Russellville High School and Russellville Middle School have announced the hiring of Ryan Davenport as district athletic director and RMS assistant principal. Davenport enters both positions with a rich and deep set of ties to the Russellville community.
He is a 1999 graduate of Russellville High School, where he was an active member of the 1998 Panther Regional Championship Basketball team and 4th Regional Runner-Up Baseball team.
Mr. Davenport holds a Bachelor’sdegree in Physical Education and Masters degree in Special Education, both from WKU, as well as a Rank I Administrative Certificate from the University of the Cumberlands.
As a longtime teacher at Stevenson Elementary and the Head Coach of the highly successful Russellville High School Softball program, Mr. Davenport takes over the roles of Middle School Assistant Principal and District Athletic Director for Kyle Yates, who recently took a position as Assistant Principal at Warren East High School. Davenport has been a lifelong Panther and his ties to the community at
all levels make him an ideal fit for the future of developing the Panthers of tomorrow for Russellville.
Mr. Davenport is deeply entrenched in Russellville education and athletics, and his commitment to the students of Russellville is exemplified by the many roles he fills within the school system. Coach Davenport has served as a PE Teacher, a Special Education Teacher, the RMS Head Boys Basketball Coach, RHS Assistant Boys Basketball Coach, RMS Head Softball Coach, RHS Archery Team Coach, SES Jump Rope Coach. RISD Boys Jr. Pro Program Coordinator, and his current role as RHS Head Softball Coach.
Ryan Davenport released this statement regarding his new position:
“I am extremely honored and grateful for this opportunity. I have been a Russellville Panther all my life and this school system and the sports programs within it mean so much to me.
Students are my passion and I thank God daily for giving me the opportunity to positively impact the lives of young people. For the past 14 years I am proud to say that I have been involved in many, many aspects of this proud and historic School District, from the classroom to the athletic fields. I am well aware that both of these new positions will be demanding and will demand countless hours but I have been blessed with an amazing wife, Tonya Davenport, a Panther too, who has always been so supportive of me and encouraged me to continue doing what I love.
I believe in the motto “Panther Pride” and it will be my goal to interject this sense of
excitement and competitiveness into all students in RISD for years to come. I’m grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue to be a part of a school system that helped to shape me.
My goal is to help every child in Russellville Independent Schools reach their dreams, on and off the field .”
Ryan Davenport is married to Tonya Davenport and the two have two children, Kayelynn, an 8th grader at RMS, and Mason, a 5th grader at SES.