Tennessee Athletics Announces 2024 Hall of Fame Class

The 2024 University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame class was announced on Thursday with a seven-member class to be honored the weekend of April 26-27.

The class includes four Lady Vol standouts, two Vol legends and one former head coach:

Softball player Sarah Fekete-Bailey.
Women's basketball player Sheila Frost.
Football player John Henderson.
Track & field/cross country head coach Stan Huntsman.
Volleyball player Julie Knytych.
Legacy inductee Jim Haslam.
Trailblazer inductee Ann Baker Furrow.

"We look forward to honoring this special group of true Tennessee legends," Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. "Our history of success is second to none, and it's an honor for all of us associated with Tennessee Athletics to welcome this esteemed group of individuals into our Hall of Fame."

This year's Hall of Fame weekend will take place April 26-27, with the induction ceremony set for Friday, April 26 at Regal Square Events. The following day, the group will be honored at Tennessee's baseball game versus Missouri.

The induction weekend will return to coincide with Tennessee football's spring Orange & White Game in future years when construction is completed.

Sarah Fekete-Bailey | Softball | 2003-06
Sarah Fekete Bailey was a four-year starter for Tennessee softball from 2003-06 and helped lead the Lady Vols to their first two appearances at the Women's College World Series in 2005 and 2006. Bailey played in 280 games and amassed a staggering 296 hits, 189 runs, 85 stolen bases and 55 sacrifice hits. Her .398 career batting average and .456 career on-base percentage rank third and ninth in UT history, respectively. Bailey broke out as a junior in 2005 and became the second Lady Vol to garner first-team All-America honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). She led UT with a .414 batting clip and .467 on-base percentage racking up 79 hits in 68 games played that season. Bailey capped her career with a historic senior campaign for the Lady Vols in 2006, hitting .500 on the year to claim the NCAA batting title. She established a new Southeastern Conference single-season record with 110 hits and also led the league in on-base percentage (.553) while ranking third in runs scored (61). Her 110 hits and .500 batting average still stand as single-season program records. She became the second player in Tennessee softball history to have her jersey retired, earning the honor on April 16, 2022.

Sheila Frost | Women's Basketball | 1985-89
Sheila Frost played an instrumental role for Lady Vol teams from 1985-89, helping UT capture the program's first two NCAA Championships in 1987 and 1989. She was part of a senior class that remains one of only two in school history to make NCAA Final Four appearances in four consecutive seasons. She also helped UT claim the SEC Tournament Championships in 1988 and 1989, accumulating an overall record of 118-21 and a league mark of 27-9. Frost, who averaged double figures in points all four years of her career and led her team in rebounding in three seasons, was a three-time All-SEC First Team selection in 1987, 1988 and 1989. She was also a member of the 1989 NCAA All-Final Four and SEC All-Tournament Teams and a three-time NCAA All-Regional choice in 1986, 1987, and 1989. Frost remains one of only six Lady Vols in history to eclipse 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds during her career.

John Henderson | Football | 1998-2001
A dominant interior defender and Nashville native, John Henderson earned back-to-back first-team All-America honors his junior and senior seasons by exploding off the defensive line. In 2000 - a year Tennessee set a school record for fewest rushing yards allowed with 817 - he won the Outland Trophy, was a Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist and received SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. That season, Henderson tallied 64 tackles, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 12 sacks, which at the time ranked third in UT single-season history. He was an Outland Trophy finalist and a Lombardi Award semifinalist in 2001 despite a lingering ankle injury as he helped lead the Vols to the SEC Eastern Division title. He capped his career, earning Defensive MVP honors with six tackles in a 45-17 victory over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. A two-time first-team All-SEC recipient, Henderson finished his career with 162 total tackles and 20.5 sacks, which still ranks seventh in UT annals. Henderson was selected with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played 10 total NFL seasons and was a two-time Pro Bowler.

