Meet the inductees for the 2023 Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame


John Adams, a sports writer and columnist for Knox News since 1987, is highlighting the 2023 class for the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. Adams will be one of 10 individuals who will be inducted during the 42nd annual event on August 31 at the Knoxville Convention Center. Grant Williams, a former Tennessee basketball player currently playing for the NBA’s Boston Celtics, will be the guest speaker at the event. The reception will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the program at 6:30 p.m. Limited seating is available, with tickets priced at $200 per person or $2,000 for a table of 10. All ticket and auction proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, which serves youth and teens in several counties. To purchase tickets, visit www.gkshof.org. Alongside Adams, the following individuals will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame:

– Billy Arbo: Former Tennessee wide receiver who played for the Vols from 1976-78 and has since become the lead pastor at First Baptist Church in Jacksboro.
– Sarah Fekete Bailey: Played a significant role in guiding Tennessee softball to its first two College World Series appearances and is currently a successful softball coach at Alcoa.
– Todd Burgan: Six-time Tennessee Golf Association champion and former player for the Vols who was part of the 1990 SEC champion team.
– Larry Cox: Former Knoxville city councilman who has also been involved in the sports community with the Knoxville Falcons Youth Sports organization.
– Nikki Caldwell Fargas: Former Tennessee basketball player under Coach Pat Summit and current president of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.
– John Fritts: Former member of the Tennessee men’s tennis team and coach of tennis prospects after college, now working in insurance.
– Gerald Hodges: Sports official who has worked his way up from high school sports to becoming an SEC video replay official.
– Bill Parker: Involved in high school cross country and track and connected to the Knoxville education system.
– Julia Stowers Dilworth: Olympic gold medalist in swimming and attorney who also volunteers as an assistant coach at Delta State.

Last year’s inductees to the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame included Randy Sanders.



Source link