Inductees
Slater, Barbara Jones
Barbara Jones Slater was 15 years old when Jesse Owens visited the housing project in Chicago where she lived. He inspired her to do nothing less than fulfill her dreams,…
Sloan, George
George Sloan was born into a hunting family. His father was one of the organizers of the Hillsboro Hounds and later of the Iroquois Steeplechase. Sloan first appeared as a…
Smiddy, Jim
At the close of her career in 1970 at Byng High School in Ada, Oklahoma, basketball coach Bertha Tegue had posted an amazing 1,152 victories. Just like Roger Maris’s sixty-one…
Smith Jr., Reese
Reese Smith Jr. exemplifies the consummate sports fan. Be it as player or patron, he always gave his all. Smith played football at Middle Tennessee State University for one year…
Smith, Bob Dudley
A native of Nashville, Bob Dudley Smith attended West End High School where he lettered in basketball, baseball and tennis. In his junior year (1946-47), he was named to the…
Smith, Boyce
Over a period of some forty-four seasons, from his start as a young coach in 1928 to his retirement over four decades later, Coach Boyce Smith dedicated his life to…
Smith, Bruton
Ollen Bruton Smith, business pioneer and innovator, built Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway into a world-renowned sports entertainment destination. Smith’s Speedway Motorsports organization purchased the Northeast Tennessee half-mile oval in…
Smith, Frederick W.
Frederick W. Smith was born in 1944 in Marks, Mississippi. This future founder of Federal Express was forced to grow up at an early age. His father passed away when…
Smith, Kermit
Kermit Smith has been a coach and athletic director at Martin Methodist College (formerly Martin Junior College) in Pulaski for an amazing thirty-four years. During his tenure, he has coached…
Smith, M. C. “Tip”
M. C. “Tip” Smith has a career in coaching and directing high school or college athletics in East Tennessee that spans forty years. He began his career at Charleston High…
Smith, Sonny
Roan Mountain, Tennessee native Sonny Smith was a head basketball coach for 22 seasons where he mentored and coached NBA Hall of Fame player Charles Barkley and NBA legend Chuck…
Smith, Stephen B.
Stephen Smith’s passion for sports began with his own successful athletic career. After graduating as a three-sport letterman from Battle Ground Academy, Steve Smith pitched for the Middle Tennessee State…
Smyth, James M. “Jimmy”
When he retired as executive sports editor in 1992, James N. “Jimmy” Smyth had completed forty-six years with the “Johnson City Press-Chronicle” and was dean of Tennessee’s active sports editors….
Sparks, Ken
When one thinks of Carson-Newman football, several words immediately come to mind: consistent, dominant, powerhouse and Ken Sparks. The numbers speak for themselves. During his 24 seasons at the helm,…
Spears, William D. “Bill”
Grantland Rice was nothing less than amazed when he saw Vanderbilt quarterback Bill Spears in action. “He is the fastest of the nation’s quarterbacks,” Rice raved, “and one of the…
Sprouse, Alline Banks
Every so often, an athlete comes along who truly dominates a sport. Alline Banks was to women’s basketball in the 1940s what Michael Jordan is to men’s basketball today. Banks’…
Spurrier, Steve
On an autumn Saturday in 1966, Steve Spurrier, the heralded senior quarterback at the University of Florida, rallied his Gators to within field goal range against heated rival Auburn. With…
Stanback, Haskel
Haskel Stanback was a vital difference-maker for A.L. Brown High School, the University of Tennessee, and the Atlanta Falcons. The Kannapolis, NC native started three years for the Vols and…
Stanford, John Errol
A native of Opelousas, Louisiana, John Stanford came to Middle Tennessee State University in the 1950s after serving in the Air Force, where he gained acclaim as a softball and…
Starr, Mae Faggs
Aertwentha Mae Faggs was the first in a long line of female track stars to study under Tennessee State University Coach Ed Temple and attain international acclaim in the Olympics….