Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame held their annual Induction Banquet and Awards Ceremony on February 16th at the Nashville Convention Center.

"This year's program featured another outstanding class of athletes," said Howard Gentry, Jr., president of the organization.

The 2007 inductees are as follows:

Joe Gilliam, Sr. - Legendary football coach and defensive coordinator under "Big John" Merritt at Tennessee State University. During his tenure at TSU, Gilliam coached many NFL greats including Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Wyman Bryant, Claude Humphrey and "Jefferson Street" Joe Gilliam, Jr. Coach Gilliam is a recognized author and national speaker.

Will Wolford - Regarded by many as the best offensive lineman to play for the Vanderbilt Commodores in the modern era. He was named first-team All-SEC in 1985. Wolford was a first round selection by the Buffalo Bills in the 1986 NFL Draft. Wolford played in two Super Bowls (XXV and XXVII) and was selected for the NFL Pro Bowl three times.

Kyle "Buddy" Cruze - A native of Knoxville, Cruze was named All-City, All-State, All-Southern and All-American in football after his senior year of high school. At the University of Tennessee he was named first team All-SEC and All-American in 1956 when he was a member of the SEC Championship team ranked 4th nationally.

Jim Youngblood - An outstanding player at Tennessee Tech University, Youngblood was twice named Ohio Valley Conference "Defensive Player of the Year." He was named to eight different All-American teams and still ranks as Tech's all-time leader in tackles. In 1973, he was the first draft selection of the Los Angeles Rams and went on to a successful 12-year NFL career. Youngblood played in the 1979 Super Bowl and was named to the Pro Bowl the same year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Bernard King - Arguably the best basketball player ever in the SEC, King was named "Player of the Year" all three years he played for the University of Tennessee. The three-time All American has the highest scoring average in University of Tennessee history and was the seventh overall pick by the New Jersey Nets in the 1977 NBA draft. During his 14 seasons in the NBA, King became one of the league's all-time leading scorers, was twice selected to the All-NBA First Team and three times to the NBA All-Star Game.

Fran Chandler - A native of Jackson, Chandler played her collegiate tennis at Murray State University and the University of Mississippi where she earned All-SEC honors in both 1983 and 1984. Chandler continues to play amateur tennis and has been ranked nationally in the top ten for the past 14 years. In 2006, she was captain of the USA team in World Cup competition. In addition, Chandler won USTA national championship titles in 1980, 2001 and 2003.

David Blackstock - Currently in his 33rd season as Athletic Director at Union University in Jackson, TN, Blackstock coached baseball, women's basketball and softball during his career. In the 17 seasons he coached women's basketball, he compiled a 509-89 overall record, appeared in the national championship tournament 10 times and won the NAIA title in 1998 while receiving NAIA "Coach of the Year" honors. He coached the baseball team to their only NAIA World Series appearance. He has recently been named TranSouth Conference "Athletic Director of the Year" and was also named to the NAIA Hall of Fame.

Al Brown - A native of Memphis, Brown was an outstanding athlete at Central High School before playing baseball for then Memphis State College and the Chicago White Sox minor league system. He was head baseball coach and assistant basketball coach at Memphis State from 1963-1971. Following his coaching career of 20 years, Brown was Director of the Liberty Bowl Memorial Football Stadium for 20 years, Director of the University of Memphis "M" Club (former letter winners) for 15 years, and has served on the TSHF Board of Directors since 1980 serving as president for four years.

Fred Pancoast - Honored as our 2007 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Pancoast spent 25 years in the college football coaching ranks primarily at the University of Memphis and Vanderbilt University. Since retiring from coaching, he started a successful business and devotes much of his life as an advocate for the homeless in Middle Tennessee. Pancoast has been instrumental in the start-up of various aid programs including the Buffalo Valley Treatment Center; one of the largest independent indigent alcohol and drug treatment centers in the southeast.

Dr. Frank Trundle (posthumous) - "Doc" Trundle as many friends and patients knew him was known for his years of extraordinary service to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He served as team dentist for all sports treating approximately 20,000 UC and UTC athletes for a period of 45 years. A special love was his work with the Tennessee Junior Golf program as well as the Chattanooga Quarterback Club where he served as president. Dr. Trundle served on the Board of the TSHF from its beginning in 1966 until 2004.

Cornelius Ridley (posthumous) - a legendary teacher and high school coach in Nashville for 35 years, Coach Ridley was known for his leadership role in the integration of Tennessee's high school sports. His Pearl High basketball team won the first integrated state championship in 1966. Ridley's team won 5 TSSAA State Championships and made 11 state tournament appearances. He was named Metro Nashville "Coach of the Year" five times.

The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame is a statewide, non-profit organization founded to honor and preserve outstanding sports achievements in Tennessee.