Inductees are selected from nominations solicited from the public. Recommendations, including biographical information, records and photographs are to be sent to: Jackson Madison County Sports Hall of Fame PO Box 10085 Jackson, Tennessee 38308 You may also submit nominations online using this form.
Mark Campbell is honored for his exceptional career as head women’s basketball coach at Union University in Jackson. Campbell was named Union’s head coach in 1999 after working five years with the Union men’s basketball program following graduation from Lipscomb University in 1994. In his 22 seasons as head coach, Campbell has a .862 winning percentage and 658-105 record. His teams have won five of the six national titles in women’s basketball history at Union. He has led Union to a third place or higher finish in national tournaments 12 times, including 10 straight from 2005-14. In 2018-19, Campbell made college basketball history, winning his 600th career game faster than any coach in the history of the sport at any level, men or women. He earned his 600th win on Jan. 19, 2019 at Auburn-Montgomery, reaching the milestone in just 691 games.Campbell topped the men’s record holder, Kentucky legend Adolph Rupp, who reached the 600-win mark in 704 games. And he broke the women’s record, held by Nancy Fahey, currently of Illinois, who reached 600 wins in 706 games. A member of the NAIA Hall of Fame, Campbell’s teams won NAIA national championships in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010 and the NCCAA Christian college title in 2014.Campbell’s .895 winning percentage following the final year of Union’s NAIA era in 2012 ranked him No. 1 among NAIA women’s basketball coaches with five or more years of coaching.In 2012-13 Union began playing an NCAA Division II schedule. Union became an active member of NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference in 2014-15. Campbell’s teams have since won seven GSC regular-season titles and four GSC tournament championships.Overall, Campbell’s teams have won 18 conference regular-season titles and 13 conference tournament titles. He has reached the 30-win plateau 13 times in his career and set a program record with 37 wins in 2008-09. Campbell’s personal honors include: NAIA Hall of Fame as a coach (2019).Head coach for USA U16 undefeated, gold medal team in the American’s Championship Tournament in Chile in 2019.NCAA DII Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2018, 2021).NAIA National Coach of the Year (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010).NAIA TranSouth Coach of the Year (2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010).Daktronics South Region Coach of the Year (2015).WBCA NCAA D2 South Region Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2018).NAIA WBCA Coach of the Year (2004, 2008).TSWA Coach of the Year (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). Campbell, a graduate of Franklin Road Academy in Nashville, ranks 12th all-time in scoring at Lipscomb University with 1,509 points. And his 724 career assists rank him in the top five at Lipscomb, where he played for coach Don Meyer.Campbell is married to the former Molly Graves of Jackson. They have four children – Gray, Ella, Kalyan and Mia - and live in Jackson.
A native of Jackson, Meg Griffin Nethery is honored for her impressive basketball career at Jackson Central-Merry High School and Union University. She played point guard for Coach Sandy Fitzgerald at JCM and helped lead the Lady Cougars to Jackson’s first girls basketball state championship in 1996. JCM beat Oak Ridge, 70-61, to win the Class AAA state title and complete a 31-2 record. Nethery was selected to the all-state tournament team and was named honorable mention all-state. She also made the all-region tournament team, all-district tournament team and all-district team while earning District 13-AAA Senior All-Academic team honors. At the state tournament in Murfreesboro, Nethery had eight points and seven assists when JCM stunned previously unbeaten Sullivan East, 70-52, in the quarterfinals. The Lady Cougars fought off Columbia, 41-39, in the semifinals. Then Nethery sparked a 22-2 run with two baskets and a steal to help JCM turn a nine-point deficit into an 11-point lead when the Lady Cougars knocked off Oak Ridge, 70-61, in the championship game. Nethery scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half and added seven steals and five rebounds in the title game. Nethery, who graduated fifth in her class at JCM with a 4.0 GPA, signed to play point guard at Union University and was soon back in the spotlight. Her sophomore season in 1997-98, she helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to their first NAIA Division I National Championship under Coach David Blackstock.Starting at point guard, Nethery was Union’s second-leading scorer at the national tournament, averaging 13.2 points per game. She earned all-tournament honors. In a crucial quarterfinal game against Oklahoma Baptist, Nethery scored 16 points in a double-overtime, 99-92 victory. She added 23 points and seven assists, hitting 5-of-6 three-point attempts, in an 80-64 semifinal win over Findlay, Ohio. She had eight points and five assists in the 73-70 title win over four-time defending champion Southern Nazarene of Bethany, Okla.Nethery scored 1,202 career points at Union and had career averages of 8.3 points and 4 assists per game. She stands fifth all-time in Union women’s basketball records with 586 assists and is sixth all-time with 144 games played. She is still tied for the Union record for most free throws in a game, hitting 15 of 15 against Berry College in double overtime. She was named second team All-TranSouth Conference in 1999 and was an NAIA Scholar Athlete in 2000.Meg and her husband of 21 years, Damien Nethery, live in Jackson with their three daughters – Kate, Ellie and Halle. Meg works part-time as a physical therapist. She and Damien own Hope Restored Counseling, which provides substance-abuse and mental health counseling across West Tennessee. They are members and serve at West Jackson Baptist Church.
