Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2006 inducted
An offensive and defensive football stalwart, a wrestling All-America and
one of the most decorated female track and field athletes in school history
recently joined other past Mocs greats in The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s
Athletics Hall of Fame.
Football running back and return specialist Tony Ball, linebacker Glen Richardson,
wrestler Bret Gustafson and track and field athlete Tyleana Hanner were inducted
into the Hall of Fame Friday at a dinner at the Chattanooga Golf and Country
Club..
“To be recognized as a Hall of Fame recipient at your alma mater is a
unique and special honor,” UTC Director of Athletics Rick Hart said. “These
individuals certainly made a mark in their respective sports and are deserving
of this recognition.”
Ball set numerous school kickoff return records during his career from 1977-1980.
His career average of 26.0 yards per return ranks second on the UTC charts,
and his career yardage total of 1,304 yards is fifth-best in UTC history. He
set the school single-season record of 37.7 yards per return in 1977, a mark
which would rank second in the Southern Conference record book.
A member of the Chattanooga Times Free Press UC/UTC All-Century Team,
Ball was a member of three straight SoCon Championship teams. He is currently
an assistant football coach at the University of Georgia.
Richardson was a dominating defensive player at UTC from 1981 to 1985. He remains
the school’s career leader in tackles with 522 and is one of only two
UTC players to record over 500 in a career. He owned the single-season tackle
record of 183 until 2003 but still ranks second on that list.
A team captain in 1985, the linebacker was an All-SoCon selection in 1983,
1984 and 1985. He earned the program’s Scrappy Moore Award as the team’s
Most Valuable Player in both 1984 and 1985 and was a member of the Chattanooga
Times Free Press UC/UTC All-Century Team. A member of the SoCon
Co-Championship squad in 1984, he led the Mocs to their only NCAA Division
I-AA playoff appearance in 1984.
Gustafson has the rare distinction of being the only wrestler in school history
to win four SoCon individual titles and earn All-America status.
Gustafson wrestled his way to All-America accolades in 1991, finishing fifth
at the NCAA Championships at 177 pounds. He is also one of only three UTC wrestlers
to win four SoCon titles, capturing three straight crowns at 177 pounds in
1990, 1991 and 1992. He was the 167-pound conference winner in 1988 and helped
the Mocs to four straight SoCon team titles.
Hanner made her mark in nearly every event in which she participated from 1997
to 2001. She competed in the 2000 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
in the long jump, becoming one of only seven UTC track athletes to participate
in an NCAA Championship.
Hanner was the Most Outstanding Performer of both the 2001 Southern Conference
Indoor and Outdoor Championship meets. During her career, she won 10
SoCon titles with nine runner-up finishes. She set 11 school records and earned
All-SoCon status 29 times. Incredibly, she compiled 254.5 career points in
SoCon championship meets and set the league record with 52 points at the 2000
Outdoor Championships.
Receiving the Joe Morrison Award was former head football coach Buddy Nix ,
who served as the Mocs’ head football coach from 1984 to 1992. In
the National Football League, Nix serves as Assistant General Manager and Director
of Player Personnel for the San Diego Chargers.
The Morrison Award is given to the UTC constituent who has achieved notable
life accomplishments, and Nix’s Chargers produced the NFL’s top
regular-season record this past season. Nix guided UTC to a SoCon title
in his first year with the Mocs and led the squad to the NCAA Division I-AA
Playoffs.
The Gordon Davenport Award is presented to an individual who has shown outstanding
commitment to UTC Athletics, and one would be hard-pressed to find anyone matching
Pam Henry’s credentials. The TVA business analyst works as a student-athlete
tutor in UTC’s Athletics Academic Services area and volunteers several
hours a week in the Sports Information Office as a staff assistant.
Henry has served as president of the Mocs Club and is currently the membership
director of the school’s booster organization. She is a member of the
Board of Executive Directors of the Chattanooga Quarterback Club, has held
all but one leadership position in the Mocs Club, has been a member of the
UTC Athletics Board and the recent Athletics Director Search Committee and
is a current member of the Alumni Leadership Council.
Current UTC distance runner Lanni Marchant received the Scrappy Moore Award,
given to the student-athlete who demonstrates success with integrity through
academic achievement and community service.
The SoCon Female Runner of the Year for the 2006 Cross Country season, Marchant
led the Lady Mocs to the SoCon team title. She placed second at the NCAA Regionals,
earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Marchant was named
the 2007 Southern Conference Female Athlete of the Year at the SoCon’s
Annual Honors Dinner. She is the second consecutive UTC female track
athlete to earn the award; Shannon Wommack was the 2006 winner.
Marchant, a Dean’s List student, recorded a perfect 4.0 grade point average
last semester while still finding time for countless community service projects
both in Chattanooga and back home in Canada.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2006 and the three special award winners were also
honored at a halftime ceremony at the men’s basketball game against UNC
Greensboro.
June 1, 2007
