Sports has always played an important role in Mark Russell’s life.

The man who leads the city’s sports tourism effort as the Huntsville Sports Commission executive director played multiple sports growing up in Madison County.

And he continued his passion for sports as an adult, refereeing high school football for more than 25 years. He’s been a lacrosse referee and a baseball umpire.

As a Huntsville city councilman, Russell took an interest in sports tourism.

“I thought it was a great move for cities to get into sports tourism, not only to build athletic fields, but capitalize from those tax dollars brought in by tourism,” he said during a question-and-answer session with the Lede.