Chattanooga native and former Baylor School and University of Florida standout athlete Ellis Goodloe died this month in Nashville at the age of 79. Goodloe, a retired vice president of National Life and Accident Insurance Company, was survived by his wife of 55 years, Martha Patton Goodloe, a daughter and two sons – and by two sisters who live in the Chattanooga area. There will be a private family service in Chattanooga and on Jan. 30 a celebration of his life at the clubhouse of The Hillsborough Condominiums in Nashville. Anyone wanting to attend that can email GoodloeFamily2012@gmail.com or call 615-419-8038. Goodloe is a member of the Baylor and University of Florida athletic halls of fame and the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame. He was captain of the football team and an outstanding sprinter at Baylor, where he graduated in 1955, and he was the leading scorer for Florida’s track and field team for three years. He won an SEC 100-yard-dash title, was on three SEC-championship relay teams, was part of the SEC team champions in 1956 and was invited to the 1956 U.S. Olympic trials.
Soccer/Volleyball
‘ Chattanooga Christian’s Olivia Hoffman and Kate Dirkse were named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s 2015 girls’ all-state soccer team for Class A/AA, joined by Notre Dame’s Hannah Deering and McMinn Central’s Jessica Young. Also, the Baylor trio of Gabby Gray, Lilly Turner and Haven Bethune earned TSWA all-state recognition in Division II volleyball.
Baseball
‘ Steve Springer, performance coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, will be teaching about the mental side of hitting in a special appearance Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. at Fury Academy. Springer, who had more than 1,600 hits in 14 years as a professional baseball player, also is affiliated with Qualityatbats.com. The cost is $75 per player and includes a CD/DVD with a money-back guarantee. Anyone interested can register at furyacademy.net or call 423-987-2916.
Staff Reports