An All-Pro football player and three University of Tennessee at Chattanooga championship athletes are among the 19 people who will be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame at its annual banquet March 2 at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. dinner cost $35 and can be bought through Catherine Neely at 423-842-7274. Tables of eight can be reserved for $280.
In addition to the inductees, area athletes of the year Taylor Hall, Davis Tull and David Helton and special award winners Mary Gene Roberson, Doug Dennett, Bruce Brye, William Nelson Jr., Austin Roden and the late Ron Bishop will be honored.
Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame 2015 inductees
Meg Bandy (tennis): Three-time Southern Conference singles champion (1988, 1990, 1991) and twice in doubles (1990-1991) SoCon MVP in 1991 Helped lead UTC to two conference titles Undefeated in postseason singles in 1988, 1990, 1991, doubles in 1990-91 VCI Open women’s champ and state champion in 1990, women’s doubles titlist with Sue Bartlett in 1994 Coached Baylor to state titles in 1993, 1996, 1999; assistant to Bartlett with GPS state championship teams in 2008, 2010, but biggest thrill in career came when she and daughter Maddox won National Clay Court title in 2014.Wilford “Bill” Caulkins III (swimming): A versatile athlete whose most poignant mark was made in a sport in which he had less competitive effect than others he participated in, Caulkins contributed so much to swimming as an official and administrator for over half a century that the Chattanooga Area Swim League City Championships have been renamed “The Bill Caulkins City Swim Meet.” Caulkins was a member of a McCallie football team that won two Mid-South championships, set a pole vault record and played lacrosse at North Carolina and tennis at Alabama He also is a two-time city doubles handball champion.Pat Corey (golf): A four-time Tennessee 4-Ball champion (1987, 1989, 1992, 1994) and four-time Chattanooga Men’s Metro winner (1989, 1991, 1998, 2001) three-time Chattanooga TPC winner (1993, 1995-96) Best year was 1991 when he won the Metro, Chattanooga Open and North Georgia Invitational and qualified for the U.S. Amateur, winning medalist honors at the qualifier in Atlanta Tennessee Mid-Amateur champ in 1992 Won the Signal Mountain Invitational in 1988 Qualified for U.S. Junior Amateur in 1974 Tennessee Golf Association board of directors member for 15 years.Ernestine Eldridge (basketball): Daughter of Ernest “Big Boy” Eldridge, a member of the Greater Chattanooga Hall of Fame, she accepted the girls’ basketball coaching position at Sale Creek, one of the smallest schools in the area at that time In her 14 years as coach, Sale Creek had only one losing season and played in the District finals four times Each of those times, the school reached the region tournament Eldridge also coached the volleyball team, winning the Times Regional tournament three straight years She graduated from the University of Chattanooga, but the school had no women’s sports team at the time She is in the Soddy-Daisy HS Hall of Fame.Ed Foster (administrators): He was a successful basketball coach at Ooltewah HS who later became the school’s principal, and his diligence and success resulted in the school naming a gymnasium for him In 2000, he received the A.F. Bridges Principal of the Year and the Tennessee Principal of the Year awards He was president of the TSSAA Legislative Council from 2004 to 2009, when he retired He was vice-president of the organization 1998-2004 and he represented the 3rd district from 1995 to 2009 Foster was the Times-Free Press Coach of the Year Going to a school where wins were at one time scarce, his Owls averaged 20 wins a year over a five-year period and were in the Final Four in 1980.Steve Gross (wrestling): Two-time Mid-South wrestling champion from McCallie (1969-70) Won LeHigh Prep nationals in 1969 Mid-South best wrestler award in 1970 Wrestled for UTC 1971-75 Runner-up in Sunshine Open, receiving Most Courageous Award in event Most valuable freshman at UTC Won Southeastern Intercollegiate 1972 and 1974 While at UTC, he pioneered Greco-Roman wrestling Also played baseball for UTC, hitting .396 the only year he played (1972) Was all-city and All-Mid-South in baseball three times Became involved