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Union University Sports Hall of Fame
 
JACKSON, Tenn. – Union University has announced their Sports Hall of Fame class for the 2014-15 year. Five inductees and three meritorious service honorees make up this year's class. Joe Aden (men's basketball, 1962), Gary Blaylock (baseball, 1973), Mae Ester Coleman (women's basketball, 1984), Rachel Murray Buchanan (softball, 2002), and Steve Valadez (baseball, 1973) will be the five former athletes inducted. Union will also honor three individuals for meritorious service including Amos J. Davenport, Don Rayburn Richard, and Carlo Spencer.
 
The hall of fame banquet and ceremony will take place, Friday, February 13, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. in the Carl Grant Events Center on the campus of Union University. Tickets will be $15 per person and each table will seat eight. To register and pay online with a debit/credit card, CLICK HERE. For more information or to purchase tickets by cash or check, please contact Teresa Thomas at 731-661-5130 or Steven Aldridge at 731-661-5027 (saldridge@uu.edu).
  
Information on 2014-15 Union University Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
 
Joe Aden, Men's Basketball, 1962
Joe Aden came to Union from Dongola, Illinois. Aden played four years at Union from 1958-62, and was the team captain at Union all four seasons. He was named Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC), VSAC All-Tournament, District 24 All-Tournament, and was the leading scorer for Union during his four seasons. He was named as the Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC) most valuable player following his senior season. Aden was named NCAA All-South Region as a senior. Aden averaged 18 points per game in 1961 and 11.7 points per game in 1962. At the time, he held the record for free throws in a game with 19.
 
As a senior in high school, Aden was the third leading scorer in the nation averaging 36.6 points per game. He finished his high school career with 3,031 points and averaged 28.3 per game. He was named a High School All-American.
 
Aden, who currently resides in East Cape, Illinois, was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. In 2014, he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum. He served as the mayor of East Cape, Ill. for 34 years, and in 2009 was honored with his own day, the Joe Aden Day for Mayor. He graduated from Dongola High School in 1958. After his time at Union, he went on to earn a Master of Art Degree from Southeast Missouri State University in 1968.
 
Gary Blaylock, Baseball, 1973
Gary Blaylock was a first baseman on the Union baseball team from 1971-1973. He ranks second all-time at Union in home runs, finishing his career with 36 home runs.
 
As a senior, Blaylock hit .333 with 10 home runs 28 RBI, 32 hits, seven doubles, 27 runs scored and two triples. In three seasons, he led Union in home runs and RBI each season, posted double figures in home runs each season (11, 11, and 14).
 
In the NAIA District 24 tournament opening game against Cumberland (Tenn.) College, Blaylock hit three home runs with the last being a game winner in the bottom of the ninth inning.
 
Blaylock signed with the Kansas City Royals baseball organization at the end of the season. He played minor league baseball for four seasons in the New York-Penn League, California League, and Southern League.
 
After his playing career, Blaylock taught school for 28 years at Malden High School in Missouri. He coached football, basketball, track, softball, baseball, and golf at the high school level. He has been named teacher of the year four different times at the local and regional levels. He also ran a grain elevator for six years. He retired in May of 2007.
 
Mae Ester Coleman, Women's Basketball, 1984
Mae Ester Coleman has been a lifelong resident of Humboldt, Tenn. She led Humboldt High School to the 1979 TSSAA State Title. She was named to the Carnation Academic All-American team, Parade High School All-American, and McDonald's High School All-American. As a senior, she was named all-district, all-region, all-state, and the Jackson Sun Player of the Year. Coleman averaged 39.8 points per game and holds seven state tournament records.
 
Coleman holds the current Union record for most points in a regulation with 44 points versus the University of Montevallo (Ala.) during the 1982-83 season. She played for Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC) Championship team in 1982. She led Union women's basketball team to consistent top-15 NAIA National Rankings during her time at Union. In 1982-83, Coleman played in 29 games, scored 504 points (17.4/game), grabbed 192 rebounds, dished out 87 assists, had 56 steals, and blocked 13 shots. She was named VSAC All-Conference and VSAC West Division MVP. She was in the top-20 in NAIA in scoring, while also ranking in the top-10 in NAIA in field goal and free throw percentage. In 1981-82, Coleman played in 23 games, with 369 points (16.0/game), 193 rebounds, 41 assists, and 36 steals. In 1982, she set the school record at the time with a .532 field goal percentage for a season and finished with the best career field goal percentage record at .532. In 1984, she earned the team's Rebound Award.
 
Before Union, Coleman played two years at Middle Tennessee State University where she was named the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Freshman of the Year and was runner-up for Player of the Year in the OVC.
 
