On Thursday, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Tennessee Lottery, announced the honorees for its 2024 Achievement Awards, with Bill Dance topping the list as the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame 2024 Tennessean of the Year. Other top honors are awarded to the late Tom Wilson, longtime Special Olympics Executive Director Jack Elder, White Station High School Basketball, Josef Newgarden, the Nashville Predators, Fisk gymnast Morgan Price, Tennessee basketball standout Dalton Knecht, Vanderbilt golf star Gordon Sargent, the Freed-Hardeman NAIA Champion Basketball Team, and Tennessee Softball. The honors will be formally presented as part of the Hall’s 2024 Banquet, presented by the Tennessee Titans on July 20 at the Omni Nashville Downtown.
See below for the full list of 2024 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Honorees:
Tennessean of the Year, Presented by the Tennessee Lottery – Bill Dance
Rising to prominence in the 1960s as professional bass fishing’s first superstar, Bill Dance is a legendary figure to the world of fishing and his contributions to the sport and to the state of Tennessee are unparalleled. Dance has served as an ambassador to the state of Tennessee for over five decades. His iconic television programs “Bill Dance Outdoors” and “Bill Dance Saltwater” have educated millions on the art and science of fishing.
In 2020, Bill Dance demonstrated his unwavering commitment to the state of Tennessee by donating his Name, Image, and Likeness for the creation of the Bill Dance Signature Lakes Initiative. This project aims to enhance fisheries and habitat management, improve amenities, and promote economic development in the communities surrounding the 14 designated lakes.
David Williams Significant Historical Achievement Award, presented by ATA CPA PLLC – Thomas Wilson
Thomas Wilson was a prominent businessman, Baseball Pioneer, and National League Leader. Wilson moved to Nashville with his parents when they attended Meharry Medical College. Wilson’s passion for baseball led him to begin promoting black baseball in Nashville when he met Rube Foster, the Father of Negro League Baseball, in 1914.
Wilson went on to become one of the founding members of the Negro Southern League in 1920, and in 1929 build the only southern black owned baseball stadium in the country. Wilson went on to serve as the Southern Negro League President in 1929 and 1936 and developed the Nashville Elite Giants into Negro League baseball history by evolving the team into the better-known Negro League team, the Baltimore Elite Giants.
Wilson died in 1947, but his work and legacy left an indelible mark on the game of baseball that extended far beyond the state of Tennessee.
Pat Summitt Lifetime Achievement Award, Presented by Curb Records – Jack Elder
Jack Elder, a native of Texas, moved to Tennessee in 1972 to earn a graduate degree in “Physical Education and Recreation for the Handicapped” at George Peabody College. Upon work on his degree, Elder learned of a program called Special Olympics was being developed to provide sports training and athletic competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Tennessee. After working to help grow Special Olympics in Tennessee, Elder was named Executive Director of Tennessee Special Olympics, and served in that capacity for the next 16 years.
During the period of Elder’s leadership, Tennessee Special Olympics grew to include approximately 8,000 volunteers and approximately 13,000 athletes competing in local, area, and state events in 15 sports. In 1988, Elder accepted a position with the Special Olympics International Office and served as “Head of Delegation” for the first Team USA to compete in the first International Games held outside of the US. International Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competition to 5 million athletes in 172 countries. Elder is now retired and resides in Middle Tennessee.
Professional Team of the Year – Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators clinched their 16th postseason appearance after being written off following a tough start to the campaign. As of April 16, the Preds fashioned a 82-47-30-5 record, good enough for the sixth playoff spot in the Western Conference, The Preds shook off a 5-10-0 start by grabbing points in 20 of 33 games between Thanksgiving and the All-Star break. They put together the longest point streak in franchise history (18) following the break, and had an eight-game win streak, the second-longest in franchise history.
Professional Athlete of the Year, Presented by Tennessee Athletics – Josef Newgarden
In 2023, Hendersonville native Josef Newgarden swept the Iowa Speedway weekend and nearly became the first driver ever to win every oval race on the schedule with wins at Texas and Indianapolis. After a thrilling last-lap pass, Newgarden won the 2023 Indianapolis 500 in his 12th attempt at the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. He went on to finish fifth in the standings, his eighth consecutive season finishing in the top-five in championship standings.