A native of Jackson, Jewuan Long is honored for his impressive basketball career at Liberty Technology Magnet High School in Jackson and Murray State University in Kentucky.A four-year starter at Liberty Tech, Long helped lead the Crusaders to back-to-back Class AA state championships in 2006 and 2007. Liberty was the first boys basketball team from Jackson to win a state title. Long was the Class AA state tournament Most Valuable Player in 2006. And he was the first TSSAA Mr. Basketball winner in Jackson history in 2007. A 6-foot-1 guard, Long scored a school-record 1,590 career points at Liberty and helped the Crusaders post a 111-26 record during his high school career.At the 2006 state tournament, Long shot 60 percent from the field and averaged 14.6 points per game to earn MVP honors and help Liberty close out a 34-3 record. At the 2007 state tournament, he averaged 14.6 points and five rebounds and tied a state tournament record with 17 assists. Liberty finished with a 37-3 record. He was named the Jackson Sun’s West Tennessee Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2007 and was an All-State selection. He was All-District and All-Region multiple years. He led Liberty to a national ranking of No. 13 in 2007, a first for a Jackson school. Long earned a full athletic scholarship at Murray State and added to his stellar career as a Racer. During his Murray State career, the team had a 104-28 record. Long’s senior season in 2011-12, he was named the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He shot 43 percent from 3-point range and averaged 8.5 points and 2 rebounds.That season the Racers finished with an historic 31-2 record. They drew national attention with a 23-0 start and were the nation’s last undefeated men’s college basketball team.They were the OVC regular season and tournament champions and earned a first-round win in the NCAA Tournament. The team spent 13 weeks in the national rankings, including the program’s first ranking in the Top 10. They also won the OVC regular season in 2010 and 2011 and the OVC tournament in 2010. Long is a 2012 Murray State graduate with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering technology. He worked as a graduate assistant manager at Murray State and earned his master’s degree in occupational safety and health in 2016. He presently works as a safety manager for a general contractor in Orlando, Fla.
A native of Jackson, Jabriel Washington is honored for his football career at Trinity Christian Academy and the University of Alabama. A 5-foot-11, 170-pound speedster, Washington played both offense and defense for the Lions. He became TCA’s first 1,000-yard rusher as a junior quarterback in 2009, running for 1,062 yards, while passing for 1,282 yards. The Lions had a 5-5 record, but the future was promising.Washington did not disappoint during his senior season in 2010, leading Trinity to the Class 2A state championship game. He completed 161 of 303 passes for 2,635 yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging 16 yards a completion. Washington also rushed for 1,006 yards and 17 TDs on 251 carries. And as a defensive back he recorded 111 tackles and made six interceptions.The Lions finished 6-4 in the regular season before zipping through the Class 2A playoffs. They defeated Peabody, 37-24, in the first round before upsetting Humboldt, 13-7, and McKenzie, 27-26, in overtime in the state semifinals. Trinity lost the state championship game against Signal Mountain, 56-28, to complete a 9-5 record. Washington was named The Jackson Sun All-West Player of the Year and was a USA Today High School All-American. He had his pick of colleges to attend after his 2011 graduation. He was recruited by all of the Southeastern Conference schools and numerous others, including Clemson, Ohio State, Oregon, Southern Cal and Notre Dame. He picked Alabama because he wanted to play cornerback for Coach Nick Saban on a national championship team. He got his wish during five seasons with the Tide, including a redshirt year in 2011. Washington owns three national championship rings (2011, 2012, 2015) and three Southeastern Conference championship rings (2012, 2014, 2015).“It was unbelievable to be part of this run,” Washington told The Jackson Sun after his college career ended. Washington earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at Alabama. He was not drafted in 2016 but signed as a free-agent cornerback with the Los Angeles Rams after a tryout. He was waived by the Rams on Sept. 6, 2016 as part of final roster cuts.He earned his master’s degree in education while serving as a graduate assistant at the University of Washington, where he worked with the football team’s defensive unit. He is presently a scouting assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles.
