Former Middle Tennessee State running back Mike Moore, local tennis pros Orlando Lourenco and Philip Johnson, groundbreaking SEC football official Nate Anderson and former Provident Vets softball star Sheila Cox will be among the 2010 inductees into the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame.
The 19 new members also include Kinny Choate and Jim Harrison in baseball, Lawanza "Ricky" Crutcher in basketball, Clarence "Burr" Beavers and Lloyd Scroggins in boxing, Terry Evans in football, Bob Johnson in softball, Ed Jolley and Randy Kyle in swimming, Paul Davis and Tara Jennings Johnson in track and field and Lynn Goss in wrestling. Stan Crawley will be a media inductee, and longtime South Pittsburg coach Sam Brooks is entering in the special category.
The induction banquet is set for March 1 at 6 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Tickets are available for $35 apiece by calling organization president John Farr at 875-9282.
It was already announced that Farr is being given the annual Fred Gregg Jr. Award at the banquet, and Skipper Fairbanks and Peggy Thomas will receive lifetime achievement awards named for Walt Lauter and Betty Probasco. Serge Foster and Mike Hodnett will share the Allan Morris/Jim Morgan Award for overcoming adversity, and McCallie School swimmer Sean Ryan and University of Tennessee runner Phoebe Wright from Signal Mountain will be honored as athletes of the year.
After an all-city career at Brainerd High, Moore was the first MTSU player to rush for 1,000 or more yards in three straight seasons, and he is the Blue Raiders' No. 2 all-time rusher with 3,678. A three-time All-OVC player, he was the league's offensive player of the year in 1975 and an All-American in 1976.
Anderson, a former Tennessee State football standout, in the 1970s became the first black SEC official. He officiated SEC games for 23 years and became president of the league's officials group in 1990.
Cox was a key player for Provident teams that won eight ASA industrial national slowpitch championships and was named most outstanding pitcher in the 1983 national tournament.
Lourenco came to UT-Chattanooga from Zimbabwe and became the first Southern Conference tennis player to win singles and doubles titles four years. The director of tennis for the Champions Club has won 18 national titles in the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia and coached Baylor to three state titles from 1993 to 2000.
Philip Johnson, the current Baylor boys' coach, was a two-time University of Georgia All-American after a sterling high school career at Northwest Whitfield that included an individual state championship. He was ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in 1987, when he was the SEC player of the year and won the league singles and doubles titles.
Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame
Class of 2010 inductees
NATE ANDERSON: Former football star at Tennessee State University. TSU Hall of Fame inductee. Became first black football official in SEC and was president of the SEC officials in 1990-91 and chief of umpires in 1992-93. Served as an SEC official for 23 years. Officiated in numerous bowl games, including All-American, Bluebonnett, Independence, Blockbuster and Rose, as well as the second and fourth SEC championship games.
CLARENCE "BURR" BEAVERS: Won Golden Gloves championships from 1943 through '46 and again in 1949. Won the Southern Golden Gloves in 1946. He won titles in three weight categories: 137, 149 and 165. A four-year letterman in football, he was an all-city pick his senior year and had to turn down a scholarship offer from Chattanooga because of a knee injury.
SAM BROOKS: Coached and taught high school for 34 years, 28 at South Pittsburg. His Pirates basketball teams won more than 400 games. Is a member of the TSSAA Hall of Fame. The South Pittsburg basketball court is co-named for him. He also served as head coach in baseball and golf and as an assistant in football.
KINNY CHOATE: Slugging first basemen and all-star for Central High School whose power enabled him to hit several balls out of Engel Stadium and led him to be signed to a professional contract after graduation. A perennial all-city selection. He stayed in pro ball for two years.
SHEILA COX: One of several outstanding players who performed for the Provident Vets softball team. Cox was among the stars on Provident teams that won eight ASA national industrial slowpitch championships. She was selected as most valuable pitcher in the 1983 national tournament that the Vets won. Was named All-American numerous times.
STAN CRAWLEY: Award-winning writer who labored for three decades for the Chattanooga Times and later for the Times Free Press. Crawley was best noted for his prep coverage, earning Prep Writer of the Year in 1995. He also helped start the Best of Preps program. Is associate sports editor for the popular Blue Ribbon College yearbooks for basketball and football.
