KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

The night of Feb. 4 was an evening of celebration at D.W. Wilson Community Center as friends, family and teammates came together honor the Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

This year’s inductees were softball player, coach and athletic trainer Whitney Darlington Morris; football coach, state champion track and field coach Clester Winningham; coach and community volunteer Mark Moran; state champion football coach, athletic director and educator John Olive; TSSAA official and executive Kenneth “Kenny” Pack; and the 1990 TSSAA State Champion baseball team.

To kick off the banquet, emcee Scott Shasteen introduced Tullahoma Mayor Ray Knowis, who thanked the Tullahoma Sports Council for making the evening possible and, along with the Tullahoma Parks and Recreation Department, for helping to turn Tullahoma back to a sports venue. After congratulating the honorees, Knowis took a personal moment to say he was thankful to have the opportunity to be there, briefly reflecting on last year’s banquet where he suffered a medical emergency and was promptly treated by medical professionals before being transported to the hospital. The event was canceled following the events out of respect for Knowis.

“To each of the health care professionals who came to my aid last year, I just want to say Ann and I are truly thankful for saving my life,” Knowis said. “It’s an honor to be here and have a great evening.”

Interim Parks and Recreation Director Lyle Russell followed Knowis and briefly went over some updates that are happening with the department. Some highlights include starting a new Tullahoma girls softball league and the Tullahoma Sports Council agreed to purchase $7,000 worth of equipment for every girl who wants to play, working on converting the softball fields to use for tournament play and talked about the success of Tullahoma Wildcats and Friends Baseball Skills Clinic, which the Tullahoma Sports Council helped to sponsor.

“We still get a lot of comments about that event,” Russell said. “It was very neat to see what the power of a very good community partnership can do.” 

Recognizing 2022 inductees and honorees 

Given the previous year’s banquet being canceled due Knowis’ medical emergency, Shasteen took a moment to recognize the members of the 2022 class, which included the 1964-65 Men’s Basketball Team, Marlin Alsup, Wilburn Conda (Dub) Cooper, Joe Moon, Eugene R “Jinks” London, Sr., Jerry Mathis, Phyllis Hines and John Welsh. Cooper’s sons Mike and Dirk, Welsh and Mathis briefly spoke thanking the Sports Council for the honor.

Shasteen then introduced this year’s honorees Brindley Duncan and Lily Storey. Brindley became the TMSAA State Champion by not only breaking East Middle School’s 800 meter record with a time of 2:27 but setting a new state record for the 800 meter run with a time of 2:26.67. Representing Tullahoma High School, Lily became the D1 – AA 800 Meter State Champion and set the record time of 2:18.7. 

Whitney Darlington Morris 

The first member of the Class of 2023 to be inducted was former THS Girls Softball MVP and current THS Physical Education teacher and assistant softball and strength coach Whitney Darlington Morris. When introducing her, Shasteen said she had a long list of records from her time at THS, Motlow State Community College and MTSU and said he believes it is safe to say she was one of the greatest softball players in the history of THS, Motlow and MTSU.

Morris said she was thankful to be a part of this year’s hall of fame and she loves the game and playing the game. She added that the best part for her during her time playing softball was the relationships she made along the way.

“The opportunities I was blessed to have was a direct result of how much people took the time to take care of me,” Morris said.

She thanked her family, friends, her coaches, her teammates and their families for being a part of her journey, as well as the sport of softball itself.

“Thank you to softball, it still allowed me to build relationships with young people and pass on some of the influence that I have been so blessed to have,” she said. 

Clester Winningham 

Clester Winningham came to Tullahoma High School in 1981 and took over as the head football coach, where he served as until 2004. During his time as head coach his win/loss record was 137-49, with going undefeated in 1984, 1992 and 1997. Winningham was also the head track coach where he had a total of 25 State Championships in track and field and was honored with the 1995-1996 AAA Boys Track Regional Coach of the Year.

Winningham thanked the Tullahoma Sports Council for the honor, and thanked all the athletes and the parents for all they had done. He also thanked his family for their support over the years while he was away and understood the dedication needed to coach a team.

“I’ve been lucky to do what I love for over 50 years,” Winningham said.

He said coaching basketball, football and track have made him more competitive, which makes someone have more knowledge in the world of sports, but having God in your life shows that there are more important things than winning and losing.

“I know that He has been there for me, but most of all you all, the parents and my family, have been there more so than I realized,” he said. “I’ve had a great career and it’s nice to be remembered like this. 

Mark Moran 

The next inductee was Mark Moran, who has served as the President for the Frank Mullins Youth Football League for 25 years, volunteered for Tullahoma Little League Baseball for 16 years as a coach, league president and assistant administrator director, the coach of Tullahoma youth wrestling for 30 years and served as president of the Tullahoma Quarterback Club for 22 years.

Shasteen asked attendees to take in all the years he listed and think about all the children Moran helped influenced over the years.