A native of Jackson, Preston Overbey is honored for his outstanding baseball career at University School of Jackson and the University of Mississippi. He played youth baseball and football in Madison County before experiencing quick success as an eighth-grade starter on USJ’s varsity baseball team in 2006. He played infield and pitched for the Bruins, taking the mound to win Game 3 of the TSSAA State Tournament. He was named The Jackson Sun Baseball Newcomer of the Year in 2006. He was a five-year baseball letterman at USJ, playing third base, first base, catcher and pitcher. He set the Bruins’ record for career home runs with 41 and the record for homers in a season with 17. Overbey helped lead USJ to state runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2010 and was named All-State in baseball in 2010. He also lettered four years in football, playing linebacker, running back, receiver and punter, and lettered two years as a basketball forward. He earned All-West Tennessee and All-District honors in both football and baseball, but his baseball skills drew the scouts. In 2009, Overbey was invited to the Perfect Game National Showcase as one of the nation’s top 150 players and was selected to the East Coast Professional showcase team. He was drafted in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Rays but chose to accept a baseball scholarship at Ole Miss, where he was a four-year starter. Overbey played in 230 games for the Rebels. He was a .261 career hitter with 194 hits and 104 RBIs. He had 14 home runs, three triples and 35 doubles. Defensively, he was regarded as one of the most versatile athletes to ever play for Ole Miss, starting games at first, second and third base, leftfield, rightfield and catcher.During Overbey’s four seasons at Ole Miss, the Rebels had a 153-96 record and advanced to three NCAA regional tournaments. His senior season in 2014, the Rebels won the Southeastern Conference West Division, the Super Regional and placed third in the College World Series. That team finished 48-21, an Ole Miss record for wins in a season. In the Super Regional against No. 7 Louisiana Lafayette, Overbey was 2-for-3 including a tie-breaking home run. Other highlights came against No. 2 LSU, when he had five RBIs with a two-run homer and a three-run homer, and against No. 11 Arkansas, when he hit a grand slam.Overbey, the son of Michael and Regina Overbey of Jackson, is a graduate of the Tennessee Law Enforcement Academy. He is employed by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office as a K-9 handler and a member of the SWAT team.
Joe North is recognized for nearly forty years of coaching basketball at the middle and high school level in West Tennessee. North graduated from Ramer High School in 1969, where he played for legendary coach, Marvin Williams. Over his four years, North scored over 1,300 points and had an overall record of 102-23, earning All-State honors. Over his career, North coached over a thousand games, garnering an 853-289 overall record (462-151 high school boys, 182-69 high school girls, 103-39 middle school boys, 106-30 middle school girls). North is a twelve-time District Coach of the Year and four-time Jackson Sun West Tennessee Coach of the Year. He was also voted as the Coca Cola Referees Coach of the Year twice. At the high school level, North had coaching stints at Bells, Bolivar Central, Crockett County, Adamsville, Dyersburg, North Side, and Trinity. He also coached middle school basketball at Michie, Adamsville, and USJ. Most notably, North prides himself in helping over fifty of his players pursue college ball, and he inspired twenty-four of his former players to become coaches at various levels, including current USJ head coach Tony Shutes and Sacred Heart of Jesus head coach Nick Beauregard. North currently lives in Jackson and enjoys volunteering for various local teams.
