OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE
TENNESSEE SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Doug Dickey began his ties with Tennessee as head football coach from 1964-69. His tenure included a 46-15-4 record that took the Vols from mediocrity to national prominence in the late 1960’s. Two SEC championships (1967 and 1969) were brought to Knoxville during Dickey’s term as head coach and he was named SEC Coach of the Year in1965 and 1967. Dickey returned to the University of Tennessee in 1985, where he served as athletic director until retirement in 2003, leading one of the premier inter-collegiate athletic programs in the nation. His time as athletic director was notable for the improvements and expansion of the university’s athletic facilities Dickey was widely recognized as one of the nation’s best, earning numerous awards for his work and molding of the UT Athletics Department. His efforts in support the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame are profound from contributing gate revenue receipts of a Tennessee football game in Nashville to cross state barnstorming to gain legislative support to ensure the ongoing programs of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. An inductee of the Hall of Fame in 1991, Dickey twice served as its president, first in 1995-96 and again from 1998-2000. He was also named as Tennessean of the Year in 2000. Dickey was the recipient of the National Football Foundation’s John Toner Award recognizing his abilities as a sports administrator and the Robert Neyland Memorial Trophy recognizing his contributions to college football. He is also a member of the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame, Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame, and was recognized as a “Distinguished Letter Winner” by the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. His election to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 was a fitting tribute to an outstanding career.