Considered perhaps the most influential person in the history of the University, Dr. Everett Deryberry had a tremendous impact on every phase of its development, including the athletic program. He helped Tech enter the newly-formed OVC in 1948 and, in 1977, was a charter inductee into the league’s Hall of Fame. Following his retirement, he received the Distinguished American Award from the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame and established the Derryberry Award for a graduating Tech senior, with criteria similar to those for Rhodes Scholarships.