Ellen Renfroe Reed is recognized for her unprecedented softball career at Trinity Christian Academy, University of Tennessee, and professionally with the Chicago Bandits. Over her career at TCA, Reed helped lead the Lions to over 224 wins, including four Class A state championships and five consecutive district, regional and sectional championships. She completed her career with a 0.31 ERA, 115-9 record from the mound, and 1,335 strikeouts with more than 20 no-hitters. The Jackson Sun recognized Reed as its 2009 and 2010 All-West Tennessee Pitcher of the Year, 2008 Player of the Year, and 2006 Newcomer of the Year. She was named All-State four seasons, All-District five seasons, and All-District MVP twice. After her senior season, Reed was recognized as the 2010 Gatorade Tennessee Softball Player of the Year, MaxPreps Softball All-American, and ESPN/RISE All-American Second Team. Upon graduating from TCA, Reed moved across the state to Knoxville to pitch alongside her sister, Ivy, for the Tennessee Lady Vols. She quickly made a name for herself, tallying a 26-7 record with a 1.50 ERA and 259 strikeouts over 201 innings as a rookie. During her time at Tennessee, Reed helped lead the Lady Vols to two Women's College World Series appearances, including a runner-up performance in 2013. Reed finished her career at Tennessee with a 1.65 ERA and a 102-25 record. In her four-year career, she threw 84 complete games, 41 shutouts, two no-hitters and struck out 1,005 batters in over 175 appearances. She is one of three Lady Vols pitchers to win 30 games in a single season, joining her sister Ivy. Reed was a two-time NFCA All-American (2011, 2012), a four-time NFCA All-Southeast Region pick, a three-time Top 25 Finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year (2012, 2013, 2014), and a three-time All-SEC selection (2011, 2012, 2014). As a senior in 2014, she went 30-8 with a 2.02 ERA and 245 strikeouts. A model student-athlete, Reed was named the 2014 Capital One Academic All-American of the Year for softball and the 2014 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was also a three-time Capital One Academic All-American (2012, 2013, 2014). In 2014, the Chicago Bandits drafted Reed, and she played for one season before pursuing a career in coaching. She’s had coaching stints at the University of Memphis, Bethel University, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In 2018, she and her husband, Jon, settled in Morristown, Tennessee, where she currently serves as the head softball coach for Lakeview Christian Academy.
Brandon Rowland is recognized for his outstanding athletic and personal achievements, despite immense adversity he has experienced since childhood. In 1987 at the age of six, Rowland was diagnosed with a very rare blood condition called disseminated intravascular coagulation or DIC. He was hospitalized – much of the time in extremely critical condition – at LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis for more than nine weeks. Within the first two weeks, both legs were amputated below the knees. Afterward, he endured numerous skin graft surgeries and revisions to help his limbs begin to heal. Then his journey toward creating a “new normal” began through physical therapy and other subsequent surgeries. Rowland was determined that his story would not be one of tragedy, but one of triumph. And indeed, Rowland’s life has been full of personal and athletic triumphs. As a middle school student at the University School of Jackson, Rowland played basketball, baseball, soccer and tennis on his knees. During Rowland’s senior year at USJ, he was honored by being selected to the 1999 USJ Hall of Fame. Also during his senior year, he was invited to join the Jackson Generals, a wheelchair basketball team sponsored by West Tennessee Healthcare. He led the Generals to two consecutive National Wheelchair Basketball Association championships, and was named to the All-Tournament team in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He was named Most Valuable Player in 2002 when he scored 35 points, had 15 assists and 10 rebounds in the championship game. He averaged a triple double for the season. Rowland had the unique opportunity to try out for the U.S Wheelchair Basketball team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2002.He was selected as a “person of inspiration” to be one of 19 torchbearers when the Olympic flame passed through Jackson on its way to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics. When it came time for college, Rowland received multiple scholarship offers from Division I wheelchair basketball programs. He decided to attend the University of Tennessee at Martin, where he was heavily involved in intramural sports with his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha. He graduated from UTM magna cum laude with his BS and MBA degrees. After graduating from UTM, Rowland renewed his passion for golf. He was the Canadian National Open Multiple Division Champion in 2005. He won three National Amputee Golf Association (NAGA) national championships in 2013, 2015 and 2018. He has been selected six times to play on the USA International Cup golf team, winning all his matches. The International Cup is the amputee version of the Ryder Cup. Rowland is the only multiple amputee to qualify for the Tennessee Mid-Amateur Golf championship. In addition to golf, he is also an avid hunter and fisherman.Rowland continues to inspire others, especially new and recent amputees. He also has speaking engagements with civic clubs, church groups, school groups and medical classes. Rowland currently works in sales and marketing for Fourroux Prosthetics, and lives in Jackson with his wife and high school sweetheart, Sara.
