Tennessee Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame Inductees

Edgar Allen, The Nashville Banner and TSSAA

Russ Bebb, The Knoxville Journal

John Bibb, The Tennessean

Ben Byrd, The Knoxville Journal

Al Dunning, The Commercial Appeal

Will Grimsley, Associated Press, The Evening Tennessean

Haywood Harris, University of Tennessee

Elmore (Scoop) Hudgens, Vanderbilt University, Southeastern Conference

Buck Johnson, The Chattanooga Times

Gary Lundy, The Knoxville Journal, The Knoxville News Sentinel

Gus Manning, University of Tennessee

Grantland Rice, The Tennessean

Fred Russell, The Nashville Banner

Tom Siler, The Knoxville News Sentinel

Gene (Pappy) Thompson, Bristol Herald Courier

Marvin West, The Knoxville News Sentinel

Ben Byrd’s most memorable events

UT 7, Kentucky 0 (1950)
"Classic in the snow. (Kentucky’s Babe) Parilli completed 30 passes and never crossed the goal line."

UT 6, Georgia Tech 0 (1956)
"Must have been the most fundamental classic football game of the conservative school."

UT 78, Mississippi State 76 (1967)
"Three overtimes in Starkville. Tennessee hadn’t won a conference championship in 22 years."

UT 35, Miami 7 (1986)
"Just a complete switch in the roles of the two teams. A lot of people thought Miami was No. 1 and Tennessee just totally dominated."

Lady Vols 67, La. Tech 44 (1987)
"The ‘Corn-Fed Chicks.’ Pat Summitt’s first national championship. A lot of people thought it got the monkey off her back."


Marvin West’s most fascinating personalities

Casey Stengel, manager N.Y. Yankees
"Magnificent dugout yarn-spinner. Barbaric butcher of the king’s English."

Colonel Cash Jaszczak
"Nuclear rapid-response pilot during the Cold War, later Air Force liaison to the Dept. of Energy. Smart enough to be scared of world malcontents."

Dale Brown, basketball coach LSU
"Traveling salesman. Spectacular philosopher with only a hint of outer space."

Henry A. Branson
"Great-grandfather on my mother’s side. Teacher, farmer, sawmill owner. Widely read, surprisingly cognizant of world events."

Robert R. Neyland
"Brilliant mind, awesome presence and a bit intimidating for a student journalist."