University of Memphis Athletics
Tiger Hall of Fame Class to be Inducted Friday Night
Sep 14, 2009 | General, M Club
Sept. 14, 2009
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - The University of Memphis M Club, the official letterman's club of the Tigers, will add seven new faces and will honor four special award winners Friday night. Two football players, one volleyball player, a men's soccer player and two men's basketball players make up the Class of 2009.
Football player Alex Dees (1966-68) was a unanimous All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. He was one of just two players in Missouri Valley history to be a unanimous choice to the all-conference team, with the other being Mean Joe Green. Dees led the Tigers in tackles in both his junior and senior seasons and the defensive end was an Associated Press All-American honorable mention following his senior season. A native of Philadephia, Miss., Dees 16 solo tackles against Southern Miss in 1968 still ranks second all-time in Memphis history and his 21 total tackles against USM ranks third. He was also the lone Memphis representative to play in the North-South game following his senior season.
On the volleyball court, Clare Dirksen (1986-1989) guided Tiger squads to three winning seasons and a 26-win campaign in her senior year. Still all over the Tiger volleyball record book, Dirksen was one of just three Tigers to earn All-Metro Conference selections. She helped Memphis to a trio of third place showings in the Metro Conference and led Memphis in assists and service aces all four year. Her 420 digs still ranks fifth in the Memphis record book, and she still holds the all-time mark in service aces with 309. Until last season, she also held the record for career assists, with 5,653, before Laura Cote broke the mark last year.
On the soccer pitch, Sean Fraser (1998-2001) made his mark as one of the most lethal goal scorers in school history. The Edmonton, Alberta, native continues to hold the school mark in career points (109), and is second in career goals (45). He also continues to hold the single season record for goals scored (18 in 2001). A four-time C-USA all-conference honoree, Fraser led the conference in goals (16) and points (41) as a junior. After adding 18 goals and 42 points as a senior, Fraser was selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Midwest Team. Following his playing career under coaches Chris Bartels and Richie Grant, Fraser took his playing career to the next level, playing professional soccer in the U.S., Canada and Japan.
Phillip "Doom" Haynes was a member of the Tiger men's basketball team that put together a glorious run that many Tiger fans fondly recall. From 1980-84, Haynes donned the blue and gray, helping Tiger squads to an 86-34 combined record, including three-consecutive 20-win seasons and advancing to three-straight NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteens. A three-time All-Metro Conference honor in 1981, 1983 and 1984, Haynes helped the Tigers to a sweep of the regular season and tournament championships in 1981-82 and 1983-84. A Memphis native, he still ranks No. 11 all-time in school history in scoring with 1,479 points and shot 50.2 percent from the field and 74.8 percent from the free-throw line in his career. He averaged double figures all four seasons at Memphis and passed the 1,000 career point mark as a junior. Following his Memphis career, he was a sixth-round pick of the NBA Los Angeles Clipper in 1984.
Chris Marable (1986-1989) was a four-year letterwinner for coach Bobby Kilpatrick's baseball squads. Marable helped the Tigers to 132 wins in his four-year career from both the outfield and the pitcher's mound, helping Memphis to four winning seasons and three 30-plus win campaigns. The southpaw from Memphis, Marable enjoyed one of the most productive four-year careers in Memphis baseball history and left the program with school records in seven offensive categories, while ranking in the top three in three others. A career .323 hitter, Marable played in 208 games, collected 230 hits, including 61 doubles and 27 home runs, and scored 148 runs. He also drove in 170 runs and drew 103 walks over his career. He held the career records for games played, hits, RBIs, doubles and walks when he completed his career. His five career marks have since fallen, but the CBHS alum still ranks in the top five in each category. He holds the single game record with 15 total bases versus Middle Tennessee in 1987 and shares the single game record with three home runs in a win over Austin. On the mound, he had a 10-4 record with a 4.05 ERA in 47 appearances. He struck out 47 in 100 innings of work.
Jerome Woods (1994-95) suited up for the Tiger football team for just two seasons, but made an immediate impact after his transfer from Northeast Mississippi Junior College. The defensive back led the team in interceptions and tackles in 1995, and was a first round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1996 NFL draft. A Memphis native and a graduate of Melrose High School, Woods finished as the Tigers' third-leading tackler in his first year at Memphis. He started every game in the Memphis secondary and had a career-high 19 tackles in a win over Ole Miss, which he followed with 18 tackles against Tennessee. Woods finished with 99 tackles as a junior, including 58 solo hits, three tackles for lost yards, one fumble recovery, seven pass breakups and one pass interception. He started every game in his senior season as well, finishing with 120 tackles. He was named to the Football News All-America second team following his senior year and was selected to the All-National Independent first team and was named the Independent Defensive Player of the Year. Following his Memphis career, he enjoyed a successful 10-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He totaled 128 games in the NFL with 206 career tackles, 169 solo stops, 15 interceptions and five forced fumbles.