LAWANZA "RICKY" CRUTCHER: One of the best basketball players in history of Lee University. Averaged 23 points and eight rebounds a game in his two years there. Was all-conference at Cleveland State before transferring. One of only two Lee players to make NCCAA All-American twice. Was all-city twice and all-state once while playing for Chattanooga City High School. Averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds, five steals in senior year. Went on to success as a Class AAAAA high school coach in Georgia.
PAUL DAVIS: Cleveland High School track star who set long jump record in the 1977 TSSAA track meet and led the Blue Raiders to the team title. Two-time state long jump champ. Record stood until 1997. Was also sprint champion in district and region competition. Member of SEC track champion University of Tennessee as a freshman. Transferred to Oral Roberts and won conference long jump and ORU won team title.
TERRY EVANS: Football and baseball star at Chattanooga High School and later at Tennessee Tech. Was all-city receiver as junior. Was all-city, all-state and All-American senior year as a City running back and the Tri-State Back of the Year. Also baseball all-star who led city in hitting as senior. Signed football grant with Georgia Tech but transferred to Tennessee Tech, where he was a three-year starter both ways.
LYNN GOSS: Two-time state wrestling champion at East Ridge (1966-67). Coached his high school alma mater to two state titles and two runner-up finishes in the 1980s. Was Free Press Coach of the Year and State Coach of the Year. Coached several junior high and middle school championships at Red Bank, East Ridge and McCallie.
JIM HARRISON: Three-year letterman in football and baseball at Tennessee Tech. Captained 1949 Tech baseball team that won the school's first Ohio Valley Conference championship. Inducted into Tech's Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. Harrison coached for 30 years, most of those at Soddy-Daisy. Coached the Trojans to the state baseball championship in 1977.
BOB JOHNSON: Began playing softball at age of 14 for Westside Merchants as a centerf ielder but soon was moved to catcher, which became his primary craft while playing in the major fastpitch league for Combustion and Chattanooga Gas. Was on teams that won state tournaments 20 times. Played in World Softball Tournament twice and had an average of .500.
PHILIP JOHNSON: Two-time All-America tennis player at University of Georgia (1986-87) who led the Bulldogs to two NCAA titles (1985, '87). Won final match in '85 tournament to clinch title. SEC Player of the Year and No. 1 ranked player in NCAA in 1987. Won 16 national titles. Won the 1983 AAA Georgia title while playing for Northwest Whitfield. Has been local coach of the year several times while coaching Baylor.
TARA JENNINGS JOHNSON: Four-time all-city selection in track and field, Johnson won the state 400-meter dash in 1982 and repeated in 1983 for Chattanooga City. She became the first woman to receive a track scholarship at Carson-Newman. Johnson was Chattanooga's Female Athlete of the Year in 1983. She was also a member of the City team that won the AA state championship in basketball.
ED JOLLEY: A two-time All-America diver at Clemson University and ACC diving champion in 1982 and '83, he was also a member of Team USA from 1979 to '82. Was the Chattanooga city diving champion in 1978 and '79. Ranked second in the nation by Swim World in 1979 and a three-time diving All-American. Jolley was the USA Senior National champion twice and the National Junior Olympic champion twice.
RANDY KYLE: Kyle was a five-time age-division champ in the Tennessee state AAU swim meet. In 1978 he anchored the 400 medley relay to a first-place finish in the YMCA Nationals. Won the 200 meter freestyle and the 200 meter medley relay in the Pepsi Marlin Invitational in 1972. Was a four-time All-American at UT. Accomplished fourth fastest time ever recorded in 100 freestyle in relay sprint.
ORLANDO LOURENCO: While playing for UT-Chattanooga, became the only person in Southern Conference history to win four singles and four doubles titles in the league tournament. Player of the Year in 1985. Won 18 national tennis titles in U.S., Africa, Europe and Asia. Champion in ITF World 35 doubles, USPTR International 35 singles three times and 35s grass courts singles. Coached Baylor to three state titles.
MIKE MOORE: One of greatest running backs in Middle Tennessee State history, and one of only two MTSU players who rushed for more than 1,000 yards all three years as starter. OVC Player of Year in 1975, three time all-league. Made All-American in 1975. Remains MTSU record holder in career, season and single-game carries. Rushed for 3,678 yards in a career. Inducted in MTSU Hall of Fame in 1977. All-city at Brainerd.
LLOYD SCROGGINS: Arguably one of the greatest boxing trainers in Chattanooga history, if not the best. His boxers have won many Open titles, as well as a Junior Olympic championship. Scroggins was the recipient of a boxing appreciation award in 2005 and was recognized by the AAU and Junior Olympic boxing committee in 1976.