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Seven Inducted into Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019

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HUNTINGDON (May 4) — Seven former Carroll County athletes and athletes from the former Webb School were honored during the eighteenth annual Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame Banquet at the Carroll County Civic Center. Ten high school senior athletes were also honored for their athletic ability.
Buddy Smothers, chairman, served as emcee of the event.
The class of 2019 included: Richard Foster, Erin Harris, Jimmie Van Leach, Clint Parker, Jimmy Pritchard, the late Emily Scarbrough Crandall, and Patrick Willis.
The high school seniors honored were: Macy Ward and Syn’Ann Williams of Clarksburg, Olivia Frazee and Dalton Williams of Hollow Rock-Bruceton, Alli Jones and Dallas Dion Willis of Huntingdon, Libby Oakley and Tyler Spivey of McKenzie, and Shelby Browning and Devin Nash of West Carroll.
Webb School athletes were also honored as a group. Ike Gilbert, president of the Webb Alumni Association, thanked the board of directors for including the athletes of the former all African-American school, that closed in 1966 after integration.
Mary Margaret Burrows, the niece of the late Emily Scarbrough Crandall, accepted the plaque on behalf of the Scarbrough family. All other inductees were accepted the award and offered kind remarks for their coaches, fellow players, and God.
Inductees Included:
Richard Foster — Richard Foster’s career started at Trezevant High School. He was a four year starter in basketball. He scored over 1,300 career points. He was a member of the All-District, All-Region and 3rd Team All-State. He helped lead his team to a 1964 State Tournament appearance. After graduation he was able to continue his education and successes in sports while attending Bethel University on a basketball scholarship. He played four years for Bethel from 1964-1967. After graduating from college, he became a successful coach in both Henderson and Madison counties. He coached basketball and football at Lexington High School for 22 years with over 400 wins. He led the girls’ team to a state tournament appearance in 1992. He was Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association – Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1986. He was The Jackson Sun Girls’ Coach of the Year for 1983 and 1984. He was District Coach of the Year for 1984, 1987 and 1988. He retired after 40 years of teaching and coaching in the high school environment.
Erin Harris — Erin was a big part of Clarksburg’s basketball history. He was named to the All-District Team in ‘06, ‘07, and ‘08. He was District MVP in ‘08 and was an All-Region selection in ‘08. Erin was All-West TN in ‘07 and Third Team in ‘08. He was selected to the first team All-State in ‘07. Erin was selected and played in the Golden Circle All-Star Game in 2008. Erin finished his high school career with 1,744 points and 1,083 rebounds. Erin received a basketball scholarship to Bevill State Community College in Alabama. He played his freshman year there and then signed with Bethel. He played 3 years with Bethel while earning his bachelor’s degree. Erin is married to a former Clarksburg basketball standout, Ms. KeAndrea Jamison. They have one son, Erin Kendre Harris.

