September 29, 2011

Five selected for induction into TTU Sports Hall of Fame Nov. 4

Five persons have been selected for induction into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame, with ceremonies scheduled for Friday, Nov. 4. The five inductees come from the football, women's tennis and volleyball teams.

List includes (in photo from left to right): Bayburt, Broyles, Duncan, Evitts and McMillan

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Two teammates who were part of a football squad that set championship standards in the Ohio Valley Conference, a record-setting tennis player who helped take the women’s program to the top, an All-American linebacker who earned national recognition, and a volleyball player who excelled on the court and in the classroom have been selected for induction this year into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2011, which will be inducted on Friday, Nov. 4, during Homecoming festivities, features football stalwarts Ralph Broyles and James “Red” McMillan, tennis pioneer Esra Bayburt, linebacker Chad Evitts, and Academic All-America volleyball standout Angie Duncan.

Broyles and McMillan were both key players in Tennessee Tech’s most successful stretch on the gridiron, helping coach Wilburn Tucker’s team roll to four consecutive OVC championships.

Broyles was a member of the 1959 and 1960 teams and was named first-team all-OVC as a senior. That year he led the team in rushing, all-purpose yards and scoring. McMillan was an all-OVC lineman who played on all four championship squads from 1958 to 1961.

It took Bayburt the blink of an eye to establish herself as the best player in Tech women’s tennis history. In her first month on the roster under coach Randy Smith, she was 14-1 and ranked 58^th in the nation – the first Tech women’s tennis player to break into the Top 100. Bayburt played at No. 1 singles and was a three time all-OVC selection, finishing her career with a combined 168-81 overall record.

One of the most dominating defensive players in school history, Evitts led the football team from 1997-2000 under coach Mike Hennigan and collected a long list of individual honors and awards. Named to three different All-America teams following his senior season, Evitts was the OVC Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the top I-AA defensive player in the nation.

When the OVC added women’s volleyball to its sponsored sports in 1983, Tennessee Tech stepped forward to dominate the league by winning four consecutive Southern Division championships and Duncan was one of the primary forces for coach Sharron Bilbrey’s team. Duncan, who not only stood out on the court but also received national recognition for her academic success with three Academic All-America honors in addition to her all-OVC awards.

In-depth stories on each of the five inductees will be released in late October. The Hall of Fame Dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, in the Multipurpose Room of the Roaden University Center. Tickets for the dinner are $25 per person. For reservations, please call (931) 372-3940.