M Club to Welcome Five Tigers Into Hall of Fame

MEMPHIS – The University of Memphis M Club, the official letterwinners' organization at the UofM, will welcome five Tigers to the Hall of Fame on Friday, February 7 in its annual induction ceremonies. The class will also be recognized at halftime of the men's basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 8.

Voted in as the Class of 2019, the inductees include former football players John Allen (1967-70) and Tory Epps (1986-89), former women's soccer player and current assistant coach Lizzy Simonin (2008-11), former baseball first baseman Adam Amar (2004-07) and former men's basketball center Earl Barron (1999-2003).

The M Club will also honor four special award winners. David Wedaman will receive the Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys Golden Tiger Award, while Dana Capocaccia will receive the Billy J. Murphy Award. Carolyn McDougal will be honored with the Ralph Hatley Silver M Award and Bill Lofton will receive the Murray Armstrong Award.

Memphis M Club Hall of Fame Class of 2019

John Allen
Football 1967-1970
John Allen, a native of Chattanooga, Tenn., and a graduate of both City High School and Columbia Military Academy, signed with then-Memphis State University in the fall of 1967. After playing one season of mandated NCAA freshman football, Allen would earn a starting role as an inside linebacker for head coach Billy J. Murphy's varsity squad and never relinquish his position. He was the second-leading tackler for the defense in 1968 with 62 stops and scored a touchdown on a 47-yard return of a fumbled punt against North Texas State. With 90 total tackles and three fumble recoveries, Allen received the Most Improved Player Award for the season. He again led the Tiger defense in tackles as a junior with 114 combined hits and received first team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, as well as being named to the Associated Press All-America squad. The 1970 season found Allen in his same role at inside linebacker, and he again led the unit in total tackles with 107, in addition to his three fumble recoveries. Allen would receive All-Missouri Valley Conference and Associated Press All-America honors in 1970 and would finish his career with 311 defensive stops, including a 20-tackle performance against the University of Houston in 1968. Allen returned to the Chattanooga area following graduation and taught at The Bright School for 27 years until his retirement in 2014.

Adam Amar
Baseball 2004-2007
Adam Amar, a native of Lake Mary, Fla., signed with Dave Anderson's Tiger squad, but played the majority of his career under head coach Daron Schoenrock. He lettered for four seasons as a power-hitting first baseman and set the Memphis baseball record for hits in a career and runs batted in. He started 42 of the team's 45 games as a freshman and provided solid defensive play in the infield. During the 2005 campaign, Amar raised his batting average over .300 and produced 53 RBI with his 12 doubles and seven home runs. Amar's breakout season came in 2006, when he batted a team-leading .365, with 10 home runs and 66 RBI. He was named to the first team All-Conference USA squad after helping Memphis to a 32-28 record. More accolades were earned during the 2007 campaign when the senior batted .358 in leading Memphis to a 37-26 record and a bid to the NCAA Regional in Nashville. Amar was named to the All-Conference USA Team and the NCAA All-Nashville Regional squad. He registered 51 RBI and nine home runs as a senior and completed his career as the Tiger record holder for career hits with 276 and RBIs with 192. Both marks remain school records 12 years later. Amar signed a professional baseball contract with the Toronto Blue Jays organization in 2007 and played for four seasons before leaving baseball and entering the medical professional. He now serves as the Assistant Chief of Cardiovascular Perfusion at South Georgia Medical Center Heart Hospital.

Earl Barron
Men's Basketball 1999-2003
Earl Barron, a native of Clarksdale, Miss., arrived on the Memphis campus in the fall of 1999 after signing a basketball scholarship with Tic Price. A former high school basketball and tennis letterman, the seven-foot Barron would appear in 128 career games, including 30 as a freshman. He had a season-high 17 points and 11 rebounds against Chaminade and tied the Maui Classic record for blocked shots in a game with six. Barron scored a career high 25 points against South Carolina to lead Memphis to victory in the championship game of the Owens Corning NIT during his junior season as a Tiger. As a senior, Barron would score eight points in the Tigers' NCAA Tournament against Arizona State to become the 37th player in Memphis history to score 1,000 or more points in his career. One of the best free throw shooters in Tiger history, Barron shot 81.3 percent from the free throw line during his senior season. In the summer of 2001, the swift center was selected to play in the World University Games and averaged 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds for the bronze-medal winning USA Team. Following his career at Memphis, Barron would play NBA basketball for 14 seasons and earn a World Championship ring with the Miami Heat in 2006.

