Star Staff Reports
Jasmine Newsome
MARTIN — The University of Tennessee at Martin has unveiled its Hall of Fame additions, as Heather Butler (women’s basketball, 2010-14), Tymikia Gunn-Glenn (track and field, 1999-2002), Jay Johnson (football/baseball, 1970-73), Jasmine Newsome (women’s basketball, 2010-14), DeWayne “Pooh” Powell (men’s basketball, 1992-96) and Taurean Stephens (football, 2003-06) make up the star-studded Class of 2019.
These six will officially be enshrined at the 36th Annual Letter Winner’s Breakfast on Saturday, Nov. 2. This year’s event will take place in the Russell Duncan Ballroom at the Boling University Center at 7:30 a.m.
Butler helped the Skyhawk women’s basketball program reach unprecedented heights, pouring in 2,865 career points – which ranks as the most in Ohio Valley Conference history and was 16th on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list. A four-time All-OVC first team selection and 2014 OVC Player of the Year, she guided UT Martin to 87 victories and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. She scored in double-figures in all 129 games of her career (the second-longest streak in NCAA history) and tied an NCAA record with 392 three-pointers during her illustrious career. The Medina, Tenn. native became the first-ever OVC player to earn a spot on a WNBA roster when she played for the San Antonio Stars in 2014.
During her Skyhawk tenure, Gunn-Glenn shattered seven track and field school record which still stand to this day. The Memphis, Tenn. native competed in mostly sprints, hurdles and jump events and made an immediate impact – setting five program records in her first two seasons. She still holds the school record in the indoor 60-meter run (7.98), indoor 60-meter hurdles (9.20), indoor triple jump (37-10.25′), outdoor 100-meter hurdles (14.80), outdoor triple jump (38-9′) as well as taking part in the record-setting indoor 4×400 relay (3:54.56) and outdoor 4×400 relay (3:45.99).
An Exeter, Calif. native, Johnson nabbed All-Gulf South Conference accolades in both football (1972) and baseball (1973) during his UT Martin playing career. A defensive end on the gridiron, he earned National Player of the Week honors in 1971. On the diamond, he was a catcher who collected a .385 batting average with 15 doubles, nine home runs, 42 RBI’s and 46 runs scored. He hit a team-high .420 with seven homers and 26 RBI’s in only 25 games as a junior in 1972, helping UT Martin to a 21-9 record and its second consecutive trip to the national postseason tournament.
At the forefront of the Skyhawks’ 2010-14 success in women’s basketball was Newsome, who was a four-time All-OVC first team selection, two-time OVC Player of the Year and three-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year. Starting in all 131 games of her career, she became the school’s first Associated Press All-American in 2013, helping lead UT Martin to its first four NCAA Tournament appearances. The Millington Central High School product ranked only behind teammate (and Class of 2019 Hall of Fame inductee) Heather Butler in all-time scoring (2,566 points) at the OVC level while setting the Skyhawk school record with 681 career assists.
Powell was named to the All-OVC men’s basketball squad in each of his four seasons, leaving as the league’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made (302). He currently tops UT Martin’s all-time record book in three-pointers and steals (263) while he also ranks in the top-five in program history in points (1,626, fourth) and assists (330, fifth). The Fort Wayne, Ind. native started in all 107 of his career games and helped lead the Skyhawks to their first-ever winning season in OVC play during his senior season (9-7 in 1995-96).
A Cincinnati, Ohio native, Stephens was a two-time All-OVC recipient at wide receiver. He ranks second in UT Martin history in career receptions (201), career receiving yards (2,148) and career 100-yard receiving games (seven). His 201 catches rank ninth in OVC history as he is one of only two players in school history to nab at least 60 catches in three consecutive seasons (2003-05). He was a key part of the 2005 team that posted the program’s first winning season since 1993 and also the 2006 squad who won the school’s first OVC football championship.
Reservations can be made now up until Monday, Oct. 28 for $15 apiece, which includes breakfast. To make a reservation, contact Trudy Henderson at (731) 881-7630 or [email protected].
