TENNESSEE SPORTS HALL OF FAME
ANNOUNCES 2010 CLASS OF INDUCTEES
NASHVILLE,
TN., November 12, 2009 ---The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame
today announced the names of eleven inductees to be enshrined
at its annual banquet on February 19th at the Renaissance
Hotel in Nashville.
"This year's banquet will feature an outstanding class
of athletes," said Wayne McCreight, president of the
statewide organization. "We'll have a former NFL great,
a NBA standout, a member of the National Baseball Hall of
Fame and the first African-American professional golfer.
I guarantee everyone who loves sports an exciting evening…an
evening you'll never forget," McCreight concluded.
The
2010 Inductees are as follows:
E. J. Junior
--- A graduate of Maplewood High School in Nashville,
Junior played at the University of Alabama for Bear Bryant
where he was a two-time All-American. During his career
at Alabama, the Tide won two national Championships (1978-79),
he was named SEC Player of the Year, and was named an All
SEC selection three times.
Following graduation, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Junior
as the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 1981
NFL draft. The two-time Pro Bowler went on to a 13-year
NFL career where he was regarded as one of the game's outstanding
linebackers. He was named to the first ever All Madden team.
Since
retiring from the NFL, Junior has impacted many lives. He
is an ordained minister, has worked with youth in the Miami
area with the NBA's Alonzo Mourning, and he spent time back
in the NFL both as a coach and in the front office. He was
inducted into the Nashville Public Schools Hall of Fame
in 2006, and the following year was inducted into the Senior
Bowl Hall of Fame. He is currently the head football coach
for the Central State Marauders in Wilberforce Ohio.
Ted
Rhodes (Posthumous) --- Born in Nashville and
a graduate of the city's public schools, Rhodes was a trailblazing
African-American professional golfer who learned the game
during his teenage years caddying at Belle Meade and Richland
Country clubs. He practiced the game with other caddies
and developed his swing hitting shag balls at Nolensville's
Sunset Park, East Nashville's Douglas Park and Watkins Park
in north Nashville.
In 1948 he played in the U. S. Open at the Riviera Country
Club in Los Angeles and became recognized as the first African-American
professional golfer. Rhodes played primarily on the United
Golfers Association tour winning the Championships four
years. He also won the Negro National Open title in 1957.
By the time the PGA rescinded its Caucasian-only clause
in 1961, Rhodes had retired from competitive golf.
Rhodes returned to Nashville in the early 1960s and mentored
several black PGA golfers, including Lee Elder and Charlie
Sifford. A month after his death at age 55, the Cumberland
Golf Course in Nashville was renamed in his honor. He was
inducted into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame in 1998, and
in 2009 the PGA of America granted him posthumous membership.
John
Stanford --- A native of Louisiana, Stanford
enrolled in Middle Tennessee State University in the early
1950s and quickly made his mark as one of the outstanding
pitchers in the Ohio Valley Conference. Following graduation
he spent two seasons with the Washington Senators. Following
his professional career, Stanford returned to middle Tennessee
where he first coached at Shelbyville Central High School
and later at Motlow State Community College earning Coach
of the Year honors three consecutive years.
In 1974 he took over the reigns at his alma mater and quickly
developed one of the most respected diamond programs in
college baseball. His MTSU record of 402-272-4 is second
only to his hand-picked successor, Steve Peterson. His teams
won four OVC titles and five Southern Division crowns. His
teams made repeated trips to the NCAA Tournament and he
took multiple coach-of-the-year honors.
After being named Athletic Director at MTSU, Stanford spearheaded
the fund-raising efforts to build one of the finest baseball
facilities on a college campus. He was also responsible
for upgrading the University's golf program and advocated
the formation of the women's softball program.
John
R. Hall (Lifetime Achievement Inductee) --- Growing
up in Knoxville, Hall attended Vanderbilt University where
he was co-captain of the 1954 football team and was named
Academic All-American. He graduated magna cum laude from
Vanderbilt in 1955 with a degree in engineering.