Tory Epps
Football 1986-1989
A Uniontown, Pa., native, Tory Epps was a standout linebacker for Uniontown High School when he signed with Charlie Bailey's Memphis Tigers in 1985. After redshirting as a freshman, Epps became a starter at nose guard during the 1986 season and was credited with 53 tackles, including four for lost yardage. Epps began to exert his dominance in the defensive line during the early stages of the 1987 season and was selected as the Associated Press National Defensive Player of the Week following his 10-tackle performance in Memphis' victory against 15th-ranked Alabama. The following week, Epps suffered a season-ending knee injury. He was credited with 37 tackles during his shortened sophomore campaign. Epps began his rehabilitation in the spring of 1988 and returned to the Memphis lineup in the fall of 1988. Demonstrating that his repaired knee was stronger than ever, Epps logged 83 tackles, two quarterback sacks and nine tackles for lost yardage during the 1988 season. Playing perhaps the best football of his career, Epps recorded 69 tackles, six tackles for lost yardage and two sacks during his senior season. For his play, he was named to Street & Smith's All-South and All-America teams, the Football News All-America squad, the All-Metro Conference second team and was invited to play in the Blue/Gray and the King All-America Classic All-Star games. Epps was taken in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and played six seasons of professional football for the Falcons, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. Epps passed away on June 1, 2005, at the age of 38.

Lizzy Simonin
Women's Soccer 2008-2011
A native of Lee's Summit, Mo., Lizzy Simonin arrived at the University of Memphis in the fall of 2008 and made an immediate impact on women's soccer in Conference USA. She appeared in 22 straight matches during her inaugural season, 18 as a starter, and led the team in points, goals and shots. She led the Tiger women's squad to an NCAA bid and played a season-high 103 minutes against Illinois. Her play in 2008 was so outstanding that Simonin was selected the Conference USA Freshman of the Year and was named to the C-USA All-Conference second team. Hampered by an ankle injury in 2009, Simonin appeared in just 16 of the team's 22 matches but still managed to tally 12 points and help her teammates return to the NCAA postseason. With her aggressive style of play, Simonin was moved to defender in 2010 and started every match, which included shutouts in 11 of the Tigers' 22 contests. For her outstanding play in 2010, she was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and led her squad to their third consecutive NCAA appearance. Entering her senior season, Simonin continued to excel. She started all 24 contests and helped her team to a 22-1-1 record and a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament invitation. An outstanding student-athlete, Simonin was named the 2011 recipient of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which is given annually to the most-outstanding senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I women's soccer. She also became the first player in C-USA history to be named the Defensive Player of the Year twice. Following graduation, Simonin returned to the Kansas City area to pursue her masters' degree. She served as a graduate assistant coach at UMKC before returning to Memphis to coach under Brooks Monaghan.

David Wedaman
Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys Golden Tiger Award
David Wedaman is the 2019-20 recipient of the Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys Golden Tiger Award. Wedaman enrolled at Memphis State University in the fall of 1976 and received his BBA in Accounting, in 1980. He was a Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential Scholar during his tenure as a student. Following graduation, Wedaman went to work with Arthur Andersen in the audit division. He remained with Arthur Andersen until 2002 when he founded and became CEO of Re Transportation, which now has over 50 offices nationwide and generates in excess of $500 million in revenue annually. Re Trans is a third-party logistics provider working with some of the nation's largest companies. Prior to founding Re Trans, Wedaman was President and one of the founders of Mark VII Transportation, which in a 10-year period grew to an $800-million company which was sold to Exel Transportation in late 1999. In addition to his business endeavors, Wedaman serves on several boards, including the UofM Board of Visitors. He is the Chairman of The Fogelman School of Business Advisory Board, serves on the board of Jubilee Schools of Memphis, the Education That Works Board and the Catholic Memphis Urban School Trust. Wedaman is a past board member of Youth Villages and Lifeblood of Memphis. He was inducted into the Society of Entrepreneurs of Memphis and has received the Memphis Humanitarian of the Year Award and the Angel of Catholic Schools Award. Wedaman has one daughter, Maria, who is also a graduate of Memphis and one granddaughter, Katherine.

