The 2017 Tusculum College Sports Hall of Fame class has been announced and three new members will be inducted during the College’s Homecoming festivities on Saturday, October 21st. This year’s inductee class includes two-time All-American running back Eric Claridy, three-time All-American basketball guard Jasmine Gunn and two-time All-American guard Kyle Moore.
The induction ceremonies will take place at the Alumni Breakfast during homecoming weekend, which will be held at the Chalmers Conference Center in the Niswonger Student Commons on the Greeneville campus.
Eric Claridy (Football)
Eric Claridy
Eric Claridy accounted for the greatest playing career by a Tusculum tailback and holds the program’s all-time rushing and scoring records for more than 20 years since his time on the collegiate gridiron concluded.
From 1992-1995, Claridy rushed for 3,737 yards and 44 touchdowns, both school records which still stand today. He churned out 6.9 yards per carry during his Tusculum career as he and his teammates helped usher in the reinstatement of the sport after a 41-year absence.
The Jasper, FL native rushed for over 1,000 yards in two of his four seasons, including a personal-best 1,319 yards in 1994 which is the second highest rushing yardage tally in a single-season in Tusculum history. He garnered NAIA Division II All-America honors while leading the Pioneers to a 6-3 record which included victories over two nationally-ranked teams. He scored a school record 18 rushing touchdowns, including a Pioneer single-game best five in Tusculum’s 63-22 win over Maryville.
Claridy, a four-time All-Mid-South Conference selection, owns three of the top-four rushing seasons in program history, running for 544 yards in 1992, 853 yards in 1993, 1,319 yards in 1994 and 1,021 yards in 1995. He posted double-digit touchdown totals in his final three campaigns, including 18 in 1994 and 11 rushing scores each in both the 1993 and 1995 seasons.
He eclipsed 100 rushing yards in a school record 18 games during his Tusculum career, including two times with 200-yard performances. His 229-yard effort against Maryville in 1994 is the third-best rushing outing in school history while his 201 yards in 1994 against Clinch Valley (now UVa-Wise) are eighth in the TC record book.
Claridy still holds seven career, season and single-game school records. His 278 career points scored are still the most ever by a Pioneer, which included his 110 points in 1994, the most by a non-kicker and second-best overall in a TC season.
Jasmine Gunn (Women’s Basketball)
Jasmine Gunn
From 2007-2011, Jasmine Gunn produced one of the finest playing careers in the history of Tusculum women’s basketball. The 4-11 point guard from Nashville, TN, led the Pioneers to one of the best four-year runs in the program’s storied history.
She helped Tusculum to four consecutive 20-win campaigns, which included three South Atlantic Conference Championships, two SAC Tournament titles and four trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
During her career, she earned WBCA Division II All-America honors three times (2009, 2010, 2011) and was a finalist for the 2010 NCAA II National Player of the Year Award. She was named the Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year and SAC Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011. She garnered Daktronics All-Southeast Region accolades three times (2019, 2010, 2011) and was a four-time All-SAC first team choice.
She is the holder of eight Tusculum school records as well as seven South Atlantic Conference marks. Her 2,180 career points are the second-most in school history and fourth-best in the SAC record book. She averaged 17.4 points per game (second in Tusculum history/seventh in SAC history) in her 125 career games (Tusculum and SAC record). She also holds Tusculum records in career free throws made (660) and attempted (838), single-season free throws made (223 in 2009-10) and attempted (284 in 2009-10), single-game field goal percentage (1.000, 10-10 vs Virginia Intermont), single-game free throws made (23 vs Francis Marion, 3/13/2010 – most in a NCAA Tournament game) and single-game free throws attempted (29 vs Francis Marion, 3/13/2010).
In her first season, she averaged 13.7 points per game and led the team with her 6.1 assists per contest as the Pioneers posted a 26-5 record including a nine-game winning streak to end the regular season to capture the program’s inaugural SAC championship with a sterling 13-1 conference worksheet. The Pioneers advanced to the SAC Tournament championship game and earned their first berth to the NCAA II Tournament. Gunn was named the 2008 South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year.
