April 12, 2009

(WVLT / GoVolsXtra) -- The Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2009.

Ten inductees will be honored July 9 at the Knoxville Convention Center. They are:

Craig Colquitt: The Knoxville native was an All-SEC punter at Tennessee 1976-77.

He played seven seasons in the NFL, six of them for the Pittsburgh Steelers, during which he won two Super Bowl rings.

Sons Dustin and Britton Colquitt were also punters at UT.

Pat Ryan: Came to Tennessee as a quarterback from Oklahoma and lettered in 1977. Ryan played with the New York Jets from 1978-89, mostly as a back-up, and 1991 with Philadelphia. His best year was 1984, when he started 11 games and accounted for 14 of his 31 career TD passes.

Ryan later served as color analyst with the Tennessee Titans.

John Heatherly: Coached baseball at Farragut High School from 1973-93. His Admirals won three regional titles and the 1982 state championship.

Heatherley sent 33 players on to college scholarships and four to professional baseball.

Harry A. "Cotton" Berrier: The long-time Gatlinburg golf professional was elected to the Tennessee PGA Hall of Fame in 2004.

Berrier was hired as the first professional at Gatlinburg Golf Course in 1955 and remained for 44 years. He was Tennessee Golf Professional of the Year in 1971 and 1985.

Al Neil: The California native played pro baseball in the minor-league systems of the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians and New York Giants and was a three-time league MVP.

He played two stints with the Knoxville Smokies and coached for 17 years in the Knoxville community.

John Dean: The Knoxville native retired after 32 years as head football coach and athletic director at Detroit Northern High School during which his teams made 15 Public School League playoff appearances.

An avid golfer, Dean has served as president of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Phil Savage: The Southern Illinois University graduate moved to Knoxville in 1980 to coach boys and girls gymnastics. He started the Knoxville Gymnastics Center in 1989.

Savage and wife Lisa have coordinated numerous prestigious gymnastics meets and he was the first coach inducted into the Tennessee Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2006.

Debby Jennings: The first and only director of media relations for the Tennessee Lady Vols is in her 32nd year on the job.

Jennings has won numerous professional awards and has been picked by the U.S. Olympic Committee to help coordinate media relations at several international events, including the 1984 and 1996 Olympic Games.

Valerie Bachman: A 1991 graduate at Tennessee, she ran track and cross country from 1986-90 as Valerie Bertrand, winning multiple All-America awards.

Bachman has been a member of the Knoxville Track Club since 1991 and has placed in the top three in many area road races.

Ted Cook: The West Virginia native played basketball at Tennessee before and after serving in World War II and was the Vols' co-captain in 1946-47.

He was also a captain of the golf team at UT and later an assistant coach. Cook was the Deane Hill Club Champion four times.