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BLUE RAIDER HALL OF FAME
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    • Fred Niemeyer

    Inducted: 2010
    Sports: Tennis

    Perhaps the best tennis player in MTSU history, Niemeyer earned All-American honors three times in his career as a Blue Raider.

    A native of Magog, Quebec, Canada, Niemeyer first earned All-American honors in 1994 as a freshman when he teamed with 2008 Hall of Fame inductee Paul Goebel. He won All-American honors in doubles again in 1996 partnered with Anthony DeLuise.

    In his senior year of 1997, Niemeyer earned All-American honors in singles after posting a 36-8 record and earning his third consecutive OVC Player of the Year award. He finished the season ranked 4th in the ITA national rankings. Niemeyer captured the MTSU records for wins in both singles and doubles, for both single season and career. His combined career win total of 233 is 54 more than the next best mark.

    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.