During her sophomore campaign, Tusculum accounted for its second straight 26-win season (26-6) as the Pioneers repeated as SAC Champions and once again moved onto the SAC Tournament final. Gunn averaged 15.5 points per game and finished the season ranked 10th in the country with her 5.8 assists per game average. She earned WBCA All-America honorable mention honors and was a consensus All-Region pick.
Her best season in the Black and Orange came in the 2009-2010 campaign where she was a consensus All-American while averaging 21.6 points per game (third in Tusculum history/ninth in SAC history). The Pioneers finished fourth in the league with a 10-6 SAC mark, but bounced back with wins over Catawba and top-seeded and 24th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne to advance to the SAC Tournament final for a third straight year. The Pioneers knocked off Newberry to claim its inaugural SAC Tournament crown and earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Tusculum was seeded seventh in the Southeast Regional and knocked off No. 2 seed and 19th-ranked Clayton State and defeated No. 20 Francis Marion 103-96 in the semifinal round behind Gunn’s SAC-record 45-point performance where she set a pair of NCAA Tournament marks with 23 free throws made and 29 attempts at the foul line. The Pioneers advanced to the regional final where they upset host and No. 11 Lander 70-63 to move onto the NCAA Elite Eight. During Tusculum’s magical postseason run, Gunn averaged 26.7 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per contest in the seven-game span.
Following the 2010 season in which the Pioneers went 23-10, Gunn was honored when her jersey was selected for display at the National Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Ring of Honor. She was also the first Tusculum student-athlete to be named the South Atlantic Conference Female Athlete of the Year.
Gunn led Tusculum to a sweep of both the SAC regular-season and tournament titles in 2011 as she averaged 18.7 points per game that season as the Pioneers went 21-9 overall. Tusculum knocked off Anderson, Newberry and Wingate in the SAC final to capture its second league postseason crown in as many years. Tusculum was eliminated in the NCAA Regional by eighth-ranked USC Aiken.
During her career, she recorded 56 games with 20 or more points, including 10 outings with 30 points or better. She finished with 629 career assists (second in Tusculum history/fifth in SAC history) and 272 career steals (third in Tusculum history/fifth in SAC history). She accounted for 10 games with 10 or more assists, four games with 10 or more rebounds, 11 career double-doubles and the only triple-double in school history when she tallied 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against the District of Columbia on Jan. 12, 2010.
Gunn was also named the Tusculum Female Athlete of the Year for both the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic seasons.
Kyle Moore (Men’s Basketball)
Kyle Moore
In just three seasons with the Pioneers, guard Kyle Moore accounted for the greatest scoring career during the NCAA Division II era (1998-present) of the Tusculum men’s basketball program.
From 2007-2010, Moore poured in 1,813 points, which are fourth in the Tusculum record book and eighth most in South Atlantic Conference history. He was also one of the most prolific three-point shooters in both school and league history and one of the best free throw shooters to wear a Pioneer uniform.
He earned NCAA Division II All-America honors in 2009 as a junior and was a consensus All-America in 2010 as a senior, including being named to the Daktronics DII All-America second team. He was tabbed the SAC Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2009 and 2010 as he led the conference in scoring in both campaigns, averaging 21.1 and 24.8 points per game, respectively.
The Pioneers posted a 49-38 overall record during his tenure at Tusculum, including back-to-back winning seasons in his final two years in Greeneville.
He made 306 three-point field goals at Tusculum, which are the second most in school and conference history. He averaged 3.52 three-pointers made per contest for his 87-game career with the Pioneers which is the 23rd best career average by a NCAA Division II player.
The Gainesville, FL product earned All-SAC second team honors in the 2007-2008 season averaging 16.6 points and four assists per game as the Pioneers went 13-15, winning five of their last six regular season contests to advance to the SAC Quarterfinals.