Coleman is also a member of the Gibson County Sports Hall of Fame.
 
Rachel Murray Buchanan, Softball, 2002
Rachel Murray Buchanan came to Union from Herrin, Illinois and helped put a recently started Union softball program on the national map. She posted a career record of 126 wins, 22 losses, and two saves with a 0.58 ERA over her four seasons with the softball team. She appeared in 154 games, had 148 starts, 123 complete games, and 68 shutouts. Murray Buchanan tossed 970 innings with 1,257 career strikeouts. Offensively, she posted a .318 career averaged with 216 hits, 151 runs, 20 doubles, 17 triples, three home runs, and 95 RBI. She also stole 48 career bases. Murray helped Union win four TranSouth Conference Regular Season titles (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002), four TranSouth Tournament Titles (1999, 2000. 2001, 2002), two NAIA Region XI titles (2001, 2002), one MidSouth Region Title (1999), three NAIA National Tournament appearances (1999, 2001, 2002) with a best finish of 3^rd place in 2001, four NCCAA National Tournament appearances (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002), and two NCCAA National Titles (2001, 2002).
 
Murray Buchanan was named NAIA All-Tournament (2001), NAIA National Pitcher of the Year (2001), NAIA All-American (2000, 2001, 2002), NAIA All-Region (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002), NAIA Region Pitcher of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002), TranSouth Conference Pitcher of the Year (2000, 2001, 2002), and TranSouth All-Conference (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002).
 
Murray Buchanan holds numerous school records including triples in a season (9), triples in a career (17), runs scored in a season (62), sacrifice bunts in a career (40), games played in a season (71), at-bats in a career (680), most wins in a season (34), career wins (126), consecutive wins (21), career winning percentage (.851), lowest ERA season (0.33), career ERA (0.58), strikeouts in a season (369), strikeouts in a career (1,257), innings pitched in a game (12), season (286.1), career (969.1), appearances season (42), appearances career (154), complete games season (36), complete games career (123), shutouts season (20), shutouts career (68), starts season (38), starts career (145), most no-hitters season (8), and most no-hitters career (16).
 
After graduating from Union, Murray Buchanan earned a chance to try out for the USA Olympic Softball Team in Philadelphia, Penn. Next, she played summer league softball, including playing in the International Women's Fast Pitch Tournament. Murray then spent two seasons as the assistant softball coach at the University of Mobile. In 2005, Murray went back to school and received a physical therapist assistant degree from Southern Illinois University. She traveled to numerous states as a physical therapist assistant, including a medical mission trip to India.
 
Murray Buchanan was inducted into the Herrin High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, both as an individual, and as a member of the 1998 team.
 
On December 31, 2012, she married her high school sweetheart, Jacob Buchanan. They currently live in Houston, Texas where she works as a full-time physical therapist assistant.
 
Steve Valadez, Baseball, 1973
Steve Valadez was a pitcher and outfielder at Union. As a senior, he was 9-0 with a 0.56 ERA. Valadez struck out 66 hitters in 64.1 innings and allowed just four walks in 1972. Valadez tied the Union record at the time with nine wins in a season. In 1970, he was named Most Valuable Player at Union and earned All-American honors in 1973.
 
Valadez shared the record at the time with 30 wins in a career at Union. He finished 30-12 during his career at Union. While not pitching, he played the outfield and hit over .300 with 19 homeruns during his career. During his career, Valadez was ranked nationally in numerous pitching categories throughout the season.
 
One of the many highlights of Valadez's collegiate career was when he pitched against the Baltimore Orioles in 1971 at Miami Stadium, losing 1-0. The game was broadcast live on the radio back to Jackson, Tenn.
 
Valadez signed to play professional baseball with the Kansas City Royals organization after his time at Union. He helped his Kingsport (Tenn.) team win the Rookie League Championship in the minors. In 1975, Valadez led his Mexican League team to the title.
 
Prior to his college playing days at Union, Valadez was named to the All-Chicago team in 1965 in high school. He was also named All-Eighth Army Team in Korea in 1968.
 
Amos J. Davenport, Jr., Meritorious Service
Amos Davenport was born in East Prairie, Missouri and lived in Missouri until he moved to Jackson in 1981. He played high school basketball, and also coached Little League baseball for six years in Missouri and eight years in Jackson.
 
Davenport started traveling with the Lady Bulldog basketball team in 1985, video recording all their games. He also drove the Union bus for the women's basketball team for many years. He has worked closely with two legendary women's basketball coaches including fellow Union Hall of Famer Dr. David Blackstock and current women's basketball coach Mark Campbell.
 
