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BLUE RAIDER HALL OF FAME
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    • J. B. Proctor

    Inducted: 1992
    Sports: Football, Baseball, Golf

    A single-wing running back at the University of Tennessee, J.B. Proctor came to MT in 1949 with the dream of continuing as a running back. But Coach Charles "Bubber" Murphy had other ideas, switching Proctor to a new position. "He not only became our quarterback," said Murphy, "but he ran the option as well as anybody I ever saw. J.B. was our placement punter because he was so good at putting the ball out of bounds inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He was a real smart, all-around player."

    A Nashville native and graduate of Pearl Cohn High School where he played football with MT teammates and fellow Hall of Famers, Maxi Arnold and Max Runion, Proctor was a multi-talented athlete. An accomplished infielder and pitcher for Blue Raider baseball, he also played on MT's emerging golf team under the coaching of fellow Hall of Famer, E.K. Patty.

    Class of 2012

    Mike Caldwell
    Football

    Diane Cummings Turnham
    Athletic Administration

    Harry Gupton
    Basketball, Baseball

    Tawanya Mucker Wilson
    Basketball

    Jayhawk Owens
    Baseball

    History of the Hall of Fame

    In the early spring of 1975, a pair of long-time supporters of Middle Tennessee State University's athletic program decided that the University should honor its greatest athletes. Homer Pittard, alumni director, and Gene Sloan, public relations director, came up with the idea and asked sports information director Jim Freeman to join them in setting up an athletic hall of fame.

    After getting approval for the Hall of Fame from President M. G. Scarlett, the trio began laying the groundwork to select the first inductees. Others, including Bob Womack and Joe Nunley, were also involved.

    "We decided not to have categories but to put all candidates in one group," said Freeman. "We also decided against inducting a large group to start with and felt that three per year was the ideal number. That way, everyone got a good share of the spotlight."

    The nominating and voting for the first several years was done by members of the old "T" Club, now reorganized and called the Varsity Club. Nominations were solicited, and the the list of candidates was mailed to the voters. They selected Horace Jones, Charles "Bubber" Murphy and Teddy Morris as the initial inductees in 1976.

    The Blue Raider Hall of Fame was originally housed in the old Blue Raider Room under the west side of the football stadium. It had to be torn down when then stadium was expanded in 1998. After several years without a home, the Hall of Fame moved into the new Rose and Emmett Kennon Sports Hall of Fame building in 2004.