In his second Tusculum campaign, he averaged 21.1 points per game to earn All-SAC first team distinction as the Pioneers posted a 20-11 record for the program’s first 20-win season since 1992-1993. Moore paced the Pioneers to an eight-game winning streak as the Pioneers made a late season surge to capture runner-up honors in the league with a 10-6 SAC record. Tusculum knocked off Wingate and Newberry to advance to the SAC Tournament final. Moore garnered SAC All-Tournament honors as he averaged 20.3 points per game and went 25-of-27 at the free throw line (92.6%) during his three postseason outings.
The Pioneers earned an at-large berth to the NCAA II Tournament where they faced top-seed and No. 4 nationally-ranked Augusta State. Moore scored 23 points in the Southeast Regional opener as the Pioneers trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, but an upset bid by the Pioneers fell short in a 62-60 loss.
Moore enjoyed his best season in a Pioneer uniform in 2009-2010 as he accounted for 693 points, while leading Tusculum to a 16-12 overall record and a 10-6 in league mark to finish second in the conference standings for a second straight season. His point tally was the second most in recorded school history and third in the league record book. His 24.8 points per game average was third in NCAA Division II and fifth nationally for all NCAA divisions. His scoring average was the second highest in league history and fifth in Tusculum history.
He was named to two All-Region first teams in 2009-2010 and earned All-SAC first team recognition for a second straight year. He established a new school and SAC record with his 117 three-point field goals. His 4.18 treys per game average were second in the country, while shooting 45.3 percent from beyond the arc (second d in SAC/ninth in NCAA II). For his efforts, he was also named the 2009-2010 South Atlantic Conference Male Athlete of the Year and Tusculum College Male Athlete of the Year.
In his three seasons at Tusculum, Moore averaged 20.8 points per game, which is the third highest scoring average ever by a South Atlantic Conference player. Including his rookie campaign at NCAA Division I Winthrop University, Moore scored 1,863 points as a collegiate player.
Moore was the model of consistency during his career, scoring 20 or more points an amazing 45 times, including 19 times in his senior campaign. He also poured in 30 or more points on 15 occasions, including twice with 40 or more points, including his career-best 42 markers against Columbus State in 2008, the most points in a single-game during the NCAA Division II era and sixth most in school history.
Moore still holds the school record with his 447 made free throws. While at Tusculum, Moore shot 85 percent from the foul line (447-of-526), which is the second highest career percentage in school history and third in SAC history. He finished his career at Tusculum similarly to how he started it at the charity stripe. He opened his Tusculum career making his first 24 free throws. Moore finished the same way, connecting on his final 24 trips to the foul line. In his last 11 contests, Moore went 64-of-68 from the free throw line (94.1%), including a string of 33 in a row.
Moore played in the 2010 NCAA II All-Star Game, where he garnered Co-Most Valuable Player honors while leading the West All Stars to victory at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. In the game, Moore poured in 21 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor, including 5-for-8 from three-point territory and also dished out five assists.
Following his career at Tusculum, Moore signed a contract to play professionally in Germany for the SOBA Dragons in the Pro A League.
‘60s
Capt. Dewey Holley ’65 (USN – Retired) of Greeneville, TN, and his wife, Wilma, celebrated their 50th anniversary on August 26.
’70s
Paul Sikora ’73 of Middletown, NJ, has taken a new position as regional account manager at PrimeSource GPO in New York City, NY.
’90s
Christina Naylor ’91 of Myrtle Beach, SC, has been promoted to the position of senior vice president of operations at Carolina Trust. Naylor joined the company in 2011 and has worked as director of sales and service and as vice president of branch operations. As senior vice president of operations, she will be in charge of member services, collections and card services and will oversee the branches. She has more than 20 years of experience in the banking field and held leadership roles with First Century Bank and TD Bank.
