Dupes will be ninth from Tech into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Friends and fans who would like to attend the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction of Former Tennessee Tech football player and assistant coach Bill Dupes have just a few weeks remaining to order tickets for the February 19th dinner at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville.

The deadline to order tickets -- either individual seats or a full table -- is Friday, January 29. The cost of the dinner is $125 per person, or a full table of eight seats is $1,000. Tickets may be ordered by calling (615) 242-4750 or by sending an email request to: lpowell@tshf.net.

As a standout high school player at Sweetwater High School and Tennessee Military Academy, Bill Dupes was offered a scholarship to attend Tennessee Tech University where the three-year starter was elected team captain his senior year, was named All-Ohio Valley Conference and Honorable Mention Little All-American.

Dupes began his coaching career at Tech serving as an assistant helping the Eagles to a Tangerine Bowl victory and winning two Ohio Valley Championships.

In 1963 he took over an Austin Peay program that had not had a winning season for more than a decade. In his second season at the helm he led the Governors to an 8-1-1 record earning unanimous selection as OVC Coach of the Year. During his tenure at APSU he had 23 players earn first-team All-OVC honors in addition to four being selected first-team Little All-American.

He returned to high school coaching in 1976, first at TMI and later his prep alma mater, Sweetwater where he led his team to a state title in 1993. He retired from coaching in 1998 ending a 44 year career.

He was inducted into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.

Dupes will become the ninth person from Tennessee Tech to be inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Previous inductees include Raymond "Bull" Brown, Hooper Eblen, Tom Fann, P.V. "Putty" Overall, Emmett Strickland, Wilburn Tucker, Star Wood and Jim Youngblood.

For more information on the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, visit the website at: www.tshf.net/index.htm