Female Amateur Team of the Year – Tennessee Softball
In 2023, Tennessee won its first SEC regular season championship since 2007 and its first SEC Tournament title since 2011, winning both crowns in the same season for the first time in program history. The Lady Vols secured a 50-win season (51 wins) and reached the national semifinals at the College World Series. In 2024, the Lady Vols followed their efforts with a 40-9 regular season and repeated as SEC Regular Season Champions.
Female Amateur Athlete of the Year, Presented by the TSSAA – Morgan Price, Fisk Gymnastics
Fisk University gymnast Morgan Price etched her name into the annals of gymnastics history at the 2024 USAG Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Nationals held in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Price’s scores of 9.850 on the floor exercise, 9.850 on the vault, 9.8 on the bars and 9.750 on the balance beam gave her a 39.225 score in the All-Around, making her the national champion. Her performance establishes her as the first gymnast from a Historically Black College and University to do so.
Male Amateur Team of the Year – Freed-Hardeman Basketball
The Freed-Hardeman Lions, coached by Drew Stutts, finished the 2023-2024 season with a 32-4 record, and capped off their season by winning the NAIA National Championship, the first ever for Freed-Hardeman. Despite trailing by six points with one minute remaining in the NAIA Championship Game, the Lions forced several turnovers and scored the game’s last six points, to win 71-67 over Langston.
Male Amateur Athletes of the Year, Presented by the TSSAA – Dalton Knecht, Tennessee Basketball, and Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt Golf
The Amateur Male Athlete of the year was voted as a tie and will be awarded to Tennessee Basketball standout Dalton Knecht and Vanderbilt golfer Gordon Sargent.
Dalton Knecht was a NCAA Unanimous First-Team All-American (AP, NABC, Sporting News, USBWA). Knecht was the SEC Player of the Year and a finalist for the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy Player of the Year and Lute Olson National Player of the Year. He led the Vols to the Elite Eight and broke the program record for points in a NCAA Tournament game with 37, in the Elite Eight matchup with Purdue. Knecht averaged 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Gordon Sargent has been named a semifinalist for the 2024 Ben Hogan Award. As of April 17, Sargent is the No. 1-ranked golfer in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. He has posted four Top 5 finishes during the 2023-24 season, while he holds a scoring average of 69.92 through eight tournaments. Sargent was the low amateur at the 2023 U.S. Open. He was selected the National Player of the Year by Golfweek, in addition to earning first-team All-America honors from the Golf Coaches Association of America and Golfweek. Sargent was also named SEC Player of the Year.
Legacy Award – White Station High School Basketball 2000-2004
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame’s newest award, the Legacy Award will go to White Station High School’s Men’s Basketball teams from 2000-2004. During that time, White Station captured 4 AAA State Championships and won 93% of their games (176-12) in one of the state’s most competitive classes. Led by Hall of Fame Coach Terry Tippett, the Spartans employed a “platoon” system, requiring a 15 man rotation. The 2002 championship team’s leading scorer averaged only 9.4 points per game. The teams were filled with selfless stars who played less, scored less, but won more.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SPORTS HALL OF FAME:
Established in 1966, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Tennessee Lottery, enshrines and honors athletes, teams, coaches, sports writers and sports administrators who have made an impact on the history of Tennessee sports. The Hall serves as a platform to connect athletes, coaches, sports fans, and supporters by acknowledging life achievements implemented through sports. The Hall celebrates athletes of all forms, from all across the state. Additionally, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame aspires to educate youth about the importance of healthy habits and the positive impact they have on lifestyle choices. For more information, visit www.tshf.net.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE EDUCATION LOTTERY CORPORATION:
The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation operates entirely from the revenue it generates through the sale of its products. Since January 20, 2004, the Lottery has raised more than $7 billion to fund designated education programs, including college grants, scholarships, Drive to 55 initiatives and after-school programs. In addition to the educational beneficiaries, players have won more than $19.8 billion in prizes and Lottery retailers have earned more than $1.9 billion in commissions. For additional information, visit tnlottery.com and follow the TEL on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