A native of Trezevant, Tennessee, Dexter Williams is recognized for his basketball career as a student-athlete at West Carroll High School and Union University, as well as the impact he’s made on our community as a high school coach and education administrator. As an All-State basketball player for West Carroll, Williams led his team to its first ever state tournament berth in school history for any sport. He received All-District, All-Region, All-West Tennessee, and All-State honors. Ranking seventh in his class, Williams received a full-athletic scholarship to play college ball for the Union University Bulldogs, where he was named All-American Scholar. Upon graduating from Union in 2000, Williams embarked on an unprecedented coaching career. Most notably, Williams led Jackson to its first ever high school state championship in high school boys basketball in 2006 and 2007 as head coach at Liberty Technology High School. This accomplishment put Liberty in the national basketball rankings for the first time in Jackson-Madison County history. Not only is Liberty the youngest high school to ever win a state championship, Williams is the youngest head coach to ever win back-to-back state championships. Williams received numerous coaching accolades, including District 12-AA Boys Basketball Coach of the Year (2005, 2006, 2007), Tennessee Boys Basketball Coach of the Year (2006, 2007), Tennessee Sports Writers Association Boys Basketball Coach of the Year (2006, 2007), Best of the West Coach of the Year ( 2006, 2007), West Tennessee Boys Basketball Coach of the Year (2006, 2007), On the Ball Magazine Coach of the Year (2007), Southeastern Region Coach of the Year finalist (2007), A.F. Bridges Male Coach of the Year (2006), and District 13 AAA Coach of the Year (2008, 2009). In 2016, Union University honored Williams with the Distinguished Achievement Award in Athletics. In 2008, Williams transitioned into education administration, serving as assistant principal at Liberty before being promoted to principal at Tigrett Middle School. He later served as head boys basketball coach at Milan High School, Human Resource and Transportation Supervisor for Milan Special School District, and principal and athletic director at West Carroll Junior/Senior High School. Currently, Williams is the Superintendent for the West Carroll Special School District. He’s heavily involved in the community, serving as president of the Down Syndrome Association of West Tennessee, advisory board member of Union University EDGE program, and district seven representative for the TSSAA Legislative Council. Williams is married to Amber, a former college basketball player at Lambuth University and current educator and girls basketball coach. Together they have three children, Kayleigh, Karcyn and Kaleb.
A native of Jackson, Jeff Wyatt is recognized for his baseball career at South Side High School and Union University, as well as the impact he’s made on our community as a high school baseball coach. A three-sport athlete, Wyatt played baseball and golf and ran cross country for the South Side Hawks. On the baseball field, Wyatt made a name for himself as one of the best defensive players, starting at third base or shortstop. On offense, Wyatt often batted third or fourth in the lineup, generally leading the team in batting average, RBIs, and homeruns. He helped lead the Hawks to three district titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Wyatt was a three-time All District, All-Region, and All-State selection, and named Best Offensive Player and District Most Valuable Player. Wyatt continued playing baseball in college at Union University, where he was honored as an NAIA All-American selection. In summer 1999, Wyatt had the unique opportunity to play with the U.S. Athletes International team. Over his career, Wyatt accumulated multiple Union records, including first all-time with hits in a season (89), hits in a career (316), RBI in a career (249), total bases in a career (556), and second all-time with batting average in a career (.387), home runs in a season (17), home runs in a career (46), and most bases in a season (162). In 2002 after his senior season, Wyatt was named NAIA All-Region, NAIA Region Player of the Year, TransSouth All-Conference, and TransSouth Conference Player of the Year. Wyatt finished his career with a .387 batting average, 316 hits, 180 runs, 46 home runs, and 249 RBIs. Wyatt’s passion for the game led him to begin a coaching career after graduating from Union. He became an assistant coach at Ripley High School, before returning to his alma mater, South Side.Currently, Wyatt serves as the head baseball coach, where he continues to carry on a tradition of strong baseball programs.