Following military service, Hall spent a short time with
Exxon Corporation before joining Ashland Oil as a chemical
engineer in 1957. He rose steadily up the corporate ranks
and was elected chairman and chief executive officer in
1981. He retired from Ashland in 1997. Hall has served as
a trustee for Vanderbilt University since 1987 and served
as chairman of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust from 1995-99.
He was elected to the Verizon Academic All-American Hall
of Fame in 2001.
John Hall has devoted much of his time repaying the debt
he feels for Vanderbilt and has dedicated himself to improving
education both regionally and nationally.
Dale Ellis
--- A two-time All-American at the University of
Tennessee, Dale Ellis led the Volunteers to the NCAA tournament
each of his four years while playing in Knoxville. He was
twice named SEC Player of the Year and was named to the
SEC Team of the 1980s. Upon graduation, Ellis left UT as
the all-time leader in season field goal percentage at .654
and a career field goal percentage of .595. He was selected
as a member of the University of Tennessee Basketball All-Century
Team and ranks sixth on Tennessee's all-time scoring chart.
He was selected ninth overall in the '83 NBA draft by the
Dallas Mavricks where he played until being traded to the
Seattle Supersonics in '86. Ellis was voted the league's
Most Improved Player his first season with the Sonics. He
was named to the NBA All-Star team in1988-89.
Ellis is third all-time in three-point shots made with 1,719
and 12th all-time in three-point field goal percentage.
He still holds the NBA record for most minutes played in
a single game, when he scored 53 points in 69 minutes.
Charlie Coffey --- A
native of Shelbyville, Tenn., Charley Coffey was recruited
to play for General Robert R. Neyland at the University
of Tennessee. During his career at
Tennessee he was a three-year letterman, was elected team
captain his senior year, and maintained the highest grade
point average of any member of the Volunteer football team
throughout his four-year college career.
Following graduation, Coffee began his coaching career at
Hialeah High School in Miami, Florida. Additional coaching
stops included Southeastern Louisiana State University,
George Washington University and then back to his alma mater
coaching for Doug Dickey. His next move was to the University
of Arkansas where he coached for Frank Boyles. After five
seasons at Arkansas, Coffey was hired as head football coach
at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg.
During his time at Virginia Tech, Coach Coffey installed
a wide-open offense which resulted in attendance at Tech
games increasing to record numbers. After retiring from
the coaching ranks, Coffey entered the trucking business
and founded the Nationwide Express Trucking Company in Shelbyville.
Lin Dunn --- A graduate
of the University of Tennessee-Martin, Lin Dunn is regarded
as one of the most successful women's basketball coaches
in the business. Beginning her coaching career at Austin
Peay State University in 1970, Coach Dunn went on to compile
a remarkable 25-year record that includes a .635 winning
percentage at four schools (447-257). She left three of
those schools-Purdue, Miami and Austin Peay-as the winningest
coach in program history.
Coach Dunn is best known as the architect of the Purdue
women's basketball program, guiding the Boilmakers for nine
seasons and collecting three Big Ten Conferences titles.
She led Purdue to seven NCAA tournaments, four Sweet Sixteen's
and a trip to the Final Four in 1994.
Dunn's first assignment in professional basketball came
when she took over the reins of the ABL's Portland Power.
The following year she won the Western Conference
Championship and was named the ABL Coach of the Year. She
is currently the coach of the WNBA Indiana Fever.
Rocky Felker --- This
Jackson, Tennessee native was a five-sport letterman earning
All-Sate honors in football at Brownsville High School under
the tutelage of his father, Edwin "Babe" Felker,
a long-time coach at the school.
In 1970 Felker signed a football scholarship with Mississippi
State University and developed into the Bulldogs starting
quarterback for three consecutive seasons. In '74 Felker
led MSU to a 9-3 overall record, leading the SEC in total
offense and directing the Bulldogs to a win over North Carolina
in the Sun Bowl. He was named the Nashville Banner SEC Player
of the Year and the Birmingham Post-Herald Outstanding Senior
Player for his stellar final season.