Stan Huntsman | Track & Field/Cross Country | 1971-85 (Posthumous)
In 15 seasons at the helm of Tennessee track & field and cross country, Stan Huntsman led the Volunteers to 31 Southeastern Conference titles (11 cross country, seven indoor, 13 outdoor), including eight consecutive outdoor championships in his first eight years at Tennessee. Huntsman guided the Vols to their first-ever team national championship in 1972 when UT claimed the NCAA Cross Country National Championship. He followed that up with Tennessee's first-ever NCAA Track & Field Championship when the team won the 1974 NCAA Outdoor title. As head coach, Huntsman also led Tennessee to top-three NCAA finishes four times in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. He was tabbed NCAA National Coach of the Year six times, earning the distinction for outdoor track (1974, 1976 and 1983), indoor track (1981 and 1982) and cross country (1972). Huntsman served as head track & field coach for the 1988 United States Olympic Team, and in 2004, he was enshrined into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. Huntsman, who is being inducted posthumously, passed away on Nov. 23, 2016.

Julie Knytych | Volleyball | 2002-05
A member of Tennessee volleyball's 2005 Final Four squad and the 2004 SEC Championship team, Julie Knytych is the Lady Vol record holder for career assists (5,803), career double-doubles (62), single-season assists (1,709) and single-season assists per set (13.67). She also ranks second in program history in assists per set and ninth in digs. The 2005 All-SEC Team selection's 5,803 assists are third all-time in conference history. Throughout her career, Knytych earned AVCA All-America recognition twice, being tabbed to the third team in 2004 and receiving honorable mention status in 2005. During both seasons, she also garnered SEC All-Tournament Team honors and AVCA All-Region Team awards. She was also a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection during her time on Rocky Top.

Ann Baker Furrow | Trailblazer Inductee
Ann Baker Furrow was the first Lady Vol golfer, playing on the men's golf team at UT in 1964 and 1965, being named to a men's golf scholarship during the very brief period when the Southeastern Conference allowed women to play on men's varsity teams. She was the first (and only) woman to play on a UT men's varsity team and the first to hold an athletic scholarship. She was successful her freshman year, ending the season playing third "man." In her sophomore year, the SEC passed a ruling prohibiting women from competing on men's sports teams but stating that those already competing could continue. Furrow was also the first recipient of a Neyland Scholarship and the first woman (and the youngest person) appointed to the UT Board of Trustees, upon which she served for 18 years. As an amateur golfer, Furrow had a distinguished career. In 1962 she won the Western Junior Championships and placed second at the USGA National Amateur. She was then the number-one-ranked female golfer and the 10th-ranked golfer overall in the United States. In 1991, when the Women's Athletics Department began adding golf as a sport for 1992, Furrow worked with Athletics Director Joan Cronan on its establishment and hiring the first golf coach, Linda Franz (Sower). She has been inducted into the Tennessee, Greater Knoxville, and Blount sports halls of fame.

Jim Haslam | Legacy Inductee
The first recipient of this award in the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame is Jim Haslam, who has embodied sustained excellence and integrity and has gone above and beyond in contributions and support of our athletics programs here at Tennessee. This award is presented to individuals who have attained outstanding success and national or international distinction in their profession or life's work and whose accomplishments reflect admirably on or bring honor to Tennessee Athletics and the University of Tennessee. Drawn to the University of Tennessee by his love of football, Haslam was team captain of the Volunteers in 1952 under the coaching of Gen. Robert Neyland. After graduating from UT, he served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. Once he completed active duty, he put his finance degree to good use when he opened his first gas station in Gate City, Virginia, in 1958. He built that one station into Pilot Flying J, North America's largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas and one of the nation's largest privately held companies. Over the years, Haslam has served the university in numerous capacities, epitomizing what it means to be a Tennessee Volunteer. He is the former vice chair of the UT Board of Trustees, a founding member of the UT Foundation Board of Directors, co-chair for the statewide Campaign for Tennessee, a member of the board of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and a lifetime member of the Haslam College of Business Dean's Advisory Council. In 2009, Haslam was named a UT Distinguished Alumnus.

University of Tennessee Athletics

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