TICUA names MC alum Roy Kramer ’51 among 2022 Hall of Fame inductees
Oct. 12, 2022
Add another feather in the cap of Roy Kramer ’51: The distinguished Maryville College alumnus was recently selected as one of 24 new inductees into the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities (TICUA) Hall of Fame.
A native of Maryville, Tennessee, Kramer is already a member of the Maryville College Wall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame. He was named the 2016 East Tennessean of the Year by the East Tennessee Historical Society and recipient of the 2015 Good Scout Award by the Great Smoky Mountain Council of Boy Scouts of America.
Although his senior year was interrupted when he was called to serve during the Korean War, Kramer returned to Maryville and pursued coaching as a career after graduation. He led three different high school teams to Michigan state championships before moving up to the collegiate level, becoming head coach at Central Michigan University, where he was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1974. After 12 years as the athletic director at Vanderbilt University, he was selected as the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference from 1990 to 2002, where he created the SEC Conference Divisions and a Conference Championship game. He is also known as the father of the NCAA College Football Bowl Championship Series, as well as a gifted speaker and storyteller.
As part of the third class of TICUA Hall of Fame inductees, Kramer is joined by civil rights pioneer W.E.B. DuBois; former Tennessee Gov. Frank G. Clement; Dr. Mildred Stahlman, creator of the first neonatal intensive care unit; and more. TICUA and its member institutions selected the 24 alumni of this year’s Hall of Fame class for their contributions to Tennessee, the country, and the world in a variety of disciplines.
“The TICUA Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022, once again, demonstrates the incredible value a liberal arts education provides throughout a person’s lifetime,” TICUA President Dr. Claude Pressnell said in a press release. “We are proud to recognize this impressive group of alumni who have made significant contributions to their institutions, communities and society.”
The 2022 class of inductees includes civil rights activists; veterans; civic and faith leaders; medical pioneers; sport and business professionals; and passionate philanthropic and humanitarian leaders, all hailing from Tennessee private non-profit institutions. In addition to Kramer, other inductees include:
- Dr. Robert Bowers (Southern Adventist University)
- Dr. James Cantrell (Bethel University)
- Sherrie Claiborne (Lincoln Memorial University)
- Gov. Frank G. Clement (Cumberland University)
- Dr. William Cochran (Southern College of Optometry)
- David Coffey (King University)
- Adam Dale (Lee University)
- Dr. Judith Kofroth Domer (Tusculum University)
- Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (Fisk University)
- Dr. David Eubanks (Johnson University)
- Dr. Stephen Flatt (Lipscomb University)
- Nicholas Brody (N.B.) Hardeman (Freed-Hardeman University)
- Beverly Jordan (Baptist Health Sciences University)
- Frank H. Knight (Milligan University)
- Dr. Ryan Mire (Rhodes College)
- Mother Anna Grace Neenan, O.P. (Aquinas College)
- Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Mastin Robeson (Bryan College)
- Dr. Beth Rushing (Carson-Newman University)
- Dr. Rondy Smith (Trevecca Nazarene University)
- Dr. Mildred Stahlman (Vanderbilt University)
- Rebecca Stevens-Hummon (The University of the South)
- Isaac Burton Tigrett (Union University)
- Jesse Tyson (Lane College)
- Betty Wiseman (Belmont University)
For more information, visit the TICUA 2022 Hall of Fame website.