By: Caleb Odom
Eight more Trojans were enshrined forever on Saturday April 20, in the Troy Sports Hall of Fame as the hall’s second class.
It was on a day full of Troy Athletics events that included football’s spring game, Trojan baseball and a softball doubleheader so it was fitting for legends of the school were recognized then.
The 2013 class consisted of John ‘Doc’ Anderson, John Archer, Bobby Enslen, Chan Gaily, Danny Grant, Joyce Sorrell, Willie Tullis and Lawrence Tynes.
Sorrell, who is known as the mother of women’s athletics at Troy University for cultivating the majority of the female sports into what they are today, only had positive things to say about what Troy has become over the years.
“Everything is growing and there are wonderful things going on at Troy University,” Sorrell said.
Sorrell said she wished she was still coaching at Troy because she could use the new Trojan Arena as a recruiting tool.
The mother of women’s athletics was taken by surprise when she found out that she was a Troy Sports Hall of Famer.
“This is a real humbling experience,” Sorrell said. “I’m really surprised and honored.”
This year’s smaller Hall of Fame class has four former football players and a former football coach in it.
Bobby Enslen was a legendary wide receiver back in the late 60s when Troy State won the NAIA National Championship in 1968.
The football coach who was immortalized in the hall of fame was Chan Gaily for the work he did to turn the Trojans into Division II National Champions twice in the 80s.
Danny Grant, the record holding wide receiver from the late 60s, was also enshrined forever.
Then there is Willie Tullis, the quarterback from the 80s who burned through opposing defenses with both his arm and his speedy legs.
Tullis, who had an eight year career in the NFL playing for the Oilers, Saints and Colts, was blown away when he found out that he was a Troy Sports Hall of Famer.
“Wow, I don’t know where to start,” Tullis said. “Everything is just immaculate here and it’s better than I thought it would be. It’s bigger than I thought it would be. It’s quite an honor to be selected to something like this forever.”
Tullis was able to watch the Trojans play in their spring game and he was impressed with the 2013 squad.
“I thought the team has a lot of talent,” Tullis said. “I thought they looked very well with their skill positions.”
Returning to his school, Tullis was able to see a dream become a reality with what Troy is today.
“It was Division II when I was here, and we were building a foundation true enough but where they are now is, oh my God,” Tullis said. “They are at that spot where we wanted to be thirty years ago.”
Lawrence Tynes, a former Trojan kicker who now has two Super Bowl rings to his credit, was the last football player in the 2013 class.
“It means a lot,” Tynes said. “I walked on here seventeen years ago and to think that I’m going to be up here with all these other athletes.”
John ‘Doc’ Anderson is known for coaching the Trojans in cross country and track & field.
The final member of the 2013 hall of fame class was the late John Archer, who led the Trojan basketball team with a (303-185) record from 1956-1973.
The second class of the Troy Sports Hall of Fame is full of individuals who made the university proud with their performances but more importantly with their character and that will never be forgotten.
