2022 Inductees

1964-1965 Tullahoma Mens Basketball Team

The first integrated basketball team at Tullahoma High School was led by Coach Dale Phelps, who was in his fifth season at THS following a series of one-year coaches. Coach Phelps would go on to become the longest-tenured coach in school history and holds the record for most wins by a basketball coach at THS.

The senior class featured standout players such as Larry Smith, who earned All-State, All-Mid-State, District MVP, All-Region, and All-CTC honors before playing baseball at Tennessee Tech University and later being drafted by the Boston Red Sox. Daymon Bean received All-State Third Team, All-Mid-State Honorable Mention, All-District, and All-CTC recognition. John Hilbrant earned All-State Honorable Mention and All-Mid-State Honorable Mention, while Doug Rowe was named All-Mid-State Honorable Mention. Joe Peterson also contributed significantly to the team.

The junior class included Wayne Shaw, who earned All-State Honorable Mention, All-Mid-State Honorable Mention, and All-District honors. Other juniors were Gary Holt, Eddie White, Ron Bailey, and Dale Alsup, who later played basketball at Belmont University and was inducted into their Athletic Hall of Fame. The sophomore class featured Dale Gary and Bruce Morehead.

The team finished the season with a record of 24 wins, setting a school record, and an average margin of victory of 19 points. Their four losses came by an average of just four points, and all three in-state losses were against state tournament teams, including an overtime defeat to Murfreesboro Central, the eventual state champion with a perfect 36–0 record. At the time, this team was considered the best in Tullahoma High School history.

Marlin Alsup

He began his basketball career in 1958 as a member of the first-ever West Junior High team and continued at Tullahoma High School from 1958 to 1961. As a junior, he earned All-Conference and All-District honors as the leading scorer for Tullahoma’s first State Tournament team. During his senior year, he set single-season scoring records that still stand, including total points (764) and points per game (28.3). He holds the Tullahoma gym scoring record with 41 points in a 78–76 win over Manchester and the individual school record with 47 points in a district tournament victory over Franklin County. He scored 152 points in the District Tournament, averaging 38 points per game, and became the first player in Tullahoma history to reach 1,000 career points. His accolades include First Team All-State, Nashville Tennessean All-Midstate, Nashville Banner All-Midstate, as well as All-District and All-Region Tournament honors. He served as team co-captain and received the J.W. Keller Award.

He played on the Tennessee Tech freshman team from 1961–1962, averaging over 25 points per game, before becoming a three-year starter at Belmont College from 1963–1965. At Belmont, he averaged 20 points per game, served as team co-captain in 1964 and 1965, and earned two-time All-Conference and All-Tournament honors. He was named Conference Player of the Year in 1964, received Honorable Mention All-American honors in 1965, and was recognized as the Best All-Around Belmont Male Graduate. In 1989, he was inducted into the Belmont University Athletic Hall of Fame.

His baseball career began in 1955 when he played on the champion Wilson Tigers during the first year of Tullahoma Little League. From 1956–1958, he played Babe Ruth Baseball and then became a three-year starter on his high school team from 1959–1961, including his senior year as part of the first team to play in Grider Stadium. He also played on the Tullahoma American Legion team and was named an All-Star in both Little League and Babe Ruth leagues.

In addition to his athletic achievements, he excelled academically and in leadership roles. He served as president of the student body, was voted Most Athletic Male and Top Male Graduate, and graduated in the top ten percent of the 1961 senior class.

Jerry Mathis, a graduate of Franklin County High School, told this story after one of his class reunions. While talking to some of his classmates who were athletes the subject got around to basketball and to the district tournament. Franklin County had a very strong team and was seated number one in the tournament. Their next game was against Tullahoma in the semifinals. Tullahoma had just won their quarter final game and Alsup had scored 35. The Franklin County Coach made the statement that Tullahoma may beat us but Alsup will not score 35. I guess he was correct in that Tullahoma did win the game and Alsup did not score 35. He scored 47 to set a school single game scoring record that still stands today.

Marlin was born April 2, 1943.  He earned a B.S. in Business from Belmont University in 1965, a MBA from Florida State University in 1966 and CPA Certificates from both Tennessee and Georgia.  He has been married for fifty-five years to Karen Starke Alsup.  He has two children and four grandchildren. He lived in Atlanta, GA during his working career and now lives in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

WC Dub Cooper

Nickname: Legend of the Gridiron

Famed Wildcat Coach for whom the gridiron that the Wildcats play on under the Friday night lights is named for.

Dub was born October 9, 1928 in Knoxville on Cornell Street, which is now part of the University of Tennessee campus.  He played his high school ball in Knoxville where he was All-South, but per his son Dirk, there was always a soft spot for Tullahoma in his heart.  “Tullahoma was everything to him”.

He played football for the University of Tennessee under Coach Neyland, lettering in 1948, 1949, and 1950.  He was Player of the Week against Alabama in 1948 where he ran for a touchdown and threw for a touchdown.    He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Education while at the University of Tennessee.  

Cooper served his country in the Air Force and also played for the Air Force Bombers, a traveling service academy team, putting up impressive numbers and an undefeated season. 

1954 – THS Assistant Football Coach

1956-1966 - THS Football Coach where he coached the team to a 68-36-6 record, winning  four Central Tennessee Conference titles. He was the all-time winningest coach until his mark was broken recently by Wildcat Coach John Olive.

After coaching, Cooper became Athletic Director and was also Principal at West in Tullahoma for many years.  He also coached girls and boys basketball. Dub Cooper met his wife Betty Jo Lambdin at the University of Tennessee and married her his senior year.  They have twin sons, Dirk and Mike. Coach Cooper passed away April 11, 2021 at the age of 92.

