Former Austin Peay President Dr. Sherry Hoppe and former Belmont and Murray State Director of Athletics Mike Strickland have been elected into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame. They will be officially inducted at the annual OVC Honors Brunch which will be held Friday, June 2, at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Nashville.
The Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame was organized in 1977 with the intent of honoring the coaches, administrators, faculty and staff that have been associated with the OVC for at least five years and provided extensive and outstanding service to the Conference.
With the induction of this year’s class, the membership will reach 81.
After 12 years at Roane State Community College, Dr. Hoppe became interim president at Austin Peay in 2000, inheriting a $4 million debt to the U.S. government due to an enrollment management miscalculation at the Fort Campbell campus. Her efforts in reducing that debt during a difficult financial time led to her being named the University’s first female president in 2001 (and one of the first two women to head a four-year university in the Tennessee Board of Regents system). She served in that capacity until retiring in June 2007.
During her tenure, online courses were installed at Austin Peay, helping enrollment increase by 30 percent, making APSU the fastest-growing university in Tennessee four years running. Hoppe also helped spearhead the launched of eight new bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She also spearheaded Austin Peay’s first capital campaign, which ultimately netted the University $31 million dollars in gifts and commitments. The campus also saw eight buildings renovated or constructed during her time as President.
Athletically, despite financial cutbacks, Austin Peay athletics thrived during her tenure including winning 19 Conference Championships as well as the 2002-03 OVC Academic Achievement Banner. During her tenure women’s soccer was also added as a varsity sport. She also helped attract the Tennessee Titans to hold its 2006 training campus at then-Governors Stadium, which led to some facility upgrades being paid for by the Titans. At the same time Hoppe helped bring scholarship football back to Austin Peay after a decade of playing non-scholarship football. Hoppe also oversaw the construction of APSU’s first athletics academic center (David P. Roe Academic Center of Excellence) in 2006.
Dr. Hoppe, the author of eight books, became the first Austin Peay President to be inducted as an honorary member of the Red Coat Society for her contributions to athletics and commitment to student-athletes. As President Emeritus, she remains a vital member of the Austin Peay family, making the trek from Chattanooga to support the Governors in Clarksville and on the road.