NFF and NFL’s Play It Smart program in middle Tennessee. His leadership roles in the community in addition to the NFF’s Middle Tennessee Chapter include the Tennessee High School Athletic Administrators Association (THSAA) and the Nashville City Civitan Club. A prostate cancer survivor, he served as the Honorary Chairperson for the Prostate Cancer Race the Trace in 2000.
 
“Of course everything we do is about the kids,” said Brunette. “It’s an honor to be associated with the top scholar-athletes and to promote the game of football. Being associated with the other board members, scholar-athletes and their coaches has provided me with a glimpse of what true sportsmanship and being part of a team are all about.”
 
Honored with the Middle Tennessee Chapter’s Roy Kramer Contribution to Football Award in 2010, Brunette is in the halls of fame for the Metro Nashville Football Coaches, the Metro Nashville Basketball Coaches, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Administration (TSSAA). Brunette has received merit awards from the Nashville Black Coaches Association, the TSSAA, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association and the THSAA.