M Club Inducts Six Tigers to Hall of Fame

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis M Club, the official letterwinners' organization of the university, welcomed six Tigers to the Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 26 in its annual induction ceremony, presented by First Horizon. The class will also be recognized at halftime of the men's basketball game against Wichita State on Sunday, Feb. 27 at the FedExForum.

The Class of 2020-21 included football players Artis Hicks (1998-01) and Tony Williams (1993-96), baseball's Collins Day (1993-96) and Jacob Wilson (2009-12), softball's Heather Mott (2007-11) and women's soccer's Vendula Strnadova (2007-10).

The M Club also honored five special award winners. Mike and Marian Bruns received the Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys Golden Tiger Award, while Gary Farr received the Billy J. Murphy Award. Sally Andrews received the Ralph Hatley Silver M Award and Louis J. Strasberg was honored with the Murray Armstrong Award.

Artis Hicks
Football | 1998-01
A native of Jackson, Tenn. who came to the Tigers in the fall of 1998, Hicks started 43 of 44 games on the offensive line that he played during his career, including 2, 717 of the Tigers 2,979 total offensive snaps over his four seasons. He was named to The Sporting News Freshman All-America Team and the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 1998. Hicks was also tabbed First-Team All-Conference USA in 2001 and was selected to play in the East-West Shrine game. Following his career at Memphis, Hicks was taken in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round and played 11 seasons in the NFL for the Eagles, Vikings, Redskins, Browns and Dolphins. Hicks also played in the 2005 Super Bowl with the Eagles.

Tony Williams
Football | 1993-96
After an outstanding prep career at Germantown High School, Williams came to Memphis and lettered four years on the Tigers' defensive line. For his career, he registered 178 solo tackles, 237 total tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. In Memphis' win over Tennessee in 1996, Williams totaled 13 tackles, 10 solo, and a school-record six tackles for loss. Williams ranks second on the program's single-season tackles for loss list with 20 in 1996 and ranks sixth on the career TFL list with 35. Among his career accolades, he was named the Memphis Vanguard Club Outstanding Athlete of the Year (1996), All-Conference USA (1995, 1996), All National Independent (1995), Highland Hundred MVP (1996) and Tiger Defensive Player of the Year (1996). Following his Memphis career, Williams was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He would go on to play 10 years in the NFL with the Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Collins Day
Baseball | 1993-96
Day joined the Memphis Tigers in 1993 and was a four-year starter in the Memphis rotation. After three starts as a freshman, Day went 12-0 with a 2.38 ERA and 68 strikeouts as a sophomore. Across 252 career innings pitched, Day went 24-9 with a 3.82 ERA and 214 strikeouts. At the plate, Day hit .262 over his career and added 19 home runs and 91 RBIs. Day was named to the 1994 All-Great Midwest Conference Team as well as the 1994 and 1995 GMC All-Tournament Teams.

Jacob Wilson
Baseball | 2009-12
Wilson, a graduate of local Bartlett High School, was a four-year letterwinner and starting third baseman for the Tigers. Wilson appeared in 222 of the Tigers' 227 games during his career, which took off during his sophomore season, when he hit .341 with 41 RBIs. Wilson followed that with 17 home runs as a senior, tied for the fourth most in Tigers' history. He finished his Memphis career with a .301 batting average and sits among the top five in seven different offensive categories, which includes runs scored (170), hits (257), doubles (64), and home runs (31). Wilson was named a 2012 College Baseball All-American, tabbed First-Team All-Conference USA in 2012, and was the 2012 Conference USA Player of the Year. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Wilson in the 10^th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Wilson spent eight seasons in the minor leagues and reached AAA before he made his professional debut in Korea Baseball Organization in 2019. Wilson made his Major League debut July 10, 2021 for the Oakland Athletics.

Heather Mott
Softball | 2007-11
Mott, a native of Pensacola, Fla., was a first team All-Conference USA selection for the Tigers during her final season with Memphis after hitting .353 and had a stolen base percentage of .993. Mott's .502 slugging percentage for her career ranks third in school history while she is also ranked in the top 10 in career games started (168), at-bats (496), runs scored (97) and total hits (135). Mott tallied 25 home runs in her Tiger Career, which is tied for second best among all Memphis players, and her 86 RBI are third all-time. During her time with the Tigers, she was also named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region Second Team as well as the C-USA Spirit of Service Award and the All-Academic Team in 2011.