Phyllis Hines

Phyllis excelled in track and field, cross country, and cycling throughout her athletic career. In cross country, she was the state runner-up in 1976, won the state championship in 1977, and placed eighth in the state in 1978. She also competed in the mile run, finishing as state runner-up in 1978 with a time of 5:07.9. Phyllis ran cross country at Vanderbilt University in the early 1980s but left school early to train for the 1984 Olympic marathon. After a foot injury ended her Olympic aspirations, she transitioned to cycling, where she achieved remarkable success, winning five U.S. national titles.

Her international cycling accomplishments include winning the 1986 Tour de l’Aude in France and contributing to Team Women’s Cycling’s third-place finish at the 1988 World Championships. That same year, she set a 40K record at the U.S. Cycling Championships, covering 24 miles in 55 minutes and 26.44 seconds—beating the previous record by more than 20 seconds. The event was held alongside the U.S. Olympic trials, although there was no women’s team time trial in the Seoul Olympics, making it a national championship record only. Phyllis also helped her team earn second place at the 1990 World Championships and fourth place in 1991.

In 2002, Phyllis discovered she still had NCAA eligibility remaining and returned to collegiate competition, finishing eighth in the Division III nationals. When opponents remarked that she was as old as their mothers, Phyllis simply responded, “I think it’s funny!”

Eugene London Sr

Eugene R. “Jinks” London, Sr. was a distinguished official in football, basketball, and baseball, serving the TSSAA from 1965 to 2014. He was inducted into the TSSAA Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to high school athletics. Over his career, he officiated high school state championships in football, basketball, and baseball, as well as numerous TSSAA state playoff football games and basketball tournaments. Prior to integration, he founded his own officiating association for basketball and football. In addition to high school sports, he officiated college baseball and basketball at both the Division I and Junior College levels and served as a TSSAA Assigning Officer for the Central Tennessee Baseball Umpires Association for 20 years. In the 1960s, he also spent several months traveling as an official with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Eugene was a multi-sport athlete at Davidson Academy, playing baseball, football, and basketball. After graduating, he served a tour in the Army and later joined the Army Reserve. He went on to serve in the National Guard’s 251st S&S Company, including a tour of duty during Desert Storm. After retiring from active service, he remained a member of the Tennessee State Guard and the Military Funeral Honor Guard. He was also an active member of numerous organizations, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge, F. & A.M., Tennessee Consistory 185, Hella Temple 105, and Vernon Gilbert Elk Lodge. Professionally, he served as a firefighter at Arnold Center before retiring.

Eugene and his late wife, Doris Hudson London, had six children: Eugene, Sylvia, Jeffrey, Antonio, Monica, and the late Yvette.

Jerry Mathis

Jerry Mathis, an esteemed educator and coach, served Tullahoma High School from 1967 to 1999. Born in Estill Springs, he attended Franklin County High School before pursuing higher education at Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee, where he earned his master’s degree. Hired in 1967 as an Industrial Arts instructor, Jerry went on to become Head Baseball Coach from 1970 to 1999, compiling an impressive record of 607 wins and 211 losses. Under his leadership, Tullahoma won TSSAA State Championships in 1974 and 1990 and finished as state runner-up in 1973, 1986, and 1997. Over his coaching career, 101 of his players received college scholarships, and eight were drafted to professional leagues. In addition to baseball, he led the cross country team to a TSSAA State Runner-Up finish in 1981.

Jerry’s coaching excellence earned him induction into the Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999 and the TSSAA Hall of Fame in 2004. He was named Tennessee State Baseball Coach of the Year three times and was twice nominated for National Coach of the Year. Beyond coaching, he served on the TSSAA Board of Control from 2006 to 2017 and was Tullahoma City Schools’ Athletic Director from 1999 to 2017. He was also recognized as Tullahoma City Schools Teacher of the Year in 1987. Jerry coached the 1995 Tennessee All-Star baseball team and led Sportsfest teams to gold and silver medals as head coach and assistant, respectively.

Jerry and his wife Joyce reside in Tullahoma and have two children, Jamie and Tim, both of whom played under their father, and three grandchildren.

Joe Moon

Joe was a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where he majored in Recreation and Leisure Administration.  He started working with the Tullahoma city government on February 24, 1975 as a Recreation Center Supervisor and was promoted to Parks and Recreation Director in March 1988, serving until he stepped down in June 2000.  He retired on March 2, 2015 as the Recreation Superintendent and started working part time the next day at C. D. Stamps Community Center.

Established the Joe Moon Scholarship Fund which benefits MTSU students majoring in Recreation.

The City of Tullahoma renamed a portion of West Hogan Street between D.W Wilson Community Center and the Imagination Station in memory of Joe on June 14, 2021.

Joe was killed in a car accident July 14, 2016

John Welsh

John Welsh excelled in wrestling, track & field, and cross country during his time at Tullahoma High School from 1996 to 2000. In wrestling, he placed second at the 103 lb State Championships in 1999 and won first place in 2000. In cross country, he was a two-time Mid-State Champion in 1998 and 1999 and finished fifth at the State Championships in 1999. In track, he earned all-state honors three times, placing fourth in the 3200m at the 1999 State Championships and finishing seventh in the 1600m and fifth in the 3200m in 2000.

At Dartmouth College (2000–2004), John continued to excel in cross country, placing 14th at the New England Championships in 2002, helping his team to first place at the Ivy League Cross Country Championships that same year, and serving as co-captain in 2003–2004. He later served as an assistant coach at Palo Alto High School from 2006–2010, leading the cross country team to eighth place and coaching an individual to sixth place at the State Championships in 2008. In track, he coached an athlete to third place in the 1600m at the 2010 State Championships.

John graduated from THS in 2000 and from Dartmouth in 2004. He currently works for Merck and resides in Virginia with his wife, Yo-Jud.