Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame held their annual Induction Banquet and Awards Ceremony on February 29th at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville.

The 2008 inductees are as follows:

Sterling Marlin - legendary NASCAR driver is only the third driver in Cup history to win back-to-back Daytona 500s (1994, 1995). He has finished among the top 10 in the Cup series five times. He won three consecutive track championships at the Nashville Raceway from 1980-82 and has twice been named Tennessee's Professional Athlete of the Year (1995, 1996).

Madeline Manning Mims - former TSU Tigerbelle won Olympic gold and silver medals in 1968 and broke the 800-meter 2:00 mark to gain All-World and All-American honors. She won a silver medal in 1972 and also competed in the 1976 and 1980 games. She was ranked #1 in the world by Track and Field News in 1967, 1968, 1969. She held the American Track Record for the women's 800-meter for 15 years. She has been inducted to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and the Olympic Hall of Fame.

Ronald Lawson, Sr. (posthumous) - earned national recognition as a high school All-American in basketball at Pearl High School where he led his team to three Black National High School Championships from 1958-1960. He played for the legendary John Wooten at UCLA before graduating from Fisk University. As a head coach, he won championships on both the high school and collegiate level. At Cameron High his teams won 17 titles including back-to-back State Championships (1971, 1972). While coaching at Fisk University, he was named SIAC Coach of the Year. He has been inducted to the TSSAA Hall of Fame.

Margaret Sexton Gleaves - a Nashville native and outstanding basketball player in the 1940's and 50's. She is an eight-time All-American guard who played on five national championship teams and was one of the original 16 inductees to the Helms Basketball Gall of Fame in 1966. She played for Bellevue High School, Nashville Business College, Vultee Aircraft and Cooks Goldblumes. She was inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

Gene Hickerson - Born in Trenton, Tennessee, he became only the third Tennessean to be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A tackle at the University of Mississippi, he shifted to guard as a rookie for the Cleveland Browns where he played for 14 seasons. He was lead blocker for three Hall of Fame running backs: Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly. He was All-NFL five consecutive seasons and was voted to six straight Pro Bowls. He played in four NFL title games and won with Cleveland in 1964. He has been named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1960s and was inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2007.

Joan Cronan - in her 24th year as the Women's Athletic Director at the University of Tennessee. She has directed the Lady Vols to the SEC Women's All-Sports Award in 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2005, she was named the national Athletic Director of the Year. Under her guidance, the Lady Vols athletic programs have won seven NCAA national titles, 37 Top-Five NCAA finishes, 66 Top-10 NCAA finishes, 25 SEC regular season crowns and 18 SEC Tournament Championships. She has been inducted to the FCA Hall of Champions, the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction and the College of Charleston Hall of Fame.

Mike Paxton - a baseball and football standout at Oakhaven High School in west Tennessee, he graduated as the career strikeout leader for Memphis State University in 1975. Drafted by the Boston Red Sox, he was the 1977 Red Sox Co-Rookie of the Year. He played for the Cleveland Indians from 1978-80 and tied a major league record of 4 strikeouts in one inning (1978). He has been inducted to the M Club Hall of Fame at the University of Memphis.

Jerry Reese - a native of Tiptonville, Tennessee, he played college football for UT-Martin where he was named team MVP following his senior season. After several years of assistant coaching at UT-Martin, he joined the New York Giant's scouting department and worked his way up through the ranks ultimately being promoted to Director of Player Personnel in 2002. He was named Sr. Vice President and General Manager of the Giants in 2007 becoming only the third African-American general manager in NFL history. He was inducted to the UT-Martin Hall of Fame in 1995.

Jack Lupton - his creation of The Honors Course in Chattanooga changed the face of Tennessee Golf. He dedicated The Honors Course to amateur golf and invited the finest championships be played there. He helped create a President's Fund for special golf projects in the state while he also helped fund the women's golf program at the University of Tennessee. His $3 million contribution helped fund the Golf House of Tennessee. He was inducted to the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame in 1995.

Fred Smith (Lifetime Achievement Inductee) - Chairman, President and CEO of the FedEx Corporation headquartered in Memphis. He and his company are prominent in sports sponsorships both nationally and in Tennessee. The FedEx Forum is home to both the NBA Memphis Grizzlies and the University of Memphis Tigers Basketball; FedExField is the home of the Washington Redskins; the FedExCup is a new PGA championship; the Southern Heritage Classic (annual football game between Jackson State University and Tennessee State University) has been sponsored by FedEx Express for 12 years; the FedEx Orange Bowl is played on January 3rd; FedEx is the sponsor of the Joe Gibbs Racing #11 driven by 2006 "Rookie of the Year", Denny Hamlin.

Dick Huffman (posthumous) - he made nine All-America teams while playing football for the University of Tennessee in the 1940s. He was drafted to the NFL in 1945 and played tackle for the Los Angeles Rams from 1947-1950. He was a one-time Pro Bowler before being lured to the Canadian Football league where he played seven seasons and was named All-Western Offensive Tackle in 1952, 1954 and 1957. He was named All-Western Defensive Tackle in 1953-1957. He was inducted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1987.