Memorial services have been set for Dr. David Blackstock, retired athletic director at Union University, who passed away about 4 a.m., Wednesday.

A memorial service will be held at Englewood Baptist Church, 2239 N. Highland Ave., at 2 p.m., Sunday Nov. 5.

The family will receive friends following the service.

At Union University, Dr. Blackstock, 75, also coached baseball, and led the women’s basketball program to the 1998 NAIA National Basketball title.

Dr. Blackstock spent 17 seasons as the women’s head coach, compiling a 509-89 overall record.

A student at Union University, he began playing baseball for the Bulldogs in 1960.

In 1967, Dr. Blackstock graduated from Memphis State University with a Master of Education degree before moving to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he received his doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Dr. Blackstock returned to Union in 1973 as athletic director and instructor in the physical education department.

He became head baseball coach in 1975, and in 1983, he led the Bulldogs to a third place in the school’s first and only appearance in the NAIA College World Series.

“I’ll most remember the times we spent together discussing baseball,” Linn Stranak said. “I don’t remember a single time we disagreed who would pitch, relieve or when we should hit-and-run.”

Linn Stranak, a professor of physical education and department chair at Union, coached baseball with Dr. Blackstock.

In 1998, Blackstock was inducted into the Jackson-Madison County Hall of Fame, and one year later, his distinguished career earned him a spot in the NAIA Hall of Fame.

A 2006 inductee into the first class of the Union University Sports Hall of Fame, Dr. Blackstock was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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