A full-time member of the Tech Athletics staff for more than three decades, Frank Harrell, began his current, part-time role as special assistant to the director of athletics July 17, 2020. 

Harrell completed his 36th year as a member of the department's administration prior to his retirement as a full-time staffer on July 16, 2020, most recently serving as the associate athletic director for sports and compliance. In that role, he was involved in every aspect of the department from budgeting to gameday operations. He also served as the director of the Athletics Association and served as director of the hugely successful Golden Eagle Scramble summer golf tournament.

While the associate director of athletics for sports, he had oversight of all 14 of Tech's athletic teams and the head coaches of each team. In addition, he supervised the director of athletic performance and the head athletic trainer.

As a senior administrator, his responsibilities included overseeing the operations of each of Tech's 14 teams as well as handling the university's efficient structure to ensure compliance with NCAA rules. Harrell served as the director of compliance and was responsible for seeing that the Tech Athletics staff was up-to-date and in line with the ever-changing NCAA rules. He joined the Golden Eagle basketball coaching staff in 1980 as an assistant coach, and was named head basketball coach in December 1988. He took on an administrative role in 1990 when he was called upon to oversee the department's fledgling compliance efforts. He worked in the dual role of compliance coordinator and head basketball coach until he stepped down from the coaching ranks in 1998.

Harrell was associate head coach for nine years and head coach 10 seasons. He was named Coach of the Year in 1991 by the Tennessee Sportswriters Association and compiled a 128-154 career record while annually playing one of the toughest schedules in the country. His non-conference schedule always included four or five top 40 programs in the country. In the OVC, his teams had the second-best overall record, trailing just perennial powerhouse Murray State.

He was named interim athletic director in 2004, a position he held for six months until the university's search for a full-time A.D. brought Mark Wilson to the program. On July 1, 2004, Harrell returned to his role as associate athletics director.

Harrell, as the Athletics Association director, initially was responsible for getting the Association on solid ground, seeking dramatic growth. Harrell still serves as its director, with the Association experiencing great growth in fundraising through the main efforts of Director of Athletics Mark Wilson.

A native of Ray City, Ga., Harrell, 65, received his bachelor's degree in 1972 from Georgia Southwestern and a master's degree in 1977 from the University of Tennessee. Frank has one grown daughter, Lisa Cobbs, and one granddaughter, Katie.