May 20, 2021 – Nashville, Tenn. – Today, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame announced the honorees for its Achievement Awards, with Derrick Henry topping the list as the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame 2021 Tennessean of the Year. Other top awardees include Belmont Women’s Basketball, Alysha Clark, Joan Cronan, Anastasia Hayes, Memphis Men’s Basketball, Memphis Grizzlies Guard Ja Morant, Jerry Robertson, Tennessee Titans, the Nashville Six and Brady White. The honors will be formally presented as part of a statewide television special the weekend of June 26.
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame previously announced its 11-member 2020 Induction Class. The star-studded list of inductees include Voice of the Titans Mike Keith, U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone, Tennessee baseball star Todd Helton, former MTSU defensive standout Mike Caldwell, ETSU Basketball great Tommy Woods, Memphis women’s basketball coaching legend Mary Lou Johns, Tennessee football legend Bill Bates, Vanderbilt women’s basketball trailblazer Cathy Bender, Tennessee basketball star Reggie Johnson, and wheelchair basketball champion and Jackson native Brandon Rowland and U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer and General Manager of the NHL’s Predators, David Poile.
See below for the full list of 2021 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Honorees.
Tennessean of the Year, Presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans – Derrick Henry
The Tennessee Titans running back, Derrick Henry, excelled on the field and in the community in 2020. Henry was named The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 after a historic campaign in which he totaled 378 rushing attempts for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns. His rushing yardage total established a new franchise record and led the NFL. As the eighth player in NFL annals to hit the 2,000-yard mark, his 2,027 yards finished fifth on the all-time single-season rushing charts. He was honored with his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection and was named first-team The Associated Press All-Pro. For the second consecutive season, he won the FedEx Ground Player of the Year Award. Henry started all 16 regular-season games for the first time and became the only player since LaDainian Tomlinson (2006-07) to lead the NFL in rushing yards in consecutive years. He was the first player in more than 50 years to lead the league in rushing yards, attempts and rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons and the fifth player ever to do so. Henry’s 17 rushing touchdowns in 2020 set a career-high and finished as the second-best total in franchise history behind Earl Campbell’s 19 rushing touchdowns in 1979. In leading the Titans to the playoffs for the second consecutive season, he capped the effort with a franchise single-game record of 250 rushing yards at Houston Jan. 3Jan. 3, 2021. Henry vaulted up the Titans/Oilers career rushing charts in 2020. His 5,860 career rushing yards rank fourth in club history, and his 55 rushing touchdowns rank third. In addition to Henry’s on-field accomplishments, Derrick Henry further cemented himself as a philanthropic leader in the community. The Titans star made significant contributions to COVID-19 relief, Nashville tornado recovery, and children’s charities across the South.
Female Professional Athlete of the Year – Alysha Clark
Alysha Clark was one of three players on the Seattle Storm roster to start all 22 games, averaging 10 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals to help lead the Storm to the 2020 WNBA Championship. The Mt. Juliet, Tenn., native and former MTSU star led the WNBA in 3-point field goal percentage at 52.2%, which was also the best percentage in Seattle Storm history. Clark’s 55.8 percentage from the field overall was second on the squad. Clark was a unanimous selection to the 2020 WNBA All-Defensive First Team. Clark left Seattle in free agency during the offseason and is now a member of the Washington Mystics roster.
Male Professional Athlete of the Year – Ja Morant
When the Memphis Grizzlies drafted Ja Morant second overall out of Murray State in the 2019 NBA Draft, expectations were high. During his time in the Bluff City, Ja Morant has met or exceeded all of those expectations. The former Murray State Racer’s rookie season was disrupted by a COVID-19 shutdown, but his impact was felt throughout the NBA, as he finished the season with 17.8 points, 7.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Morant was named the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year, earning 99 out of a possible 100 first place votes. Along the way, Morant has become the face of the franchise and continuing to excel in the 2021 season, leading the Grizzlies in points and assists per game.
Professional Team of the Year – Tennessee Titans
During one of the most unique seasons in NFL history, the 2020 Tennessee Titans earned 11 wins and claimed their first division championship in 12 years. They reached the NFL postseason for the second consecutive season and for the third time in four years. Fielding one of the most potent offenses in the organization’s 61-year history, the Titans spent every week of the 2020 campaign either in first place in the AFC South or tied for the best record in the division. The division crown was ultimately fitted to the Titans at Houston on the final play of their final game of the regular season when a 37-yard field goal went off the right upright and over the crossbar as time expired to defeat the Texans. The Titans’ 11-5 record was their best mark since their last division title in 2008 (13-3). The 11 wins also extended Tennessee’s streak to five consecutive winning seasons under executive vice president/general manager Jon Robinson, who was hired by controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk in 2016. The Titans, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs were the only NFL teams to finish above .500 each season from 2016 to 2020. Head coach Mike Vrabel was hired two years after Robinson, and in his first three seasons at the helm, the Titans totaled 31 wins, including playoffs. Vrabel tied Jack Pardee (1990-92) for the best record in Titans/Oilers history over a head coach’s first three seasons. Running back Derrick Henry and wide receiver A.J. Brown each received Pro Bowl recognition in 2020, while quarterback Ryan Tannehill set a new standard for the franchise with 40 combined passing (33) and rushing (seven) touchdowns.
