The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics Hall of Fame gives out three special awards with each class that is inducted. These awards honor alumni and coaches who have achieved success in their careers following their time at UTC, supporters who have gone above-and-beyond in their commitment to the Mocs and a current student-athlete who best personifies what it means to be a Moc.
These three awards will be given out at the annual UTC Athletics Hall of Fame banquet tonight at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club.
The first honor is the Gordon Davenport Award, given annually by to a person who has shown outstanding commitment to the Chattanooga Mocs athletics program. This year's recipient of the Gordon Davenport Award is Brenda Lawson, the namesake of the recently opened Brenda Lawson Student-Athlete Success Center.
The Lawson Center, located on Vine Street in the heart of campus, consists of the Chattem Basketball Practice Facility and the Wolford Family Strength and Conditioning Center. This facility is one of the finest in the country and is a source of pride for the entire athletics department.
Lawson has been a long-time supporter of the UTC. For over two decades, she has served in various capacities of leadership within the University, including the UTC Foundation Board and the UTC Advisory Board for the College of Business.
Lawson has also been honored by the Southern Conference with the Distinguished Service Award and continues to be a tremendous supporter of the Mocs.
The Joe Morrison Award is given annually by the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame to a former student-athlete or coach for notable accomplishments and life experiences. This year's recipient of the Joe Morrison Award is Dan Beery, an Olympic Gold Medalist and a former member of the UTC Crew Team.
Beery transferred to UTC after playing basketball at Bryan College. The Mocs Crew Coach Robert Espeseth spotted Beery in the gym and asked him to try out for the team. He went on to have a very successful college career and graduated from UTC in 2000 with a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education.
From there, Beery moved on to the U.S. National Team where he won a gold medal in Men's Eights at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He retired from rowing in 2008 and is currently an account manager with AG Administrators, a sports insurance specialist, in Philadelphia.
The A.C. "Scrappy" Moore Award is presented to a current UTC student-athlete who best personifies the athletic department's mission of comprehensive excellence, academically, athletically and socially. This year's recipient of the Scrappy Moore Award is women's tennis senior Grace Robinette
Robinette is a four-year letter winner for the Lady Mocs and is leading a resurgence in the women's tennis program.
A three-time member of the Academic All-Southern Conference team, Robinette consistently has one of the highest grade-point-averages of all Chattanooga student-athletes. Majoring in Health and Human Performance, she was also named an ITA Scholar-Athlete following the 2010 season.
Robinette is a doubles specialist and has the Lady Mocs off to a strong start in spring action. She also won her first singles match of the spring season against Belmont. She has the respect of her teammates, opponents and opposing coaches, earning the SoCon Sportsmanship Award in 2009.
