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BLUE RAIDER HALL OF FAME
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    • Kelly Potter

    Inducted: 2011
    Sports: Football

    One of the most productive position moves in Blue Raider football resulted in former walk-on wide receiver/defensive back Kelly Potter being inducted into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame not as an every-down player, but as the most prolific kicker in school history.

    Early in his days on the Blue Raider team, coach Boots Donnelly gave Potter a chance to demonstrate his kicking skills in practice.

    Potter had handled kickoffs for his high school during his senior year, among his other roles on the team. The rest is history. Potter went on to dominate the Ohio Valley Conference in kicking, earning a spot on the prestigious OVC All-Half Century team. He was also picked to the elite Kodak/AFCA All-America First Team in 1984.

    He ended his career as the Blue Raiders' all-time scoring leader with 261 points. The product of Father Ryan High School not only was very dependable in field goal accuracy, but was feared by every foe for his long-range kicking skills. His longest was a 57-yarder against Tennessee Tech in 1982.

    Potter was a key cog in MTSU's success from 1981-84 as the Blue Raider's began their run of 12 consecutive winning seasons with records of 6-5, 8-3, 8-2, and 11-3. The 11-3 1984 squad earned the school's first appearance in the NCAA Division 1-AA

    playoffs.

    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.