in weightlifting and body-building after UTC Won several titles, including Mr. Tennessee in 1980. Charley Hannah (football): Member of one of Alabama’s most famous football families, Charley has achieved the pinnacle of success at every level of the sport, making all-state while playing at Baylor in 1972, All-SEC at Alabama in 1975 and NFL Films All-NFL team with Oakland in 1985 Was member of national championship Bama team of 1973 Was member of Raiders team that won Super Bowl XVII in 1983 Father Herb played for Bama and Green Bay, brother John is arguably best NFL linemen ever and is Bama grad, as is brother David All three brothers played at Baylor Charley was first pick in third round by Tampa Bay in 1977, four-year starter Played 11 years in NFL and was on six playoff teams.Elizabeth Sharp Henderson (tennis): Three-time singles and doubles AIAW champ (1977-79) while playing for UTC Team won championship every year she played Already member of UTC, Tennessee Tennis, Tennessee Sports and Knoxville sports halls of fame No. 1 in South for three straight years (14-under singles 1973, 16s singles 1974-75 No. 2 in 18s singles in 1976 though hampered by injury Has served as head women’s tennis coach at William & Mary and University of Tennessee Teaching pro and club manager at Peninsula Club in Knoxville Member of Tennessee senior team last five years On 2014 Southern Intersectional team that won nationals.Calvin H. “Sammy” Henley (softball): Sammy’s greatest asset in the sport may have been longevity and his ability to play at a high level through a career that spanned almost 30 years in fastpitch On Peerless Woolen team that won the state title in 1951, played on Combustion team that went to the national tournament in 1972 and came out of retirement to play on Aamco team in 1975 at age 45 Member of Chattanooga Gas Flames team that won the state in 1956, where his single won the game, 1-0, helped guide the Flames to a berth in the South Atlantic regional tournament in 1960 Also very involved in coaching youth football and baseball teams at Lakeside.Ken Honea (football): Outstanding player at City High School, then at Tennessee Played one season with the New York Jets in the American Football League and two with semi-pro team in Richmond Was a two-way player for the Vols, linebacker and blocking back After pro football, Honea became a high school coach, initially at Clinton and finally capped a 30-year career by coaching at White County in Sparta At Clinton he earned a Coach of the Year award; he won another while coaching at Cookeville While coaching and teaching at Cookeville, he went back to college to earn a master’s degree in Special Education and feels teaching Special Ed was the highlight of his life.Luther Killian (wrestling): Inducted into Tennessee Chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 Executive board member of that chapter, 2005-10 Southeastern U.S. assistant coach of the year 1999 Tennessee assistant coach of the year 1998 McCallie assistant coach 17 years; MBA head coach 10 years, assistant six; Lovett School assistant 5 years Mid-South prep champ and LeHigh national prep champ from McCallie 1968 All-SEC and All-SEIWA while co-captain of Auburn team in 1970 Co-founder, co-director of Southern Champions Wrestling Camp 1992-present Tennessee coaches’ wrestling poll compiler 1992-present.Anthony Lombardo (baseball): All-city baseball and basketball player at Notre Dame (1975), All-Tennessee Junior College at Motlow State (1977), but Lombardo’s career in baseball as a player and coach hit its zenith in South Carolina He was a two-time NAIA All-District 6 pick at Francis Marion, a first-team choice on all-state team in South Carolina in 1979 and played on a team that beat Clemson and South Carolina Hit .411 and stole 50 bases as a senior Longtime coach at Limestone State, where he was Carolinas-Virginia Conference coach of the year in 2005 and 2011 District 6 coach of year in 1993, South Carolina coach of year in 1997 Inducted into Limestone and Francis Marion halls of fame.Earl Marler (track and field): Although he didn’t begin running until age 32, Marler has brought home enough hardware to open a store He was first in his age division 11 times, most notably setting a Tennessee age marathon mark in 1977 at age 41 with a time of 2:54 that