MIDPOINTS
A look at recent awards, events, and accomplishments at MTSU compiled by Stephanie Barrette, Gina E. Fann, Jimmy Hart, Gina K. Logue, Drew Ruble, and Randy Weiler
True Blue Role Model Alumnus and MTSU Board of Trustees member Darrell S. Freeman Sr. (’87, ’90) died June 28, 2022, from what his family described as a serious illness. Among his many accomplishments, Freeman was a first-generation college graduate and a trail-blazing businessman. He created his own IT company, Zycron, that, over 25 years, became a multimillion-dollar business. He sold it and used the resources to help aspiring Black entrepreneurs overcome obstacles and find success in business. Freeman also was a private pilot who lent his services and aircraft for international relief missions. His energy and devotion to helping disadvantaged and underserved students find a path forward, in education and in business, was front and center in his work as the first vice chair of MTSU’s Board of Trustees, as well as his two terms as chair of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. His service to MTSU, as a role model, donor, volunteer, and leader, leaves a legacy that will inspire students for generations to come. Freeman once urged graduates in a Commencement ceremony to “take over the world” but to do it “with compassion . . . because the world needs more compassion . . . and do it with the sole purpose of helping people who are less fortunate than you are. If you do these things, you will have represented MTSU very well.”
Legendary Loss Dean Hayes, MTSU’s track and field coach of 57 years, died Jan. 7 at age 84 while still active with the program. Hayes guided Blue Raider teams to 29 Ohio Valley Conference titles, 19 Sun Belt championships, 11 C-USA crowns, and 21 NCAA Top 25 finishes. He received four Conference USA Coach of the Year accolades, 16 Sun Belt Coach of the Year awards, and 15 OVC Coach of the Year honors, which included 10 in a row from 1977 to 1986. He was inducted into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame in 1982. Importantly, Hayes, who first stepped onto the campus in 1965, is credited with integrating MTSU athletics. His first recruit, Jerry Singleton, became the first African American varsity scholarship athlete at MTSU. Others followed as their quietly competitive coach recruited more and more Black athletes. When those athletes arrived on campus, so did their girlfriends, sisters, brothers, and friends. As such, Hayes is also rightly credited with integrating campus. He served as the first advisor for Kappa Alpha Psi, a Greek letter fraternity with predominantly African American membership, when it began a chapter at MTSU. Hayes deserves much of the credit for the increased presence of international students at MTSU as well. Under his guidance, international athletes began arriving from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and other places in the 1970s. Summer 2022 45
