Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
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HISTORY
In the early spring of 1975, a pair of long-time supporters of Middle Tennessee State University's athletic program decided that the University should honor its greatest athletes. Homer Pittard, alumni director, and Gene Sloan, public relations director, came up with the idea and asked sports information director Jim Freeman to join them in setting up an athletic hall of fame. After getting approval for the Hall of Fame from President M. G. Scarlett, the trio began laying the groundwork to select the first inductees. Others, including Bob Womack and Joe Nunley, were also involved. "We decided not to have categories but to put all candidates in one group," said Freeman. "We also decided against inducting a large group to start with and felt that three per year was the ideal number. That way, everyone got a good share of the spotlight." The nominating and voting for the first several years was done by members of the old "T" Club, now reorganized and called the Varsity Club. Nominations were solicited, and the list of candidates was mailed to the voters. They selected Horace Jones, Charles "Bubber" Murphy and Teddy Morris as the initial inductees in 1976. The Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame was originally housed in the old Blue Raider Room under the west side of the football stadium. It had to be torn down when then stadium was expanded in 1998. After several years without a home, the Hall of Fame moved into the new Rose and Emmett Kennon Sports Hall of Fame building in 2004. NUMBERS After adding just three inductees per year for the first 32 years of the Hall of Fame's existence, classes expanded to as many as five inductees per class in 2007. Beginning in 2018, The Hall of Fame committee approved a sixth inductee spot reserved for a 'legend' who last competed more than 35 years prior to the current year in order to help include student-athletes from MT's earlier years who may have been overlooked. The first such member was 2018 inductee Ralph Massey, an offensive tackle on the Blue Raider football team from 1954-57. To date, the Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame now includes an elite group of 184 greats from over 90 years of Blue Raider athletics with the 2024 addition of Jeff Beachum (baseball), Marvin Collier (football), Kermit Davis (men's basketball), Ebony (Rowe) Hale (women's basketball), and Jamari Lattimore (football).  |
CONTACT US
Contact: TBA
Phone: 615-898-2210
Email: braa@mtsu.edu
Please send your dues payment and any pertinent information (sport, years played, address, phone number, graduation year, etc.) to:
Varsity Club
MTSU Box 557
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Contact: TBA
Phone: 615-898-2210
Email: braa@mtsu.edu
Please send your dues payment and any pertinent information (sport, years played, address, phone number, graduation year, etc.) to:
Varsity Club
MTSU Box 557
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