stood for almost 20 years He estimates he has run enough competitively to circle the world nearly twice Marler was the first president of the Chattanooga Track Club, was race director for several runs, including the Chickamauga Chase and the Chattanooga Chase He brought Olympian Jim Ryun to Chattanooga to compete in the Bethel Run in 1983 Marler taught a course in marathon running at his alma mater (UTC) in the 1970s.Bob Rhinehart (softball): During the 1976 softball season, the slowpitch second baseman was named first-team All-American while helping lead Duggan & Duggan to a third-place finish in the national tournament The Chattanooga Old-Timers Club, forerunner of the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame, named him the softball player of the year in 1976 He was all-region five times during his career, all-state in Tennessee fiveyears and all-city in Chattanooga eight times He played football and baseball for Jacksonville State, averaging .387 as an infielder and outfielder Earned 13 letters at Ringgold High.Kenneth J. Smith (boxing): Smith is a former Southern Golden Gloves champion who also won three Chattanooga Golden Gloves titles A Korean conflict veteran, he won 90 percent of his bouts, over 50 percent by knockouts or TKOs Smith was never knocked off his feet in any of his bouts He also was the victor in three Frye Invitational tournaments He gave legendary boxer Burr Beavers one of his few defeats, earning a decision before a sold-out crowd at Memorial Auditorium A Central High graduate, he has also served as a boxing referee and judge.Paul Jackson “Skip” Viall (media): A Chattanooga native, who much like Lombardo earned most of his accolades in South Carolina, enters the Hall posthumously Viall, who was known as Paul “Skip” Jackson on the air, was killed in a plane crash in 1990 while returning from a Clemson-South Carolina football game The McCallie and Middle Tennessee State graduate is a former South Carolina Broadcaster of the Year He was the sports anchor for WSTA TV in Spartanburg Viall began his career with WDEF in 1996 co-hosting the popular “Hold That Line” show with Ernie Feagans He provided color to high school football games Randy Smith worked in the mid-1970s.Rob Wells (swimming): Was a formidable figure on the Baylor School swim team that won nine consecutive state titles (1982-90) Was a four-time individual state champion and a two-time captain for the Red Raiders Named All-American 1983-87 while competing in the 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly and medley and freestyle relays He earned a swim scholarship to Tulane, where he became a finalist in the 400 IM and 200 fly Was an Olympic trials qualifier in the 400 IM and 200 fly Was a dominant figure in the Chattanooga Area Swim League (Cumberland and Cleveland) and was a high point winner in the City Swim League meet.Sylvia White (softball): Participated as a player in softball for parts of six decades, beginning at age 10 at Alton Park Community Center She starred for the DuPont Nylons for several years, until at the age of 25 she began playing for Boat Mart Following a 15-year career with Boat Mart, a many-time league champion, she managed a team in Gastonia, N.C., that won the state tournament before ending her career by managing Budweiser from 1982 to 1985 White also played fastpitch, having been picked up by a team in Nashville for three years She was an all-star wherever she participated, playing the game until she was almost 50 A bowler also, she once rolled a 288 in the national event, earning a spot on the USA team.Harley Woody (baseball): A high school All-American at Lookout Valley who led the Yellow Jackets to a state title in 1977, blasting a home run to win the game Was 12-1 as a senior pitcher with ERA under 1, the third time in his high school career he had an ERA of less than 1 Was 27-2 in his LV career Drafted by San Diego after high school but chose to sign with Columbia State Was 21-4 in two years and led the Chargers as a freshman to the national juco tourney, where the team finished fourth Drafted in the third round by Boston in 1979 Played pro ball four years Best year was 1981 when he played for Macon in Sally League and was 8-10 with 3.3 ERA and two shutouts His New Britain team won the Eastern League his final year as a pro.
