Four Chattanooga Mocs are featured prominently in the upcoming Chattanooga Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Banquet. Three former student-athletes are being inducted while an administrator is being recognized for lifetime achievement. The student-athletes span three sports and eras: Bill Butler (football), Candy Reynolds (tennis) and Dan Tribble, Jr., (golf).
Bill Butler was a 3-time All-American halfback for the Mocs from 1953-58. He led UC in rushing from 1956-58 and was a leader on the team that posted a 14-6 win over Tennessee on Nov.
8, 1958. He was also a high jumper on the track & field team and played freshman basketball. The Wisconsin native was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1959.
That led to a four-team, six-year career that saw him play for the Packers, Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers and Vikings. Over 75 games, the safety intercepted 11 passes including two pick-6s, one each for the Steelers and Vikings as well as two punt returns for scores.
Reynolds was part of the first intercollegiate women’s tennis teams for the Mocs in the mid-1970s. She guided to the first of three straight AIAW National Championships earning All-America honors in 1977. Reynolds had a very successful professional career after graduation.
She made it to the finals in doubles at three majors, winning the 1983 French Open with Rosalyn Fairbank and was runner-up at the 1980 Australian Open (Ann Kiyomura) and 1981 French Open (Paula Smith). Reynolds reached as high as No. 50 in the world in singles (May 1983).
Tribble was a fixture in Chattanooga golf not only as a student-athlete in the 1960’s but also in his contributions to junior golf as well as the community as a whole. That was evident in numerous honors over a career culminating with the Tennessee PGA’s Distinguished Career Award at the end of this century’s first decade.
He designed and ran the public course Hickory Valley Golf Club which became home to the First Tee of Chattanooga. It is now the fantastic home to the Chattanooga Mocs Player Development Complex. His name litters collegiate golf bios around the country for the Dan Tribble PGA Junior Championship that helped local youth build scholarship resumes at the next level.
The incomparable Mike Royster earned the organization’s lifetime achievement award. He spent 47 years running the Mocs equipment room impacting thousands of student-athletes along the way. A national leader among collegiate equipment managers, Royster is ended his nearly five-decade long run on June 30, 2021. His story was best told here on GoMocs.com and on the University’s website as well.
The Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame is an organization that honors the athletic accomplishments of citizens of the Greater Chattanooga Area. Although some inductees have moved on to other parts of the country, they are readily identified with Chattanooga. Leadership and character are two of the qualities that are essential to be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame.
The ceremony is Monday, March 7. For more information, check out the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame here.