Moran said throughout his time working with those organizations he had met and made friends who have been a great help to him over the years.

“There are always a bunch of folks there to support the organization,” Moran said. “That’s part of what makes Tullahoma what it is: it is a place to raise kids. Bottom line, that’s what this is all about.”

He said there too many people to name that he would like to thank for their support, but he did give special recognition to his wife Lynn for her support, understanding and patience. He also thanked other family members and friends who were in attendance. 

Moran said for him, it was all about the kids and how he and others helped to provide opportunities for children in the community.

“I have enjoyed it thoroughly, and I didn’t think I would but I miss it,” Moran said. 

John Olive 

During his time as Head Football Coach at Tullahoma High School from 1993 through 2021, John Olive garnered 203 career wins, where 23 of those 29 years saw the Wildcats go the state playoffs, securing 24 Coffee Pot wins, breaking the state championship record of 15-0 in 2021 and winning the TSSAA Class 4A State Championship.

Olive said during his time as head coach at THS God blessed him richly with his family, friends, fellow workers and athletes. He thanked his wife Cherie for her support and for helping to raise his children Caitlin, Jared and Caleb.

“Everybody that has any knowledge of coaching knows that if a coach is successful is because he has somebody behind them that does a whole lot of the work on the home front and for me that was my wife Cherie,” Olive said.

Olive said the real debt of gratitude was to all the players “who made Friday nights fun in Tullahoma,” from the first team in 1993 who laid down the foundation, to the teams made going to state playoffs an expectation, to the 2016 team who went 0-19 spread over for two seasons who fought hard for that win and the 2021 football team who won the state championship.

“All I can do is say thank you. It was a privilege to be a part of you and to be a coach of you,” Olive said.

Olive stated coaching is not a one man job, it takes a team and he was blessed with all the assistant coaches he had worked with him. Any time he received an award he always tried to spread it his staff as they were as deserving as he was.

“I wanted them to know that it is all about us,” he said. “I appreciate each and every one of the men and women I had worked with over the years.”

He also thanked the superintendents and principals he had worked with, every other inductee for their help and support and to the Tullahoma community’s support over the years. 

Kenny Pack 

Kenneth “Kenny” Pack has been an official for the TSSAA for over 40 years and has officiated over 1,200 football games in high school, junior high, middle school and college. Pack has earned many awards and recognitions, which includes being inducted into the TSSAA Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 like his father Bill Pack, a member of the inaugural class of the Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

Pack said he appreciated to be inducted to the Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame, just like his father, and thanked all the other inductees. He mentioned during his tenure he has been around a lot of coaches and praised the Tullahoma coaches as the best. He thanked his wife Jane for her support and his siblings who have been instrumental to him being able to run the Central Tennessee Football Officials Association after the death of their father in 1994.

He stated as of last year, he, his five brothers and his father, when he was alive, have officiated two games together, which he said to their knowledge has not been done before.

“As of last year, the Pack brothers and our father have contributed 298 years of officiating to the TSSAA,” Pack said. 

1990 THS Baseball Team 

The final inductee to the 2023 Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame were the 1990 Tullahoma High School Baseball team.  During the regular season, the team went 21-4 and won the state championship by beating Marion County 14-2.

The members of the team included Members of the team include Harry Keller, Kiley Maupin, Gary Phillips, Scott Johnson, Andy Akers, Kevin Suits, Chris Barnes, Andy Stone, Keith McFarlane, Phillip Davis, Chad Hatfield, Ted Ferrell, Chris Rickman, Todd Branch, Troy Wilson, Craig Reavis, Mark Fitzgerald, Tony Sheffield, Greg Cope, Jeremy Winters, Marc Mattasits, Jae Pruett, Wesley Petty, Todd Waller, Robert Prosser, Chris Bunch; Managers: Mike Smith, Rachel Kuzmeski, Kellie Blaise, Melanie Darrow, Paige Huskey and Angie Amos; and Head Coach Jerry Mathis and Assistant Coach John Huskey.

Mathis said with a team like the 1990 high school baseball team, it was not that hard to coach.

“They were very, very tough, very easy to coach and they had all the tools or traits to be a good baseball team,” Mathis said. “They would work extremely hard, they were always respectful, they were always dedicated and they would get after you in a heartbeat.”

He added he doesn’t recall whenever they went to a game they never thought they could be beat, but instead trying to figure out how to end the game in five minutes, noting that two games in the state tournament only went five minutes.

“They were tough and dedicated to their sport. They loved it to the nth degree.”

Mathis said the team did the important thing of if they fell down, they found the time to get up.

“Those dreams that you have will remain a dream unless you have a goal and that goal will make that dream come true,” Mathis said. “Their dream, they wanted to be the state champions and they were.”

Mathis again praised the team for being good, easy to coach and he was glad to be there with them as their coach.