Nominate for the GKSHOF.

Since 1982, the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony has celebrated Knoxville sports with some of the area’s finest sports achievers. Each year, ten local individuals are inducted into the Hall of Fame for their achievements in athletics, coaching, sports administration, or officiating. Other honorees include Knoxville’s Most Outstanding Male and Female High School Athletes of the Year, the Chad Pennington Professional Athlete of the Year, the Pat Summitt Ignite Greatness Award and other significant special recognition award recipients. The event was founded in 1982 by Emmet P. “Buck” Vaughn, Jr., with founding sponsors Pilot and Cherokee Distributing. Through the years, the event has attracted loyal support from some of the most visible corporations in the Knoxville area. The event is among the most prestigious sports recognition ceremonies in the nation and is one of the most highly attended sports hall of fame banquets in the country. Last year’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony sold over 1,300 tickets.

Some of the most notable sports celebrities in the country have been featured in the past ceremonies, including Archie Manning, Todd Helton, Johnny Bench, Chad Pennington, Dr. Jerry Punch, Todd Blackledge, Greg Gumbel, Rocky Bleier, Bobby Bowden, Bud Grant, Pat Summitt, Phillip Fulmer, Roy Kramer, Lou Holtz, Peyton Manning, Jeff Gordon, and Inky Johnson.