Metro Council reads resolution honoring former District 25 member Russ Pulley on retirement as NCAA official

Council member Pretti read into the record a resolution recognizing Russ Pulley on the occasion of his retirement as a National Collegiate Athletic Association football official.

The resolution, which Pretti said had been passed at a prior meeting, notes Pulley’s 25 years as an NCAA official and lists leadership roles with the North Central Football Association, the Sunbelt Football Officials Association and the Southeastern Conference Football Association. It also summarizes Pulley’s public-service career: service as a firefighter and paramedic in Chesapeake, Va.; a police officer in Virginia Beach; a Virginia State Trooper; more than 17 years as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation; a court officer for the U.S. District Court in Nashville; and work as an investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor. The resolution records that Pulley was elected to Metro Council in August 2015 and reelected in 2019 and lists numerous volunteer roles including scouting and youth sports coaching.

Council member Pretti introduced the measure and read the resolution’s text into the record. Pulley, identified in the reading as a former District 25 council member, addressed the chamber after the reading and said he was “stunned and floored” by the recognition and described his officiating career as an unexpected privilege. Pretti also noted that Pulley is enrolled in a master’s in public administration program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is anticipated to graduate this spring.

The resolution was presented during the announcements portion of the council meeting and acknowledges Pulley’s combined public-service and officiating careers; no vote tally or mover/second was recorded in the meeting transcript for the earlier passage that Pretti referenced.

Pulley received thanks from council members and members of the public who were present during announcements.