In 1986 Felker was named head football coach at Mississippi
State, making him the youngest collegiate head coach in
the country. That year he became the first MSU head football
coach to post a winning record in his initial season since
the legendary Darrell Royal in 1954. Coach Felker later
held coaching positions at the University of Tulsa and with
the Arkansas Razorbacks. In 2002 he returned to Mississippi
State, where he currently serves as Assistant Coach and
Recruiting Coordinator.
Bill Dupes
--- As a standout high school player at Sweetwater
High School and
Tennessee Military Academy, Bill Dupes was offered a scholarship
to attend Tennessee Tech University, where the three-year
starter was elected team captain his senior year, was named
All-Ohio Valley Conference and Honorable Mention Little
All-American.
Dupes began his coaching career at Tech serving as an assistant
helping the Eagles to a Tangerine Bowl victory and winning
two Ohio Valley Championships. In 1963 he took over an Austin
Peay program that had not had a winning season for more
than a decade. In his second season at the helm, he led
the Governors to an 8-1-1 record, earning unanimous selection
as OVC Coach of the Year. During his tenure at APSU, he
had 23 players earn first-team All-OVC honors in addition
to four being selected first-team Little All-American.
He returned to high school coaching in 1976, first at TMI
and later his prep alma mater, Sweetwater, where he led
his team to a state title in 1993. He retired from coaching
in 1998, ending a 44-year career.
Norman "Turkey" Stearnes
(Posthumous) --- Born in Nashville, Turkey Stearnes began
his baseball career pitching for Pearl High School. He dropped
out of school following his father's death to help support
his family. Later he continued his career playing for the
Knoxville Giants and Nashville White Sox before a standout
career in the Negro Leagues.
Stearnes batted over .400 in two seasons, hit .300 or more
in 14 of 19 seasons and had a lifetime batting average of
.344. He led the Negro League in home runs six times and
was a four time Negro League All-Star. Considered one of
the greatest players in the history of the game, Stearnes
ended his active career in 1940 with the Kansas City Monarchs.
In honor of his stellar playing days with the former Detroit
Stars of the Negro Leagues, a plaque in Stearnes' honor
is on display outside the center field gate at the Tigers'
home field Comerica Park.
In 2000 Norman "Turkey" Stearnes was awarded the
highest honor in baseball when he was inducted posthumously
into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. "Turkey' Stearnes
therefore became the first native born Tennessee player
inducted into this most Prestigious Hall.
Harley "Skeeter" Swift
--- Growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, Skeeter Swift began
his basketball career at George Washington High School.
He was All-State his junior and senior years and was named
a High School All-American his senior year. Highly recruited
out of high school, Swift accepted a scholarship at East
Tennessee State University where he played from 1966-69.
During his career, he was a three-time All Ohio Valley Conference
selection and was named the Player of the Year in '68. His
junior year he led ETSU into the NCAA field of 32, where
they upset fifth ranked Florida State. He ranks sixth on
the Bucs career points list with 1,367, and ranks third
in points per game for a career with 17.9 average.
Swift went on to become a standout in professional basketball
playing five seasons in the ABA for the New Orleans Bucks,
where he was selected to the 1969-70 All Rookie Team. During
his professional career he scored over 3,000 points and
today ranks as one of the top ten free-throw shooters in
the American Basketball Association, now the National Basketball
Association.
After his playing days, he coached the Elizabethton High
School Cyclones and the prestigious high school power, Oak
Hill Academy, where he won a national private school championship.
Along with these inductees, several individual and team
honorees will be recognized
at the annual Banquet on February 19, 2010. Those recipients,
to include the male and Female Amateur Athlete of the Year
as well as the Professional Athletes of the Year, will be
announced in the near future.
Tickets for the awards banquet and induction ceremony are
available from the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame for $125.00.
For more information on the event, call the TSHF office
at (615) 242-4750 or e-mail tnsports@bellsouth.net.
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame is a statewide, non-profit
organization founded to honor and preserve outstanding sports
achievements in Tennessee.
