Sweetwater High School has announced six new members of the school’s athletic Hall of Fame.
The 1965 Sweetwater football team is joined by Kippy Brown, Emily Cleveland-Roy, Heather Lenoir-Ervin, Dustin Latham and Anna Stutts as the Class of 2024.
“The tradition here is like none other in any other community I have lived in. How rich and embedded this tradition is, not even in the high school but the community as a whole, I think this Hall of Fame has even enhanced this tradition,” Sweetwater Hall of Fame Coordinator Sarah Davies said.
The 1965 football team finished the season undefeated with 10 wins and one tie. The season included five shutouts with an average of 7.7 points allowed per game.
The offense averaged 30.5 points per game. The season saw wins over Tellico Plains, Englewood, Vonore, East Ridge, Spring City, Meigs County, Loudon, Rule, Madisonville and Knoxville West.
The Wildcats beat rivals Meigs County 38-0 and Loudon 42-20.
The ‘65 team came one or two years after the school’s integration, with Hall of Famer King Berrong leading the program.
David Berrong quarterbacked the team with Joe White as running back. Another captain, Larry Arwood, led the team.
“Springboarded Sweetwater to the success they have had over the years because it set the tone,” Monroe County Schools Ninth through 12th-grade curriculum and Instruction Director Eric Weaver said.
The team included Coach King Berrong, Doug Alexander, Larry Arwood, David Berrong, Rodney Best, Gary Brown, Vaughn Denton, Butch Ervin, Steve Fleming, Jerry Gibson, Danny Green, Joe Guyer, Ross Hadorn, John Hitson, Billy Hicks, Clarence Hicks, Doug Hicks, Gary Hicks, Mike Hicks, Billy Ray Kile, Eugene Kirkland, Kelvin Martin, Joe McCosh, Alan Miller, Joe Montooth, Jimmy Moore, Mitchel Moore, John Moser, Ronnie Moser, Doug Nelson, Scot Nelson, Robert Nichols, Melvin Oggs, Buddy Perry, Johnny Raby, Ronnie Ramsey, Ross Roy, Dennis Shope, Alvin Upton, Dewitt Upton, Robbie Vestal, Gary Vincent, Dale Waymier, Joe White, Tommy Wiggins and Kenneth Wilson.
Danny Green joins the Hall of Fame for the second time after being inducted as the coach of the 1993-94 state championship boys’ basketball team.
“A lot of them are no longer with us. To honor this team that made an impact and broke boundaries… and to mingle and listen to these people is crazy,” Davies said. “It is incredible how much pride and tradition there is in this community. I am glad to be able to help everybody and help this hall of fame.”
Brown led Sweetwater to its first two state championships in football in 1971 and ‘72. The Sweetwater legend quarterbacked the teams coached by King Berrong before playing at the University of Memphis and coaching throughout the country at the Division I, XFL and NFL levels.
Brown won Super Bowl XLVIII as a wide receivers coach with the Seattle Seahawks.
Cleveland-Roy, who currently coaches cross-country at the school, appears on the school’s record book with a 4:41 time in the 4x400 relay with Rachel Galyon, Nicole Pascale and Rachel Salsbury.
Cleveland-Roy is also a member of the Lee University athletics Hall of Fame.
Holding the record for rushing yards in program history, per Weaver, Latham was a dominant force for Wildcats football.
As a sophomore, Latham rushed for over 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. Across his career, Latham totaled over 80 touchdowns and 6,200 yards.
“I am telling you, he may be the best fullback I have ever coached,” former Sweetwater coach Mike Martin said in 2022.
In addition to being a two-time All-State player, Latham was a four-time All-County Player as well as a three-time All-County MVP and All-County Freshman of the Year.
He added four All-Region teams including two All-Region MVPs and All-Region Newcomer of the Year to his list.
Lenoir-Ervin was a multi-sport athlete at Sweetwater where she played basketball and softball in addition to her success in track. Per the University of Tennessee, she set 12 track records and still holds seven of those.
Lenoir-Ervin holds the points record in the pentathlon with 3,270, the record in 100M dash at 12.37, the record in 100M hurdles at 17.7, 200m hurdles at 26.96 and 4x200M hurdles at 1:58.30.
She also has the school’s fourth-best high jump at 4-foot-10.
Stutts won two state championships in the discus throw for Sweetwater. Winning Class A-AA’s discus consecutively in 2002 and 2003, she finished with scores of 105-05 and 106-9.
All four of her throws in 2002 would have won the championship.
The selection process sees nominees go through two committees before being selected for induction.
“It is all prominent members that know the history of Sweetwater athletics, who have gone to school here, worked here and dedicated parts of their lives to Sweetwater and Sweetwater High School,” Davies said. “They know the history and the traditions that we have and how important it is.”
The school plans to announce a date for inductions soon.
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