In his senior year, Artis made a clean sweep of OVC honors, winning the individual championships in both indoor and outdoor events. He was elected OVC Indoor Trackman of the Year and Outdoor Trackman of the Year. He also was presented with the league's highest honor for a scholar-athlete in any sport — the OVC Athlete of the Year.
Mike Caldwell
Football
Diane Cummings Turnham
Athletic Administration
Harry Gupton
Basketball, Baseball
Tawanya Mucker Wilson
Basketball
Jayhawk Owens
Baseball
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.