The final honoree in the Class of 2009 is men's basketball star Lorenzen Wright (1994-1996). The Memphis native capped his career as one of the most decorated players in Tiger history, earning All-America honors as a sophomore and Freshman All-America honors in his inaugural campaign. A 1995 All-Great Midwest first team and 1996 All-Conference USA first team selection, Wright is the only player in the program's history to earn first team accolades from two different leagues. A two-year letterwinner, Wright netted over 1,000 points and ranks No. 42 on the Tigers' career scoring list with 1,026 points. He led Memphis in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots during both seasons he played at Memphis and averaged a double-double for his career with 16.0 points and 10.3 rebounds. He finished his career with 31 double-doubles, the seventh-most in school history, and helped the Tigers to back-to-back 20-win campaigns and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 1985. Following his sophomore year, Wright entered the NBA Draft and was the No. 7 overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Tigers will also honor four special award winners Saturday night.
Alan Graf, Jr. will be the 2009 recipient of the Dr. C.C. Humphreys Golden Tiger Award. The executive vice president and chief financial officer of FedEx Corporation, Graf is also the president of the Tiger Scholarship Fund, the fundraising arm of the University of Memphis athletic department. Under his watch, the TSF staff raised an all-time high $7 million last year, surpassing the previous record of $6 million. A native of Evansville, Ind., Graf also serves on the Board of Directors for NIKE, Inc., Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc., and Methodist Healthcare. He is also a member of the Dean's Advisory Council at the Kelley School of Business and is a trustee for the University of Memphis Herff Trust.
Former Tiger basketball player Herb Hilliard is the 2009 recipient of the Billy J. Murphy Award. After playing for the Tigers in 1967-1969, Hilliard joined First Horizon National Corporation and its banking subsidiary, First Tennessee Bank. He was promoted to executive vice president and manager of government relations from April 1987 until 2001, and now serves as executive vice president of risk management and Chief Risk Officer for First Horizon. He is responsible for government relations, compliance, internal audit and security and risk management. A member of the American Bankers Association Government Relations Council, the Tennessee Bankers Association Government Relations Council and the RMA Enterprise Risk Council, Hilliard is also the Vice Chairman of the National Civil Rights Museum, is a member of the Board of BlueCross/Blue Shield Tennessee and is a Commissioner of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority. He earned his BBA degree from then-Memphis State in personnel administration and industrial relations and completed additional studies at the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU.
A member of the University of Memphis faculty and staff, Dr. Bonita Lyons is the 2009 award winner for the Ralph Hatley Silver M Award. Dr. Lyons, who joined the staff at Memphis in 1985, has been responsible for inspiring a large number of student-athletes to persevere and complete their degree work at the University. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Lyons worked for Shelby State Community College in Memphis in 1972 as a counselor. While working at SSCC, Lyons enrolled at the University of Memphis in 1977, earning her Doctor of Education in Personnel Services. She became the Driector, Essential Skills Program for Shelby state from 1979-1981, and became the Telecourse Director/Assistant Director, Continuing Education until 1985, when she joined the staff at Memphis. Lyons was named the Director, Academic Status and Retention Services in 1992 and held that post until her retirement from the University in August of 2008. She received the Distinguished Professional Advising Award in March of 2003 and the Pyramid Award for Student Services in 2001. She has served as a board member for the Mid-South Association for Training and Development and the Tennessee Board of Regents Ad Hoc Committee on developmental education.
The final award is also the youngest award, created last year in honor of former Tiger football coach Murray Armstrong. The 2009 award winner for the Murray Armstrong Award is Pete Mitchell. Mitchell came to the University of Memphis in 1970 as an assistant football coach and recruiter under former head coach Billy J. Murphy and remained on the staffs of Fred Pancoast and Richard Williamson through the 1975 season. A native of Memphis, Mitchell served as a head football coach and teacher at Melrose High School for 13 years, winning two league championships and tying for a third. After the MIAA was formed for city-wide competition, Mitchell coached the Golden Wildcats to a THSAA state championship in 1964 and was named the WLOK Coach of the Year four times (1963, 1964, 1967 and 1968). He left coaching in 1969 to become an assistant athletic director at the MIAA under Dean Ehlers. In 1975, he formed Pete Mitchell and Associates, Inc., working as a licensed insurance agent and real estate agent. He was named the National Business League Outstanding Businessman of the Year and grew his small business to one staff with employees experienced in all areas of insurance, representing over 100 different companies. In 1984, he was recognized for Excellence and Contribution in Sports by Operation PUS and in 1999, he was inducted to the Vanguard Hall of Fame.
Tickets for the dinner are now on sale through the University of Memphis ticket office. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception and the banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person for the banquet that will be held at the Holiday Inn located on the University of Memphis Campus off Central Avenue. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.gotigersgo.com by selecting tickets in the left-hand column.
