Hedman one of five in Hall of Fame Class of 2008

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Chris Hedman was twice named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and helped the Tennessee Tech men's tennis team capture the 1990 Ohio Valley Conference championship. It was just the second OVC title for Tech - the first in 21 years - and snapped a 10-year run of titles by Murray State.

Because of his leadership and success, Hedman is one of five people who will be enshrined into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame November 7 as the school honors its athletic legacy with the 34th annual induction ceremony.


The 2008 Hall of Fame Class will be honored during Homecoming weekend, Nov. 7-8. The induction will take place at the Hall of Fame Dinner Friday evening, and the group will also be recognized at the Homecoming football game Saturday against Jacksonville State.

That Hedman-fueled OVC championship in men's tennis helped Tech capture the 1990 Ohio Valley Conference Men's All-Sports Trophy, the only time TTU has won that honor.

Following in the tradition established by Juan Escudero, a 2005 Hall of Fame inductee and Tech's only other two-time Player of the Year, Hedman earned OVC Player of the Year awards in 1989 and 1990. After Tech finished as runnerup in the league in 1989 with a 5-1 OVC record, it was Hedman's leadership which helped coach Randy Smith's team win the league title in 1990 with a perfect 6-0 mark.

During his three seasons, the Golden Eagles compiled a 54-18 overall record including a 15-3 record in conference matches. Hedman filled the top spot throughout his three-year career, playing at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in every match.

Individually, despite facing the toughest competition each opponent could throw at him, Hedman still managed a remarkable won-loss record and his winning percentages in singles and doubles play ranks as the second-best in school history.

As a sophomore, Hedman was 19-8 in singles and 16-6 in doubles. His junior year when Tech won the OVC title, Hedman posted a 20-6 singles record and went 14-7 in doubles. As a senior, he was 12-8 in singles and 10-4 in doubles.

Overall, Hedman finished his career with a 51-22 record in singles play for a 69.8 percent winning percentage. In doubles matches, he went 40-17 overall for a 70.1 winning percentage. His combined mark of 91-39 was good for a 70 percent winning mark. All three winning percentages are the highest in school history for a player at No. 1, and are the second-highest career percentages overall.

A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Hedman was named all-OVC in both singles and doubles play in 1989, and in 1990 he repeated as an all-OVC winner in singles.

In addition to Hedman, the Class of 2008 includes Mark Maberry, John "Shakey" McClellan, Rachel Melchiorre and Tom Pack. With their induction, the Hall of Fame will grow to 148 since it was established in 1975.

Tickets to the Hall of Fame Dinner and the game are available by calling (931) 372-3940, or through the Athletics ticket office in Eblen Center. Reservations must be made for the dinner, and tickets are $25 each.