Dallas Gardner ’93 of Martinez, GA, has opened his own business, a franchise of Pillar To Post, a home inspection company. Gardner has previously spent 16 years in the nuclear construction business and also worked for Minco, Inc. in Greeneville, the Americas Collectible Network shopping channel, Nuclear Fuel Services, Honeywell Metropolis and United States Enrichment Corporation. He began moving toward his current career path as a health and safety inspector for Triangle Pacific, a cabinet and flooring manufacturer. Gardner’s new business will provide home inspection services to individuals in the process of either selling or buying a house.
’00s
Timothy Elrod ’00 of Clinton, TN, is participating in Local 8 LawCall, a live-thirty minute call-in program on the CBS-television affiliate in Knoxville that addresses a different legal topic each week. Elrod is a partner at Ogle, Elrod & Baril, PLLC.
David and Sarah (McGar) Prichard ’01 ’02 are currently living in Crossville, TN, where David teaches physical education and is the head baseball coach at Cumberland County High School. Sarah is working in an orthodontist’s office in Crossville, and the couple have three sons.
Dr. Paula Davis ’04 of Morristown, TN, started the 2017-18 school year in a new position – principal of Hillcrest Elementary School in the Hamblen County School System. She has served as a fifth grade teacher, district-level professional academic coach, assistant principal and adjunct college professor. She taught fifth grade at Whitesburg Elementary School for 17 years. With the new position, Paula is returning to the school she attended during her first five years of school. She is an active member of Fernwood Baptist Church as the youth choir leader and an officer in the Women’s Missionary Union. She enjoys participating in foreign mission trips.
Denise Fliesser Fortin ’06 is a central midfielder on the FC London team, a member of League 1 Ontario, a pro-am, standards-based senior soccer league. Fortin, who is a full-time teacher, college assistant coach and married mother of three young children, is a leader of the team, and ranks third in minutes played for the league’s defending champion. Fortin is a physical education teacher at Monseigner-Bruyere high school and she and her husband have two daughters and a son.
Rustin Jones ’06 of Greeneville, TN, began the 2017-18 in a new position, as a teacher at Greeneville Middle School. Jones has been teaching at West Greene High School for the last 10 years, where he started both the girls’ and boys’ soccer teams at the school during the 2012-13 school year. Under his leadership, both teams became competitive and the boys’ team reached the district championship game and qualified for the regional tournament last year. Jones also coached the school’s first All-State player, Cheyenne Upton, who is now a student at Tusculum and a member of the Pioneer women’s soccer team.
Aubrey Fortson ’08 of Milledgeville, GA, is a first-year assistant football coach at Morgan County (GA) High school and is the in-school suspension coordinator for the high school this academic year. Fortson is coaching the defensive line for Morgan County and is also in charge of community outreach for the football team. This past summer, he organized three trips/tours for the team’s players, geared toward helping the players see the inside workings of important parts of the Morgan County and Madison (GA) communities. They visited Madison Health and Rehab, Morgan County Memorial Hospital, and the Morgan County Detention Center. Aubrey’s coaching career includes his high school alma mater, Elbert County, Monticello High School and Putnam County.
’10s
Kenneth Hill ’12 of White Pine, TN, has accepted a full-time teaching position in the English department at Walters State Community College.
Brittany Connolly Purchase ’12 has earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from the University of Tampa.
David Nunez ’15 of Greeneville, TN, is now at the helm of the soccer program at West Greene High School. Nunez had served as assistant for both the girl’s and boy’s soccer teams for the past two seasons. Nunez is in his third year of teaching at West Greene.
Virginia Shelton Miller ’43 of Surgoinsville, TN, passed away on August 5, 2017, after a brief illness. Mrs. Miller was a teacher for more than 30 years, beginning her career as a home economics teacher in her native Rogersville followed by several years teaching English in the Surgoinsville middle and high schools. After retiring, she loved traveling with family and visited numerous places around the country and Europe. She treasured her grandchildren’s long summer visits to the family farm as well as regular visits to Florida and later New York to see them. In recent years, she also enjoyed attending a variety of theater performances and classical music concerts with family and friends. She was a long-time member of New Providence Presbyterian Church.