Pat Summitt Lifetime Achievement Award, Presented by Curb Records – Jerry Robertson
Jerry Robertson began his athletic training career as a student athletic trainer at East Tennessee State University in 1960. Upon completing his B.S. in Physical Education in 1964, he worked one year as a Graduate Assistant athletic trainer at Mississippi State University while earning an M.Ed. in Administration. In 1965, he returned to ETSU as the Head athletic trainer and continued until 2003. During this time, he developed and implemented one of the first undergraduate Athletic Training Education Programs in SEATA and served as both an Instructor and as the Curriculum Director since the inception of the program. He also developed and implemented the ETSU Graduate Assistant High School Outreach Athletic Training Program. Robertson has been recognized for his leadership and service at all levels. At ETSU the Jerry Robertson Scholarship Award was established in his honor in 1981 and he was inducted into the East Tennessee State University Pirate Club Hall of Fame in 1983. He received the East Tennessee State University Distinguished Faculty Award in 1995 and in 2002, the Jerry Robertson BucSports Athletic Medicine Center was named in his honor. He was honored by the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society with the Gene Smith/Mickey O’Brien College Athletic Trainer of the Year Award in 1990 and was inducted into the TATS Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1994, he received the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Julian Crocker Influence Award. He earned the NATA 25 Year Award in 1990 and SEATA provided him with its highest award, the Award of Merit in 1994. Robertson was recognized with the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 1997.
David Williams Significant Historical Achievement Award – Joan Cronan
Joan Cronan, Women’s Athletic Director Emeritus at the University of Tennessee, is the 2021 recipient of the David Williams Significant Historical Achievement Award. Over her career, Cronan worked not only to keep UT at the top in the nation but also to improve women’s athletics on a local, regional and national level. In 1969, she led the women’s basketball team to an alternate berth in the first-ever National Invitational Collegiate Basketball Tournament. Cronan served as the athletic director at the College of Charleston in South Carolina for 10 years and was later inducted into that institution’s Hall of Fame. Under Cronan, the school was selected as the No. 1 women’s athletics program in the country in 1980 by the American Women’s Sports Foundation. Cronan returned to the University of Tennessee in 1983. Under her direction, the Tennessee women’s teams enjoyed tremendous success, with multiple NCAA titles, SEC crowns and SEC Tournament Championships. Cronan has served as President of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted in 2008. In 2017, Joan was named the first recipient of the NCAA President’s Pat Summitt Award.
Courage Award, Presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee – The Nashville Six
In the early morning hours of Christmas Day, 2020, disaster
struck downtown Nashville. An explosion rocked historic Second Avenue, leaving
destruction and confusion in its wake. Despite the damage to the area, not a
single innocent person perished, thanks to the brave work of six members of the
Nashville Police Department. Officers Brenna Hosey, Tylor Luellen, Michael
Sipos, Amanda Topping, James Wells and Sergeant Timothy Miller went from door
to door in the early morning hours, evacuating residents in the minutes leading
up to the explosion. Their teamwork, communication, bravery, and selfless
actions are a shining example of real-world application of sports’ lessons. We
thank them for their service, and we honor them with our Courage Award.
Amateur Female Player of the Year – Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee Women’s Basketball
Anastasia Hayes was the nation’s leading second-leading scorer, with 26.5 ppg, and finished among the nation’s Top 6 in seven categories, including scoring, final points, field goals made, free throws made, free throws attempted. Hayes scored 20-plus points in 21 of 25 games. Hayes was named Conference USA Player of the Year; first-team All-Conference USA, Conference USA Tournament Most Valuable Player, C-USA Preseason Player of the Year; Semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year; Named to Naismith Award Midseason Watch List, Wade Trophy Midseason Watch List and Dawn Staley Award Late Season Watch List.
Amateur Female Team of the Year – Belmont Women’s Basketball
The Belmont Women’s Basketball team, coached by Bart Brooks put together a 21-6 record (14-3 in the OVC) and won the OVC Tournament Championship in 2021. The Bruins logged their first-ever NCAA Tournament win and first win over a ranked opponent when they upset the 5-seed Gonzaga (#13 in the country) in the first round. They also became just the fifth OVC team ever to win an NCAA Tournament game and the first since 1990. Along the way, Brooks became the third-fastest coach to achieve 100 career victories in NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball. On the court, the team was led by true freshman Destinee Wells, who finished the season with nine 20-point games. Following the season, Coach Brooks was named the 2020-2021 Tennessee Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year.
Amateur Male Player of the Year – Brady White, University of Memphis
Brady White finished his senior season in record-setting fashion. White set career school records in wins as a starting quarterback (28), passing yards (10,690) and passing touchdowns (90). He finished No. 5 nationally in passing touchdowns (31) and No. 6 nationally in passing yards (3,380). Additionally, White was named Montgomery Bowl MVP, and the winner of the William V. Campbell Trophy, commonly known as the Academic Heisman. White is now second all-time in AAC career passing yards with 10,406.
Amateur Male Team of the Year – Memphis Men’s Basketball
Tennessee Sports Hall of Famer Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Men’s Basketball team posted a 20-8 record over the 2020-2021 season, culminating with a victory in the Men’s NIT Championship over Mississippi State. The Tigers were winners in 11 of their last 13 overall games and posted their fourth 20-win season in a row.Landers Nolley II and Deandre Williams combined for 24.8 points per game, leading the way for the Tigers. Coach Hardaway improved his overall coaching record to 63-32 over his three seasons at the helm for the Tigers.
About the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame
Established in 1966, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame 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. The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame is located at 501 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for children and can be purchased at the Visitor Center in Bridgestone Arena, right outside of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Group rates are available for 10 or more. For more information, visit www.tshf.net.
About the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
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