2023 Inductees

JERRY MATHIS: HEAD COACH

JOHN HUSKEY: ASSISTANT COACH

1990 TSSAA STATE CHAMPIONS

Blaise, Melanie Darrow, Paige Huskey, Angie Amos, Harry Keller, Kiley Maupin, Gary Phillips, Scott Johnson, Mike Smith, Rachel Kuzmeski, Andy Akers, Kevin Suits, Chris Barnes, Andy Stone, Keith McFarlane, Phillip Davis, Chad Hatfield, Ted Ferrell, Chris Rickman, Todd Branch, Troy Wilson, Craig Reavis, Mark Fitzgerald, Tony Sheffield, Greg Cope, Jeremy Winters, Marc Mattasits, Jae Pruett, Wesley Petty, Todd Waller, Robert Prosser, Chris Bunch, Jerry Mathis, John Huskey

Clester was born in 1942 as the youngest of seven children and was the only one among his siblings to attend college. He earned a football scholarship to Tennessee Tech, where he graduated with a degree in education and later completed his master’s degree. In 1966, he married Suzanne, and together they raised three sons. His coaching career at Tullahoma High School began in 1981 alongside Kelton Garner. The following year, he became the Head Freshman Coach, a role that allowed him the unique opportunity to coach all three of his sons in both football and track. During his tenure, he initiated the Freshman Lions Bowl and led several undefeated seasons, including 1984 (8-0), 1992 (7-0), and 1997 (9-0). From 1981 to 2004, he built an impressive record of 137–49.

In addition to football, Clester also served as Head Track Coach, where he produced multiple state champions. He was recognized as the AAA Boys Track Regional Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996, and throughout his career, he coached a total of 25 State Championships in Track & Field. Some of his standout athletes included Antonio London, Mario Braston, Edward Johnson, Jeremy Winters, Camron Howard, Monica Blake, Bill Divine, Mandrell Porter, Matthew York, Cary Campbell, Alan Dawkins, Javarus Taylor, Chris Haerington, and Russell Crosswy.

After leaving THS, Clester continued his passion for coaching as a volunteer at Hagerty High School, where he was able to coach both of his grandsons in football and track. In his honor, a track award at Hagerty High School bears his name. Known for his dedication and fun-loving spirit, Clester is also remembered as possibly the only THS coach to celebrate a win by cruising the Sonic and the mall in the school’s iconic “Yellow Dog” bus.

Whitney Darlington currently teaches Physical Education at Tullahoma High School, where she also serves as the Assistant Girls Softball Coach and Assistant Strength Coach for the football team. She is married to Chris Morris, Instructional Technology Specialist for Tullahoma City Schools, and together they have two daughters, Emma and Rylee. Whitney and her family attend Kings Cross, and outside of teaching and coaching she enjoys running, playing golf, and spending time with her family.

A standout athlete herself, Whitney was a four-year letterwinner in softball at Tullahoma High School, helping lead her team to two district titles during her junior and senior years. She was named Tullahoma Female Athlete of the Year in 2004 and earned multiple recognitions, including MVP honors from 2001–2004, All-District selections in 2002, 2003, and 2004, MTSCA South All-Star, and All-Midstate. She still holds several school records, including batting average, hits, home runs, triples, on-base percentage, and steals, and she finished her high school career with an impressive .573 batting average.

Whitney continued her career at Motlow State College, where she played for two years and earned the Outstanding Leadership Softball Award. She broke the single-season record for triples with 8, set the career record with 12, and tied the career stolen base record with 82. A two-time All-Conference selection, she was voted to the 2006 Louisville Slugger/NFCA NJCAA Division I South Region Second Team and earned NJCAA All-American (2nd Team) honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America. In 2006, she led Motlow in hits (54), runs (44), doubles (18), triples (8), stolen bases (22), and batting average (.454).

After Motlow, Whitney transferred to Middle Tennessee State University, where she continued to excel. She received the MTSU Raider Award, the Sunbelt Conference Commissioner’s List Award, the 2008 Outstanding Major of the Year Award, and the TAPHERD James E. Ward Outstanding Major of the Year Award. She was also named to ESPN Magazine’s All-District IV Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Whitney’s career extended into professional softball, where she played and coached in Skövde, Sweden, helping her team win the Swedish National Championship and advance to the prestigious European Cup. She later played and coached for the Tennessee Diamonds of the National Professional Fastpitch League, fulfilling her dream of competing professionally on July 14, 2010.

In recognition of her remarkable accomplishments, Tullahoma High School retired Whitney’s number 2 softball jersey on October 29, 2010. The honor reflects not only her athletic achievements but also the legacy of dedication, determination, and inspiration she left for future athletes. Whitney is the daughter of Scott and Dianne Darlington and the sister of Ben Darlington, who played infield for Middle Tennessee State University’s baseball team.

Kenny has been a TSSAA official for over 40 years, beginning his career in 1969 and continuing to the present. He was inducted into the TSSAA Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 in recognition of his long and distinguished service. From 1969 to 1980, he officiated both football and basketball, working numerous District and Region games as well as four Sub-State contests. Since 1994, he has also served as a TSSAA Supervisor and Assigning Officer. Over the course of his career, Kenny has officiated more than 1,200 football games at the high school, junior high, middle school, and college levels. Remarkably, he was part of two high school football officiating crews made up entirely of members of the Pack family—his father and five sons. His father, Bill Pack, is also a celebrated figure in officiating, holding membership in both the TSSAA Hall of Fame and the National High School Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Tullahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 as part of its inaugural class. Kenny himself has officiated high school football every year since 1971, including eight TSSAA State Football Championship games. He was named Outstanding Football Official in Tennessee in 1994 by the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association and was later recognized as Outstanding Official in Tennessee by the Lawrenceburg QB Club in 1999. His accomplishments also include officiating the Tennessee-Kentucky All-Star Game three times, receiving the Bob Heriges Award in 1981 as the best official in the OVC, and earning the TSSAA A.F. Bridges Award for Officials in 2008. In addition to his officiating career, Kenny played baseball at Tennessee Tech University, where he later served as a Graduate Assistant Coach.

He is married to Lynn Moran, and together they have two sons. Alan, along with his wife Kristin, has two daughters, Elke and Poppy, while Matt and his wife Madison have three sons, Maddox, Ripp, and Rory. Deeply committed to youth sports, he has dedicated decades of service to local programs. He served as president of the Frank Mullins Youth Football League for 25 years and volunteered for over 16 years with Tullahoma Little League Baseball as a coach, league president, and assistant district administrator. He has also contributed to Tullahoma Youth Wrestling for nearly 30 years as a coach and has been an active leader in the Tullahoma Quarterback Club, where he held the role of president for 22 years.