Photo by: Kelcie Hathcock
The second class of members to be inducted into the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame has been announced and the ceremony is set for Saturday, April 20.
The 2013 hall of fame class is made up of John Archer, John “Doc” Anderson, Bobby Enslen, Chan Gailey, Danny Grant, Joyce Sorrell, Willie Tullis and Lawrence Tynes.
The ceremony is going to be the prime event of a jam packed weekend that includes Troy baseball, softball and football playing the annual T-Day Spring game.
The price to attend the Hall of Fame ceremony in Trojan Area is set at $100 a ticket while getting a table is $800.
John Archer made his mark at Troy when he coached the basketball team from (1956-1973) when Archer’s success early in his coaching career at Troy State led to the three NAIA National Tournaments in his first three seasons. Archer, who passed away in August of 1998, had a career coaching record of (303-185).
John “Doc” Anderson made a name for himself at Troy as the track and field and cross country coach head from (1969- 1980) and head athletic trainer (1965-1980). Anderson left Troy for a decade to work for LSU, but in 1990 he returned to coach the Trojans. Anderson coached 45 All-Americans while at Troy including Troy University Sports Hall of Fame inductee Charles Oliver.
For Bobby Enslen, who played football for Troy back in the late ‘60s, his numbers still stand in the school record books as some of the best to ever strap on the helmet. Enslen had 61 grabs for 970 yards and 12 touchdowns back in 1968 when Troy State won the NAIA National Championship. Enslen’s 90-yard punt return against Samford back in 1968 is still the school record at Troy.
Former Troy head football coach Chan Gaily was in charge for only two seasons but he was able to lift the football program to a Division II National Championship in 1984, just his second year. Gaily’s impact on the team even helped lead to another national championship in 1987 for the Trojans after he was gone.
Another former receiver for Troy whose name will be enshrined is that of Danny Grant, who holds the school record for career touchdowns with 44 which is a staggering 17 more than the next best Trojan. Grant was named NAIA All-America in 1968 the same year Troy State won the National Championship. In ’68 the All-American had 72 catches for 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns a state line that would make Grant the first player in school history to surpass 1,000 yards receiving in a single season.
The Troy University Sports Hall of Fame wouldn’t be complete without the mother of Troy women’s athletics, Joyce Sorrell. Sorrell built women’s athletics from the ground up in 1976 serving as the women’s basketball, volleyball and tennis coach at Troy State. She is most known for her success on the basketball court though, because Sorrell coached the women’s team for 20 years (1975-1995) and still has the most wins as the Trojans’ women’s basketball coach with 274 career victories.
The speedy quarterback Willie Tullis was also made immortal in the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame for his numbers that have stood the test of time from back in his collegiate days. In his All-American year in 1980, Tullis rushed for 450 yards and six touchdowns while passing for 1,880 yards and 14 touchdowns. After college, Tullis moved on to the NFL where he played for the Oilers, Saints, and Colts from 1981-1988. The Trojan made his school proud in his first game as an Oiler when he took a kickoff 95 yards against the Rams for a touchdown.
The last new addition to the second hall of fame class is the well known two time Super Bowl Champion Lawrence Tynes. The Trojan kicker who was (111 for 113) in extra point attempts at Troy was kicked at a 77.2 percentage, which is good for second in school history. Tynes has made 82 percent of his field goal attempts while in the NFL with the Chiefs and the Giants.
Over the years as fans file into Trojan Arena, the names of these individuals worthy of the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame will never be forgotten for how they paved the way for the Trojans that walk the campus today.
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