One of those being inducted, Charley Hannah, followed his brother John from Albertville, Ala., to Baylor School and then to the University of Alabama and the National Football League. Charley was all-state at Baylor and then All-SEC in his own right before playing 11 years in the NFL and earning All-Pro status with Tampa Bay in 1985.
Another pro footballer going into the hall is Ken Honea, who starred at City High and then Tennessee — as a linebacker and a blocking back — and played one season with the New York Jets in the American Football League. He went on to teach and coach, ultimately specializing in special education.
Tennis players Meg Bandy (1988-1991) and Elizabeth Sharp Henderson (1977-79) and wrestler Steve Gross (1971-75) are the former UTC stars going into the local hall of fame.
Henderson, who was ranked No. 1 in the South growing up, claimed three AIAW team and singles championships and two doubles titles while at UTC and later was the head women’s coach at William & Mary and Tennessee. Bandy was a three-time Southern Conference singles champion who led the Mocs to two conference titles and was the SoCon MVP in 1991. She coached Baylor girls’ teams to three state titles, and last year she and her daughter won the mother-daughter clay-court national championship.
After starring at McCallie, Gross hit .396 in his one year of baseball at UTC but made his mark as a powerful wrestler who won two Southeastern Intercollegiate titles and later was a Mr. Tennessee bodybuilder.
Another McCallie alumnus, Luther Killian, joins him as a wrestling inductee this year. The longtime Blue Tornado assistant coach and 10-year Montgomery Bell Academy head coach who also assisted at MBA and at Lovett was inducted into the Tennessee Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was an executive board member of that group until 2010. He won a national championship in high school and was All-SEC and All-SEIWA at Auburn.
Also being inducted on March 2 are Anthony Lombardo and Harley Woody for baseball, Ernestine Eldridge for basketball, Kenneth Smith for boxing, Pat Corey for golf, Bill Caulkins and Rob Wells for swimming/diving, Earl Marler for track and field, Ed Foster for officials/administrators, Skip Vial for sports media and Sammy Henley, Bobby Rhinehart and Sylvia White for softball. Vial and Henley are being honored posthumously.
Lombardo, who was all-city in both baseball and basketball at Notre Dame, was both a first-team all-state baseball player and a coach of the year in South Carolina. Woody was a high school All-American who led Lookout Valley to a state championship and had a 27-2 pitching record with the Yellow Jackets; he played four years as a pro.
The daughter of a legendary coach, Eldridge did amazing things herself with teams at Sale Creek, which had one of the smallest high school enrollments in Tennessee. She had four district finalists and only one losing season in basketball in 14 years there, and she coached volleyball as well.
Smith won three local Golden Gloves titles and a Southern Golden Gloves championships, won 90 percent of his fights and never was knocked off his feet, but many know him better as a longtime boxing referee and judge.
Corey is a four-time Chattanooga Men’s Metro and four-time Tennessee 4-Ball champion who won three Chattanooga TPC titles in the 1990s and was the Tennessee Mid-Amateur champion in 1992.
Marler began running at age 32 and won 11 age-group titles, holding a state record for nearly 20 years for a 41-year-old marathoner, and he was the first president of the Chattanooga Track Club.
Caulkins is now the namesake of the Chattanooga Area Swim League’s annual city meet. He made marks in football, track and field, lacrosse, tennis and handball in his younger days but has been a swimming official and administrator for more than 50 years. Wells was a four-year All-American at Baylor who went on to Tulane and made the Olympic trials in the 200 butterfly and the 400 individual medley.
Foster was a highly successful basketball coach who became a school principal but continued making sports contributions through the TSSAA Legislative Council, which he served as president from 2004 to 2009.
Henley played almost 30 years of fastpitch softball in Chattanooga’s high-level league, and White took part in slowpitch for parts of six decades, with some fastpitch as well as bowling at high levels as well. Rhinehart was all-region and all-state five times and a first-team All-American in 1976.
Vial is a Chattanooga native and former South Carolina broadcaster of the year who died in a plane crash while returning from the Clemson-South Carolina game in 1991.
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.