Carolyn McDougal
Ralph Hatley Silver M Award
Carolyn McDougal, a native of Memphis, Tenn., and a graduate of Treadwell High School, arrived on campus in 1947 and served as a member of the Tiger cheerleading squad during the tenure of Tiger head football coach Ralph Hatley. Following graduation in 1951, Ms. McDougal began her career in education, teaching health and physical education in the Memphis City School System. She taught for 17 years before serving in the Memphis City School Administrative Office from 1968-84. She received her masters' degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Memphis in 1968. A member of the Tennessee Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, she served as president of the organization in 1964-65 and received its Honor Award in 1967. Ms. McDougal received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the University's Department of Human Movement in 1998. A devoted member of the M Club Board of Directors, McDougal has served the letterman's organization for 10 years. For the past 72 years, Carolyn has worked diligently to organize, instruct and inform a group of former Memphis State College athletes who lived through and/or fought in World War II, as to the accomplishments and growth of their beloved Memphis Tigers.

Dana Capocaccia
Billy J. Murphy Award
Dana Capocaccia, a native of Memphis, Tenn., and a 1978 graduate of Bishop Byrne High School, is this year's recipient of the Billy J. Murphy Award. A high school football and baseball player for Bishop Byrne, Capocaccia enrolled at then-Memphis State University in 1978 to begin general studies that evolved into a focus in nursing. In 1980, he transferred to the University of Tennessee to finish a BSN in nursing, graduating in 1983 as the Dean's award winner. While in Knoxville, he worked at UT hospital, returning to Memphis, where he worked at St. Joseph's, Methodist, and St. Francis hospitals specializing in emergency and trauma nursing. In the late 1980s, Capocaccia's professional focus evolved because of a desire to develop, design, market, and sell medical products. He would become Vice-President of Sales for 3M Healthcare, CDI Division and Regional Sales Director for Becton Dickenson, Inc. He left Beckton Dickenson to become Vice President of Sales for Somanetics Corp., introducing new safety technologies related to brain tissue preservation. In 2006, Capocaccia started Statlink Systems, a national tele-medicine operation and remains as the CEO. Statlink Systems was named Memphis Business Journal Small Business of the year in 2011 and was named to Inc, Magazine Fastest Growing Companies in America in 2012. He has supported the University of Memphis and the athletic department since his days as a student. A season ticket holder since 1983, he has been a Tiger Scholarship Fund member since inception, a Centennial Circle member, an M Club Board of Directors member, a founding member of the football support group, The First Team, and a corporate sponsor of the Highland Hundred.

Bill Lofton
Murray Armstrong Award
A native of Memphis, Tenn., and a 1968 graduate of Trezevant High School, Bill Lofton enrolled at then-Memphis State University in the fall of 1968 as a marketing/management major. He earned his BBA degree in the spring of 1972 and began working for Memphis-based International Harvester in May of the same year. Lofton was assigned to the accounting office and oversaw the cost account system as a procedures analyst. After working nine years with International Harvester, Lofton left the company in the summer of 1981 to become the Chief Administrative Officer for the Memphis College of Arts, a position he held until January of 1984 when he was hired at Memphis State University as the Director of Financial Planning. In 1990-91, he was named the University Employee of the Year. Lofton joined the athletic department staff in the summer of 1994 as the Associate AD for management and finance. He held the Associate AD position for 20 years, retiring in 2014. One of his many achievements was the negotiation of the 20-year contract with Hoops Inc., as the Tigers moved basketball venues from The Pyramid to FedExForum. Following his retirement, the veteran business and finance officer returned to work on a part-time basis for the Vice-President of Finance, overseeing special university projects before returning to athletics in July of 2019 to again serve as Interim Associate AD for Business and Finance.

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