Vendula Strnadova
Women's Soccer | 2007-10
Strnadova, a native of Las Cruces, New Mexico, who signed with the women's soccer program in 2007, became an immediate starter as a midfielder and earned Soccer Buzz Magazine Freshman All-America honors in her first season as well as being selected to the NSCAA All-Region Second Team. Strnadova was First Team NSCAA All-Region in 2008, 2009, and 2010 and was a CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree in 2009 and 2010. She was an ESPN Academic All-American in 2010 and was the first women's student-athlete to be a two-time Academic All-American. On top of her national recognition, Strnadova was a four-time All-Conference USA selection, was twice the Conference USA Midfielder of the Year, holds the Tiger record for most matches played in a career with 88 and is ranked second in shots in a season at 68 during the 2009 season. Strnadova led her Tiger teams to four consecutive C-USA Championships and was named Conference USA's Freshman of the Year in 2007, the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and was Conference USA's Midfielder of the Year in 2008 and 2010. During her career, Strnadova helped Memphis to a four-year record of 63-20-6 and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Mike & Marian Bruns
Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys Golden Tiger Award
Presented to individuals for their financial support of Memphis Athletics.
Married for 49 years with two children and five grandchildren, Mike and Marian Bruns have been outstanding supporters of Memphis Athletics over the years. Mike, who was honored with the University of Memphis Distinguished Alumni Award, is a board member of the university, as well as other organizations both locally and nationally. Along with being philanthropic supporters of Memphis Athletics, the Bruns Family also supports a number of organizations with their generosity.

Gary Farr
Billy J. Murphy Award
Presented to former student-athlete who excelled in his/her profession since leaving the University of Memphis.
After a standout career at Taylorville High School, where he was later inducted into the Taylorville High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, Farr came to Memphis on a football scholarship, playing on the 1971-75 Tiger squads. After graduation, he spent over 40 years in the Houston, Texas area specializing in the oil and gas industry with Compressor Dynamics, Weatherford International Compression, Exterran Compression, Mustang Caterpillar, and lastly, Cummins Engine Company (New Engine Product Development) before retiring in 2020. For his outstanding work, Farr earned many awards, including chairmanships at GPSA Midstream and the Gas Compressor Association. Farr has continued his relationship with Memphis football over the years, helping in the radio broadcast booth, as a member of M Club and being active with the football players' reunion.

Sally Andrews
Ralph Hatley Silver M Award
Presented to a dedicated supporter who has given multiple years of exceptional service to Memphis Athletics.
Andrews served the University of Memphis for over 20 years, serving as head coach, assistant coach and director of operations for the women's golf program, as well as time in the department's administration and compliance office. During her head coaching tenure, Andrews guided the Lady Tigers to 31 top-10 finishes and 12 top-five showings, including four-straight Metro Conference Championships top-fives. From 1988-91, Andrews' squads finished no lower than third place (1988-90, third place; 1991, second place). She also led the Lady Tigers to the program's first tournament title when they won the UAB Lady Blazer Invitational in the fall of 1988. Two of Andrews' golfers -- Leslie Folsom in 1989 and Gia Kronske in 1990 and 1991 -- earned All-Metro Conference honors. As an assistant from 1983-86, Andrews helped the Lady Tigers to 14 top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place performance at the 1986 Metro Conference Championships.

Louis J. Strasberg
Murray Armstrong Award
Presented to a Tiger coach, administrator or employee for distinguished service to Memphis Athletics.
After coming to Memphis State as a team manager for the basketball team in 1963, Lou graduated from the University of Memphis in 1968. He officially started his career at Memphis in 1970 and held multiple positions within the purchasing office and annual fund but was most often known to the teams as the travel coordinator, never missing a deadline to get the Tigers where they needed to be. He stayed on with Memphis through multiple university presidents, athletic directors, facility enhancements and coaches, in all totaling over half a century at the university.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Athletics, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the department's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Related News

Related Videos