Knox County School Board votes to name high school baseball field after Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen performing at Gibbs High School in 2023 (Photo by Morgan Wallen)

Knox County School Board members voted unanimously on Thursday to name the Gibbs High School baseball field after country music star Morgan Wallen.

The school’s principal Jason Webster submitted the nomination, along with an announcement that Wallen wants to make a $1.2 million dollar donation to enhance the athletic facilities at the school. Wallen is a 2011 graduate of Gibbs High School, where he also played baseball. The nomination points out Wallen’s significant donations to music and athletic programs in Knox County Schools (KCS) over the years, including a 2023 pop-up concert at Gibbs High, and more than a half million dollars from The Morgan Wallen Foundation toward relief efforts for flood victims in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

“When we started looking and considering this, we were kind of amazed at just how much goodwill and things that are done by Mr. Wallen and his foundation,” Webster told board members during an April 7 meeting. "While this request to name the field after Mr. Wallen is certainly special to us at Gibbs, in our eyes it's also a good gesture for Knox County Schools, because of all of the work and money donated by Mr. Wallen's foundation to probably most of the districts sitting in this room."

Wallen has seen skyrocketing success in the music world, with chart-topping hits such as "Last Night,” “Whiskey Glasses," and "I Had Some Help" featuring Post Malone. He's been named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association and Male Artist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music.

However, he’s also drawn controversy. Wallen was caught on camera shouting a racial slur in 2021, leading to his contract being suspended by his label. Then last year, he was arrested on felony charges after he threw a chair off the rooftop of a six-story bar in downtown Nashville, nearly hitting a police officer on the ground. Despite those incidents, KSD board members said the nominating committee had not received any public pushback.

“As the committee discussed the nomination, it was also noted that no communications of any kind have been received, so the committee voted unanimously with our recommendation to the board for approval of the nomination,” said District 8 Member Travis Wright.

“We did have the month of public notice, and we did not get any negative feedback. We did have a lot of positive feedback,” District 9 Member Kristi Kristy told fellow board members.

District 4 Member Katherine Bike did question the nomination, saying she had heard from a few parents in the district.

“I will say that I had several emails that were listing concerning things about this and being concerned about any sort of PR issues and Knox County Schools being associated with that stuff,” said Bike.

District 2 Member Anne Templeton echoed those concerns and asked about naming facilities after individuals who are still living. Knox County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk affirmed that there is policy regarding naming practices and that an individual can still be living and be honored, pointing to the Austin-East Magnet High School basketball court which was renamed several years ago for an alum and former coach.

Wallen gave his permission to name the Gibbs High field "Morgan Wallen Field” last fall. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Gibbs High School Athletic Director Dustin Mynatt, and former Knox County Commissioner Richie Beeler also submitted letters of support for renaming the baseball field.