Saturday, July 20th at the Omni Nashville Downtown, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be presented by the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (TSHF) Class of 2024 Inductees are Paul Annacone, Charlie Bayless, Chris Burke, Thay Butchee, Scott Hamilton, W.S. “Babe” Howard, Former Tennessee Titan Chris Johnson, TSU Tigerbelle Legend Jean Patton Latimer, Larry Liles, Dave Loos, Pekka Rinne, and Fred Warren. Also several notable Honorees have been announced, including Thomas Wilson and Morgan Price.
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Tennessee Lottery, announced the honorees for its 2024 Achievement Awards, with Bill Dance named Tennessean of the Year. Other top honors are awarded to the late Tom Wilson, Fisk gymnast Morgan Price, longtime Special Olympics Executive Director Jack Elder, White Station High School Basketball, Josef Newgarden, the Nashville Predators, Tennessee basketball standout Dalton Knecht, Vanderbilt golf star Gordon Sargent, the Freed-Hardeman NAIA Champion Basketball Team, and Tennessee Softball. These honors will be formally presented as part of the Hall’s 2024 Banquet.
The David Williams Significant Historical Achievement Award will be presented posthumously to Thomas Wilson, prominent businessman, Baseball Pioneer, and National League Leader. Wilson moved to Nashville with his parents when they attended Meharry Medical College. Wilson’s passion for baseball led him to begin promoting black baseball in Nashville when he met Rube Foster, the Father of Negro League Baseball, in 1914.
Wilson went on to become one of the founding members of the Negro Southern League in 1920, and in 1929 build the only southern black owned baseball stadium in the country. Wilson went on to serve as the Southern Negro League President in 1929 and 1936 and developed the Nashville Elite Giants into Negro League baseball history by evolving the team into the better-known Negro League team, the Baltimore Elite Giants. Wilson died in 1947, but his work and legacy left an indelible mark on the game of baseball that extended far beyond the state of Tennessee.
The Female Amateur Athlete of the Year award will be presented to Morgan Price, Fisk Gymnastics. Fisk University gymnast Morgan Price etched her name into the annals of gymnastics history at the 2024 USAG Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Nationals held in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Price’s scores of 9.850 on the floor exercise, 9.850 on the vault, 9.8 on the bars and 9.750 on the balance beam gave her a 39.225 score in the All-Around, making her the National Champion. Her performance establishes her as the first gymnast from a Historically Black College and University to do so.
Other Honorees include Pat Summitt Lifetime Achievement Award – Jack Elder; Professional Team of the Year – Nashville Predators; Professional Athlete of the Year – Josef Newgarden; Male Amateur Athletes of the Year, – Dalton Knecht, Tennessee Basketball, and Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt Golf; Female Amateur Team of the Year – Tennessee Softball; and Legacy Award – White Station High School Basketball 2000-2004
Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Inductee Spotlights
Former Tennessee Titan Chris Johnson: The Tennessee Titans drafted Johnson with the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The East Carolina University product made an immediate impact, as he rushed for over 1,200 yards and helped lead the team to a 13-3 regular season record. Johnson’s 2009 season was arguably the greatest season for any running back in NFL history. Johnson rushed for 2,006 yards and set a single season NFL record with 2,509 yards from scrimmage. Johnson was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Pro. Johnson earned the nickname CJ2K for his 2009 season accomplishments. Over his ten-year career, Johnson rushed for 9,651 yards and 55 touchdowns, while adding another 2,255 yards and 9 touchdowns receiving. Johnson played with the Titans from 2008-2013, finishing his career with stops with the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. Johnson signed a one-day contract with the Titans when he officially retired on April 24, 2019.
TSU Tigerbelle Legend Jean Patton Latimer: Jean Patton Latimer attended Meigs Grammar School, Washington Junior High, and Pearl High School in Nashville before going on to run track at Tennessee State University. In addition to track, Latimer played basketball at Pearl High School, a team that lost only four games between 1947 and 1949. Latimer won the 100-meter dash at the 1949 National AAU Outdoor Championships, the 1950 National AAU Indoor Championships, and in May of 1950, led TSU to victory at the 21st edition of the Tuskegee relays. Latimer was called the “World’s Fastest Woman” after her performance in the inaugural Pan-American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1951, where she won gold medals for the 200 meters and the 4×100 meter relay, along with a silver in the 100 meters.