Jimmie Van Leach — While attending Atwood High School, Jimmie Van Leach was a four-year starter in both basketball and baseball. In his senior year, he received the “Most Valuable Player” Award. He was voted “Most Athletic” his senior year. He was privileged to play for Coach Robert Cursey and Coach Robert “Skip” Wolf. While he was at Atwood High School, Leach was recruited by former major league player, “Chick” King to play on his American Legion Team in Paris, TN. The next year the Ken-Ten League was formed. Leach was the starting pitcher for the All-Star Team for the first 2 years of the League’s existence. The last year he played in the Ken-Ten League, he was the number 2 hitter in batting average and number 3 in home run production. After pitching an American Legion game in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in the spring of 1973, Van was approached by a professional scout with the Cincinnati Reds who offered him a $10,000 bonus to sign a professional contract with the Reds. He turned it down. On the first day it was possible to sign a high school player in 1973, Leach was offered a full 4 year scholarship at UT-Martin. Van became a Pacer. Following his sophomore season, Van left sports to pursue a career in law enforcement.
Clint Parker — Clint Parker played basketball, football and one year of baseball for Huntingdon High School. Clint received several awards such as best re-bounder Mustangs, Defensive Lineman Award, and All District Basketball, All Region and All State Football. Clint played both tight end on offense and defensive end and was selected to play in the annual Kentucky/Tennessee All Star Game. Clint received a full scholarship to Murray State University where he excelled as an offensive lineman. He was selected to the All Ohio Valley Conference Award three of his four years. He received Honorable Mention All OVC his sophomore year, Second Team All OVC his junior year and First Team All OVC his senior year. He helped lead his team to a conference championship. Clint was recognized in 2017 at the Murray State Homecoming for his accomplishments. His team has been the last team to win a championship. Clint graduated from Murray State University in 2003 with a BS Degree in Criminal Justice and is employed at the Germantown Police Dept. He holds the rank of lieutenant and serves as a training officer and a member of their elite Swat Team. He is married to Frances Cases Parker and they have a daughter, Kayce Long.
Jimmy Pritchard — Jimmy Pritchard played football at Huntingdon High School. His senior team went undefeated and finished as #3 team in the state. There were no classifications in 1966. The two schools ahead of Huntingdon were private schools. He was voted best tackler and also was on the All-Volunteer Conference Team as a guard. He attended UT-Martin and earned a degree in Education with a major in Social Studies and History. He was hired in 1971 as McKenzie Jr. High coach and assistant coach for jr. high basketball and senior high football. He moved back to Huntingdon in 1976 and started his career as a Mustang coach with various assistant coaching jobs until 2007. In 1993, he was promoted to defensive coordinator, under Coach Mike Mansfield. His last year to coach was 2007 for a total of 37 years. He taught school for 40 years. He is married to Betty Pritchard. They have two children, Beth Guess and Nicholas Pritchard and four grandchildren.
Emily Scarbrough Crandall — Emily Scarbrough Crandall led McKenzie High School to a district basketball championship, region tournament, and first every state tournament appearance. Again her junior and senior years the McKenzie girls won the district tournament and advanced to the regional tournament. She carried the team to 3 district championships and 1 regional championship. She was All-District and All-Region both her junior and senior years. Emily started for McKenzie High School for 4 years. Emily was one of the top scorers in the state her senior year (1966). In the district tournament in Paris, Emily’s senior year, she scored 43 points in a 60 – 36 win over Buchanan. In the district championship game she scored 37 point in a 40 – 37 win over powerhouse Dover. Emily passed away November 6, 2000, at the age of 52, from breast cancer.
Patrick Willis — Patrick Willis was a three-sport athlete at Hollow Rock–Bruceton Central High School from 1999-2003. During his career at CHS he earned four letters in both football and basketball and three in baseball. While he received district and regional honors in basketball, it was football where he really excelled. As a standout on defense for the Tigers, he earned first-team All-State honors as a linebacker his junior and senior years. Also, during his senior year, he was listed as first-team All-State of all classes combined. Other honors include Regional MVP and West Tennessee Player of the Year. The culmination of his high school career was his selection as TSSAA Class A Mr. Football Lineman Award. Patrick was the first player to be a finalist for both the back and lineman award. In February 2003, Patrick signed a letter of intent to play football for the University of Mississippi. During his freshman year he appeared in all 13 games where he recorded 20 tackles as a member of the kickoff team and backup linebacker. Also, during this year, he won the Scholar-Athlete Award on behalf of the Ole Miss Chapter of National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. As a sophomore, Patrick played in 10 of 11 games recording 70 tackles of which 54 were solo. For his efforts, he was awarded Honorable Mention All Southeastern Conference. During his junior year, Patrick led the SEC in tackles with 128 stops which ranked 6th nationally in this category. For his efforts, he was named first-team All-SEC, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American. Several of these games were played with a cast on his right hand as the result of an injury against Vanderbilt. At the conclusion of spring intersquad Grove Bowl game, Patrick was awarded the recipient of the Chucky Mullins Award for courage and character. During his senior year, he would wear the number 38 in honor of Mullins’ memory. He was also selected as a team captain. During his senior year, Patrick once again led the SEC with 137 tackles and repeated as first-team All-SEC, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and consensus All American. Other honors included the Jack Lambert, Dick Butkus, and Conley Awards. His collegiate career was topped off by his being named Defensive MVP of the Senior Bowl. Patrick was the 11th pick of the first round of the National Football League by the San Francisco 49ers in 2007 with whom he spent his entire career. As starter from the beginning of his professional career, he recorded 950 tackles, 8 interceptions, 16 forced fumbles, and two touchdowns. During his first year, he was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He played in seven Pro Bowls, five as a starter. In 2009, he was awarded the Butkus Award as a professional. Patrick retired from the NFL in 2014 following a foot injury. On December 10, 2019, Patrick will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place at the Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York City.

History of Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame
The Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 2001 and the first inductee banquet was April 16, 2002.
The purpose of the Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame is: “To honor the outstanding achievements of Carroll Countians in the realm of athletics and to perpetuate the memory of their career and service.”
The members of the Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame Board are: Buddy Smothers-Chairman, Angie Bartholomew-Secretary/Treasurer, Charles McGregor, Stan Welch, Dan Ridley, John Sanders, Russell Bush, Darrell Tucker, Randy Thomas and Keith McGee.