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BLUE RAIDER HALL OF FAME
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    • Vic Varallo

    Inducted: 1983
    Sports: Football, Basketball

    With a year of football and basketball for Ole Miss behind him, Vic Varallo came to MT after serving with the Air Force. During World War II as a member of Greg "Pappy" Boyington's Flying Tigers, he flew 47 missions over China, Burma, Africa and India.

    He arrived at MT in 1946 where he was All-Volunteer State Athletic Conference in football and basketball and captained both teams. He went on to a career as head track coach and assistant football and basketball coach at East High School in Nashville, Tenn. His track teams won two state championships and he was Coach of the Year in 1967 and 1969. He also coached one state championship cross-country team, served on the State Track Committee and was a TSSAA basketball official for 30 years.

    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.