Davenport traveled to the following places with the team including Arkansas, Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. He also went with the team to the Bahamas. To this point, Davenport has travelled approximately 150,000 miles and has recorded over 1,000 games.
 
Davenport also video recorded all 31 NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament games from 1994-97. He has been a volunteer and financial supporter of Birth Choice and the Hope Center for a number of years.
 
Davenport married his wife Phyllis on Feb. 19, 1965 and will celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary this year. The majority of their anniversaries have been spent at a Union basketball game. Amos and Phyllis have been a constant source of encouragement and support for Union coaches and players. The Davenports have housed numerous Union students in their home, have cooked many meals for them, and have become close friends with family members of Union students.
 
The Davenports are the proud parents of one son, Jeff, and a daughter, Amy. They have five grandchildren (Stephanie, Jonathan, Luke, Benn, and Kayla) and one great grandson (Joshua). Amos is an ordained deacon and a member of Poplar Heights Baptist Church.
 
Don Rayburn Richard, Meritorious Service
Don Rayburn Richard is a graduate of Ramer High School in McNairy County, Tennessee. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Memphis State University, a Master of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Missouri, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado.
 
Richard served his country in the United States Air Force for almost 23 years, where his duties included flying as a navigator on transports, four years teaching mathematics at the United State Air Force Academy, and three years as commander of the Air Force ROTC detachment at the University of New Mexico. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel on a Friday in September of 1983 and joined Union's faculty the following Monday. He taught in the Department of Mathematics for 26 years and served as the department chair for one year.
 
Richard has been a supporter of the Union University basketball program since arriving on campus in 1983, and has been the official scorekeeper for home games for more than 25 years. He also worked on the scorer's table at the NAIA National Tournament for 22 years while the tournament was in Jackson.
 
An avid golfer, he once served as assistant to former Union golf head coach Don Morris. He emphasized that he was not the "assistant coach" but the "assistant TO the coach" for handling travel plans, reservations, and such. He is still an active supporter and fan of the Union golf teams.
 
Richard served the Union Department of Athletics for more than 20 years as the Faculty Athletic Representative, working with the registrar to ensure that eligibility requirements were met. He also served on the committee that established Union's Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
 
Richard was selected as the Union University Faculty Member of the Year in 1992 and was honored with the Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award in the fall of 2009.
 
A member of First Baptist Church of Jackson since 1984, Richard serves as a deacon, has taught a Bible study class for over 25 years, sings in the choir, and serves in other areas as needed.
 
When he is not traveling with the basketball and golf teams, he plays banjo with his friends in the Jackson Area Plectral Society, a group that promotes and preserves old-time string music.
 
He and his wife Marjorie have been generous supporters of Union University Athletics for many years.
 
Carlo Spencer, Meritorious Service
Carlo Spencer was born in Bologna, Italy and lived in Hamburg, Germany until he came to America in 1948 with his mother and step-father. He and his mom became US citizens in 1955.
 
Spencer graduated from Jackson High School in 1959. He received the Elks Award his senior year, an award given to the best all-round student. He played football, basketball, baseball and was on the track team in high school.
 
Upon graduation from high school he received a football scholarship to Vanderbilt University and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1964. He is a Vietnam veteran and retired from Ormet Aluminum in Jackson Tennessee.
 
Spencer is married to the former Polly Moore and they have 3 children, Laura Beth Brooks (husband Richard), Melissa Carol Davis (husband Randy) and John Spencer (wife Nicki). Polly retired from Union University in 2007 after 25 years.
 
Spencer has officiated baseball, softball (1978-2000), basketball (1978-1999), and football (1979 –present). He officiated in two Tennessee State Football playoffs in 2001 and 2013. He umpired in two 13-yr old National Babe Ruth World Series in 1987 & 1988.
 
Spencer was inducted into the Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall Of Fame in 2008.
 
Spencer began as a volunteer on the scorer's table at Union in 1985. He was the clock operator at the NAIA National Division I Tournament for the entire 22 years it was in Jackson and was the chair of the scorer's table for most of that time. He received the Chuck Clark Volunteer Award in 2008. Carlo has been Vice President of the Union University Booster club since 1985 and received the Robert Hundley Volunteer award in 2002. He helps fellow Union Hall of Famer Gerry Neese with color commentary on the Union basketball road game radio broadcasts.
 
Spencer began as a volunteer softball coach for the Union University softball team in 2006 to present. Union softball won the NCCAA National Title in 2013.
 
The Spencer's are active members of Ararat Baptist Church, Jackson, Tennessee where he serves as a deacon.
 
One could say Carlo & Polly love Union.
 
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