How Mark Russell turned 2 passions into an amazing career

Mark Twain once said, “Find a job you enjoy, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” If anyone can attest to this statement, it’s Mark Russell, head of the Huntsville Sports Commission.

A champion of all things Huntsville, Russell has turned his love of sports and service into a career that has been both rewarding and exhilarating.

Mark Russell carries a torch for Huntsville

To say that Mark Russell has dedicated a good chunk of his life to sports would be an understatement of massive proportions. This is a guy who has played, coached and officiated sports for the better part of half a century.

For more than 20 years, Russell has been a football official with the Alabama High School Athletic Association, and was actually awarded the AHSAA State Official of the Year in 2023.

That same year, Russell was appointed to the Alabama Sports Officials Foundation Board to serve a 4-year term.

In 2019, the City of Huntsville named the recreation center on Taylor Road the Mark Russell Recreation Center to honor all of the work Russell has done for the city.

Russell was named director of the Huntsville Sports Commission in 2020, after serving as the Huntsville City Council District 2 representative, a position he held for 16 years (10 of which were spent as City Council President).

Obviously, Russell has spent a considerable amount of time serving the city, and an even longer time involved in local sports. So it stands to reason that this position, as head of the Huntsville Sports Commission, is the perfect morph of these two passions.

“There are some things I think I do bring to the table. I understand the local politics here in Huntsville, I understand where the resources come from and understand the funding mechanism.”

Mark Russell, director, Huntsville Sports Commission

Meet Mark Russell

Check out our interview with Russell, as he discusses the Huntsville Sports Commission, his role in the city and where sports tourism in Huntsville may head:

What the Huntsville Sports Commission has already brought to the Rocket City

Since Russell took over at the HSC, Huntsville has hosted a bevy of sporting events, including:

• Conference USA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments
• SEC gymnastics
• NCAA beach volleyball championships
• AHSAA soccer championships
• NCAA soccer
• AHSAA cross country
• NCSA swimming
• The American Junior Golf Tournament
• Rocket City Water Polo Tournament
• USTA Clay Court Tennis Championships
• 2025 ACCC Basketball Championships
• USA Paralympics Cycling
• ASUN Women’s Golf Championship

This is just a sampling of the sporting events the HSC has brought to town, with each bringing a boost to the local economy.

“Anything we can think of, we try to do. We dream a lot. Everywhere I go, people want to talk about what sports they like and what sports they want to see here in Huntsville. And we want to keep anything and everything in mind.

I am so proud of Huntsville and what we have accomplished. If you had told me 20 years ago we would be hosting beach volleyball here, I wouldn’t have been able to believe it.”

Mark Russell, director, Huntsville Sports Commission

To find out more on future sporting events coming to town, visit the Huntsville Sports Commission online.

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