Buckley: High school football coach steals show at Memphis Sports Hall of Fame
2026 Memphis Sports Hall of Fame inductee Roosevelt Hancock gets a kiss from his granddaughter, Kaila Hearn, at the Renasant Convention Center. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Tim Buckley
Tim is a veteran sportswriter who graduated from CBHS in Memphis and the University of Missouri. He previously covered LSU sports in Baton Rouge, and the University of Louisiana football and basketball for The Daily Advertiser/USA TODAY Network in Lafayette, the NBA’s Utah Jazz for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, and West Texas State basketball for the Amarillo Globe News in Texas.
A Major League Baseball coach. A two-time NBA All-Star. A couple of Pro Bowl picks who won Super Bowls.
A three-time Naismith Coach of the Year honoree who led Kentucky to a national championship.
It’s no wonder a Renasant Convention Center meeting room was packed with more than 500 folks Wednesday night, most of them there to support and celebrate the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame’s nine Class of 2026 inductees. More than 50 dinner tables were sold for the event, the most since the Hall inducted its first class in 2019 and about a dozen more tables than in past years.
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.
Topics
Memphis Sports Hall of Fame Roosevelt Hancock Hamilton High John Calipari Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
Did you know we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization? We rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and other earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉🏽 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉🏽 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Related stories
High school football 2022: Despite a state-long losing streak, confidence is sky high at Hamilton
Hamilton’s last victory came in 2016, but first-year coach Jerel Blanchard has his team believing.
Basketball legend Larry Kenon reflects on time with the Tigers. But he won’t brag on himself.
The former Tiger, who became an NBA star, was honored at the “Tigers on Tour” event in Brentwood before his induction into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
Buckley: Stephen Gostkowski had a point to make. The Tiger kicker nailed it.
On the day he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, former Tigers football and baseball player Stephen Gostkowski had something to say about Memphis’ basketball program.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories? If you’re a subscriber, scroll down to the comments. If you’re not a subscriber, only paid subscribers can add their thoughts, so subscribe now. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.