Chattanooga Sports HOF Announces Induction Class

National Champions, All-Americans Highlight 2015 Class

  • Sunday, February 8, 2015

Highlighted by a Super Bowl champion and four national champions the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame announces its 2015 induction class.

An impressive 19 member class will be honored at the organization's annual dinner Monday March 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

For tickets ($35 per person) call Catherine Neely at 423/842-7274.

Former Baylor School and Alabama star Charley Hannah was a member of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl champions in 1983, while national champions are in wrestilng (Steve Gross abd Luther Killian - both of McCallie) and women's tennis Elizabeth Sharp Henderson (UTC; AIAW singles and doubles) and (Meg Bandy, USTA; mother-daughter doubles).

A trio of All-Americans are Bob Rhinehart for softball with Dugan and Dugan, Harley Woody (Lookout Valley HS) in prep baseball and Rob Wells who was a five-time prep All-American swimmer for Baylor

Kenny Smith goes in for boxing as he was a Southern Golden Gloves champ and Pat Corey represents golf has he has claimed numerous local and state titles including a Tennessee Mid Amateur title, four City Metro and three Chattanooga TPC titles.

Baseball –

Anthony Lombard: All-city baseball and basketball 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 was a player on 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.

Harley Woody:  Former high school All-American at Lookout Valley who led Yellow Jackets to state title in 1977, blasting a home run to win the game…Was 12-1 as a senior with ERA under 1, 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 HS, but chose to sign with Columbia State…Was 21-4 in two years and led team to national Juco tourney as frosh where team finished fourth…Drafted third round by Boston in ‘79…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 pro.

Basketball

Ernestine Eldridge – Daughter of Ernest (Big Boy) Eldridge, a member of the Greater Chattanooga Hall of Fame, Ms. Eldridge accepted the basketball coaching position at Sale Creek, one of the smallest schools in the region at that time…In 14 years of coaching the women’s team, Sale Creek had only one losing season and the school player in the District finals four times…Each of those times, the school reached the region tournament…Ms. 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.

Boxing

Kenny J. Smith: Smith is a former Southern Golden Gloves champion who also son three Chattanooga Golden Gloves titles…A Korean 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.

Football

Charley Hannah: Member of one of Alabama’s most famous families, Charley has achieved the pinnacle of success at every level of football, making all-state while playing at Baylor in 1972, first team All-SEC at Alabama in 1976, and all-pro for Tampa Bay in 1985…Was member of national championship 'Bama team of 1973…Was member of Oakland Raiders who 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.

Ken Honea: Outstanding player at City High School, then later at UT...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 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.

Golf

Pat Corey – A four-time Tennessee 4-Ball champion (1987, 1989, 1992, 1994), four-time Chattanooga Men’s Metro winner (1989, 1991, 1998, 2001)…three-time Chattanooga TPC winner (1993, 1995-96)…Best year 1991 when he won the Metro, Chattanooga Open, North Georgia Invitational and qualified for the U.S. Amateur, winning medalist honors at the qualifier in Atlanta…Former Tennessee Mid-Amateur champ (1992)…Captured Signal Mountain Invitational in 1988…Multiple winner of the Lookout Mountain Swing Ding Tourney … Qualified for U.S. Junior Amateur in 1974…Tennessee Golf Association board of directors member for 15 years.

Softball

Sammy Henley: 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 fast pitch…Member Peerless Woolen team that won state 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.

Bob Rhinehart: During the 1976 softball season, the second-baseman was named first team All-American while leading 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 Softball Player of the Year in ’76…He was All Region five times during his career, all-state in Tennessee five different years and all-city in Chattanooga eight times…An all-around athlete, he played both football and baseball for Jacksonville State, averaging .387 as an infielder and outfielder…Earned 13 letters at Ringgold High.

Sylvia White: Participated as a player in softball for parts of six decades, beginning at age 10 at Alton Park Community Center…She starred for the Du Pont 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 1982-85…White also played fast pitch, 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.

Swimming

Bill Caulkins III – 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, played lacrosse at the University of North Carolina and tennis at Alabama…He also is a two-time city doubles handball champion ... and was the founder of the Lookout Mountain Church Softball League in the mid-1940s and was the league president for 50 years.

Rob Wells: Was a formidable figure on the Baylor School swim team that won nine consecutive state titles (1982-1990)…Was a four-time individual state champion and a two-time captain for the Red Raiders…Named All-American from 1983-87 while competing in the 200 IM, 100 fly, 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 trail qualifier in the 400 IM and 200 fly…Was a dominant figure in the Chattanooga Swim League for Cumberland Cleveland and was a high point winner in the City Swim League meet.

Tennis

Meg Bandy – Three-time Southern Conference singles champion (1988, 1990, 1991) twice doubles (1990-1991)…SoCon MVP in 1991…Helped lead UTC to two conference titles…Undefeated in post-season play singles in 1988, 1990, 1991, doubles in 1990-91…VCI Open women’s champ and state champion in 1990, women’s double titlist with Sue Bartlett 1994…Coached Baylor to state titles 1993, 1996, 1999, assistant to Sue Bartlett on 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.

Elizabeth Sharp Henderson: 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 singles 1973, 16 and under singles 1974-75…No. 2 in 18 and under 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.

Track and Field

Earl Marler: 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 ‘70s.

Wrestling

Steve Gross: Two-time Mid-South wrestling champion from McCallie (1969-70)…Won Lehigh Prep nationals in 1969…place third at Lehigh tourney in 1970 … Mid-South best wrestler award in 1970…led McCallie to dual meet win against TSSAA defending state champ Notre Dame in 1969 … 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 only year he played (1972)…Was all-city and all Mid-South in baseball 3 times…Became involved in weight-lifting and body-building after UTC…Won several titles, including Mr. Tennessee in 1980.

Luther Killian: Inducted into Tennessee Chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006…Executive board member Tennessee Chapter of Wrestling Hall of Fame 2005-2010…Southeastern U.S. assistant coach of the year 1999…Tennessee Asst. Coach of 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 in undefeated season of 1968 as well as high school honorable mention All-American ... All-SEC and all-SEIWA while co-captaining Auburn team 1970…Co-found, co-director Southern Champions Wrestling Camp 1992-present...Tennessee coaches wrestling poll compiler 1992-presen ... Recipient of Grayson Medal as a senior, McCallie’s highest award … also multiple year member of school senate and regimental commander of the military program in 1968.

Administrator

Ed Foster – A former basketball coach at Ooltewah HS who later became the school’s principal, his diligence and success resulted in the school naming the gymnasium for him…In 2000, he received the A.F. Bridges Principal of the Year and the Tennessee Principal of the Year award…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 1995-2009…Foster was the Times-Free Press Coach of the Year…Going to a school where wins were at one time scarce, his team averaged 20 wins a year over a five-year period and were in the Final Four in 1980.

Skip Viall (sports media): A Chattanooga  native, who much like Lombardo, earned most of his accolades in South Carolina, enters the Hall posthumously…Viall was killed in a plane crash in 1991 after returning from a Clemson-South Carolina football game…The McCallie and Middle Tennessee State graduate is a former South Carolina Broadcaster of the Year…former sports editor of the McCallie school paper, The Tornado … 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 did in the mid-1970s.

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