The weekend of May 16th – 17th brings the 2014 Induction Weekend for the newest class of inductees into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. The weekend kicks off with a Reunion of Champions reception for past inductees and the current class on Friday night. On Saturday, the Champion Within Luncheon takes place at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville (the site of the Induction & Awards Ceremony later that evening,) and features a special guest speaker and allows the Hall to honor outstanding individuals from the state of Tennessee for their achievements in Tennessee sports. Saturday night, May 17, the Renaissance Hotel Nashville once again hosts the Annual Induction Ceremony & Awards Banquet. Special recognition will be given to the TSU national basketball championship teams of the 1950’s.
Here is an alphabetical list of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2014:
Eldridge Dickey
Photo by raiders.com
Eldridge Dickey – Tennessee State All-America quarterback and Raiders NFL star
Carlton Flatt –one of the state’s All-time winningest high school coaches
Eddie George
by Erica Thomas
Eddie George– Heisman trophy winner and NFL running back great was drafted in the first round of the NFL to the Tennessee Titans and went on to win rookie of the year. With the Titans, George was selected to the Pro-Bowl four times in a row, 1997-2000, and helped his team make it into Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams. George is the second NFL running back in history behind Walter Peyton to rush for 10,000 yards, never missing a start
Bridgette Gordon
Bridgett Gordon – Former University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball All-America
Hope Hines –TV sports anchor, community leader, Lifetime Achievement Honoree.
Popeye Jones and son Seth Jones
Popeye Jones – Murray State University basketball great
Paul Naumoff – University of Tennessee All America linebacker and NFL star
Claude Osteen– Former major league pitcher and coach
Carolyn Peck
Photo by ESPN
Carolyn Peck – Outstanding Vanderbilt women’s basketball player, college and WNBA coach and ESPN Analyst. Tennessee’s 1984 Miss Basketball, played at Vanderbilt 1985 to 1988. Began coaching as an assistant to Pat Summitt at UT. At Purdue, in 1999, she was named Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the Associated Press; first woman and first African American to win the Winged Foot Award (best coach in college basketball) from the New York Athletic Club; left Purdue to coach the WNBA’s Orlando Miracle. Now a basketball analyst for ESPN.
Allie Prescott – Memphis State University baseball star and minor league executive
Dorsey Sims – Memphis Melrose basketball coach considered one of the best prep coaches in the South.
Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame 2014 Tennessean of the year and the Honorees to be recognized at their annual Induction Banquet are as follows:
Tennessean of the Year
Todd Helton, a Knoxville Tennessee native, and University of Tennessee standout was a first‐round Draft pick to the Colorado Rockies’ in 1995 and it’s where he retired at the end of last season.
Female Amateur Athletes of the Year
Ebony Rowe, holds 10 school records at Middle Tennessee State University, including breaking the school’s 26‐year old all‐time scoring record.
University of Tennessee at Martin has two women’s basketball players being honored.
– Senior guard Jasmine Newsome has achieved All Mid‐Major Player of the Year, All‐American first team honors, All‐OVC first team selection, Defensive Player of the Year and OVC Tournament most valuable player for the second straight season.
– Senior Heather Butler was named to the Mid‐Major All‐American second team., OVC Player of the Year, All‐OVC first team and OVC All‐Tournament team selections, ranking ninth in the nation in scoring.
University of Tennessee’s Ivy Renfroe. Renfroe ranks second in the all‐time UT records
with 158 appearances in the circle and ranks third all‐time in games started at 104. Her
97 career wins for the Lady Vols trails only former Lady Vol and current Chicago Bandit
pitcher, Monica Abbott
Male Amateur Athlete of the Year
Rich Froning is the biggest name in CrossFit. He’s once again been crowned the “Fittest Man on Earth” — the title given to the man who beats competitors at the highly‐rigorous and heavily‐competitive CrossFit Games.
Significant Historical Achievement
Tennessee State University Men’s Basketball 1957‐1959 . In 1957, the unseeded Tennessee State University Tigers had four upsets on the way to their first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Tournament Finals. Their most important victory was over the #7 seed Southeastern Oklahoma State in a 19‐point blowout (92‐ 73), giving the school and Coach John McLendon its first of three consecutive NAIA Championships. With the win, Tennessee State became the first historically black institution to win a collegiate basketball national championship. This accomplishment was unprecedented at the time.
For more information on the upcoming Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet go to www.tshf.net or you can contact the Hall directly at tnsports@bellsouth.net or 615.242.4750.
For more information on how to attend, contribute, or particpate in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and its programs, go to this website: http://tshf.net/
