Longtime Cookeville business leader Ottis Phillips will be laid to rest Friday.
The Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce Chair and Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Famer passed away at 71-years-old. TTU Athletic Director Mark Wilson said his contributions will have lasting impacts to the Cookeville community.
“We lost a great friend,” Wilson said. “A great advocate. Many of us personally lost a mentor, because he mentored us in so many ways with his knowledge of business and working with people. It leaves a tremendous void on our campus.”
Wilson said Phillips co-chaired fundraising efforts for the university’s football operation center. Wilson said the university wants to complete the project in his honor and memory.
“He was a great man in this community,” Wilson said. “Kindhearted and involved with many different organizations both personally and professionally. Played football at Tennessee Tech and was involved prior to his enrollment here because he grew up as a Cookeville kid. He’s been a loyal alum everyday since.”
Phillips also played an instrumental role in bringing the BlueCross Bowl High School Football Championships to Cookeville. Phillips served as the first chair and built a structure for success.
Beyond Tennessee Tech, he was a great businessman who owned or operated several distributing companies over the years. Phillips also served as the Chairman of the Board and later CEO of Progressive Financial Group.
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