Bartlett inducted 12th time

Make it an even dozen -- halls of fame that include Chattanooga's Tommy Bartlett.

The 81-year-old Bartlett was inducted into his 12th hall Friday night in a ceremony at The Foundry in Knoxville. This one was the University of Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame, which was established last year.

That gives him seven inductions for tennis plus five for basketball.

The former University of Florida and University of Chattanooga basketball coach and national champion tennis coach at UT-Chattanooga was the first Southeastern Conference champion for the tennis Volunteers and their second SEC-winning coach. The event Friday included probably about 150 people, Bartlett said Saturday.

"It was just for tennis players and their guests. It was basically a reunion of all the tennis players who have played at Tennessee," Bartlett said. "That's what made this one so nice. I've known all these people a long time."

He had direct connections to the other three 2009 inductees. One was W.G. Currie of Jackson, Tenn., who was Bartlett's partner on UT's first SEC champion doubles team in 1950, when Bartlett won the first of his three SEC singles titles. Tennessee won the team title in 1951, and Bartlett won in doubles that year and the next with Gavin Gentry.

Bartlett never lost a dual match, singles or doubles, during his three-year UT varsity career, and he won national titles until an eye injury at the age of 70.

The other two honorees Friday played for him after he became the Volunteers' coach and were the program's first two All-Americans -- Lenny Schloss, who helped Tennessee go 16-2 and upset Mississippi State to win the SEC tournament in 1966, and the late Tommy Mozur from Sweetwater.

Mozur reached the SEC freshman tournament final before Bartlett left for Florida and the Gators basketball job. Mozur went on to be a two-time All-American.

One of Bartlett's Vols teammates sent Schloss to UT, but the player had to earn his financial aid.

"I told him if he could beat me I'd give him a scholarship, and he did," Bartlett said.

Bartlett had a 606-93 record as a college tennis coach, including a 43-match winning streak with the UTC men from 1983 to '85 and three NCAA Division II championships with the Lady Mocs. And he was 477-159 as a basketball coach, with a 97-85 record at Florida.

He was 6-6 against Kentucky legend Adoph Rupp during that 1966-73 stint. Bartlett coached two-time All-America center Neal Walk, who went on to a distinguished NBA career with the Phoenix Suns.