UTC Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 1988
Bill Butler – Football - 1955-58
Bill Butler was an All-American halfback for the Mocs from 1953-58. He led UC in rushing from 1956-58 and was a leader on the team that posted a 14-6 win over Tennessee on Nov. 8, 1958.
Butler totaled 1,621 rushing yards and five scores on 361 carries in his career. He also hauled in 50 catches for 773 yards and nine touchdowns in four years of action. His 15.4 yards-per-catch is still fifth all-time at UTC and his 3,168 all-purpose yards are ninth on the Mocs’ all-time list.
Butler earned Honorable Mention Little All-American each of his last three seasons and was a Methodist College Second Team All-American in 1956. He was also a high jumper on the track & field team and played freshman basketball.
Butler saved some of his biggest plays for the biggest games. He scored his first career touchdown in a 15-6 loss to Auburn on Sept. 24, 1955. He had two scores in the 1956 game against Tennessee and a 73-yard kickoff return in the 1958 game against the second-ranked Tigers.
In the famed 1958 win over Tennessee, Butler and Jonny Green hooked up for a 30-yard play on fourth down that put the ball on the Vols’ 2-yard line. Green punched it on the next play for a 7-0 lead the Mocs rode to a 14-6 win.
Gwain Durden – Football - 1977-80
Gwain Durden is one of the top running backs in school history. He was one of the leading rushers on three Southern Conference Champion teams from 1977-80.
Durden is second all-time in rushing yards with 3,686 in his career. He is seventh all-time in attempts with 540 and second with 6.8 yards per carry. His career yards-per-attempts on the ground also ranks fourth in SoCon history.
Durden scored 18 rushing touchdowns in his career and 19 overall. He is also tied for the school record with 15 100-yard rushing games.
As a freshman in 1977, he ran for 1,045 yards and six scores, leading the Mocs to their first SoCon Championships. He and teammate Mike Smith (1,090) were the first freshman duo in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards.
Durden led the Mocs in rushing in 1978 and 1980. His 93.3 yards per game in 1978 led the SoCon. He was named to the All-SoCon team in 1979 and was UTC’s most valuable back in 1980.
His 7.8 yards-per-carry in 1979 is school record and the third highest mark in in SoCon history. He came back with 7.1 yards-per-carry as a senior in 1980, the second highest mark at UTC and the 10th best in SoCon history.
The Mocs were 33-9-2 in his four years, including SoCon Championships in 1977, 1978 and 1979. Durden was named to the Mocs’ All-Century team in 2003.
Frank Grigonis – Football - 1939-41
Frank Grigonis was an All-American running back for the Mocs from 1939-41. He was a two-time All-Dixie performer who led UC to back-to-back Dixie Conference titles in 1940 and 1941.
Captain of the 1941 squad, he led the Mocs in scoring with 10 rushing touchdowns and 13 extra points. Chattanooga posted a 19-4-3 record in Grigonis’ career, one of best three-year runs in school history.
Grigonis signed with the Detroit Lions in 1942, appearing in 10 games. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army in World War II, before returning to Chattanooga as an assistant coach.
Andy Nardo – Football - 1931-32
Andy Nardo was a fixture at the University of Chattanooga for nearly 40 years. He was an outstanding athlete, coach and professor during his time at UC.
Nardo came to Chattanooga in 1928 and started three years at guard. He was named to the All-Dixie Team and became the offensive line coach in 1933. Except for three years as a Lieutenant in the Navy from 1943-46, Nardo was a major figure on campus.
As a long-time football assistant coach, he helped Scrappy Moore produce numerous outstanding linemen, including several who went on to professional careers. A total of 12 lineman earned Little All-American honors in his career.
In 15 seasons as the wrestling coach from 1953-67, Nardo was 78-29-5. It is still the second-longest tenure as wrestling coach and the second-best winning percentage (.723) at UTC. He is third in all-time wins and had 23 wins in a row from 1959 to 1962. That includes undefeated seasons in 1959-60 (7-0) and 1960-61 (9-0).
Dick Onisky – Football – 1951-54
Dick Onisky was one of the top offensive linemen for the Mocs in the early 1950s. After a four-year career at UC, he was selected in the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears in 1954.
Max Finley – Meritorious Service
W. Max Finley, former Chairman of the RockTenn Corporation, dedicated his life to public service. He was an active supporter of the University of Tennessee system and a 1931 graduate of the University of Chattanooga.
Finley was a staunch backer of both academics and athletics at UTC. His generosity allowed the athletics program to survive when budgets were limited and he funded a professorship and a variety of scholarships.
He received both the University of Chattanooga Distinguished Alumni Award and the Outstanding Service Award of the UTC Alumni Council and was inducted into the University’s Hall of Fame. Finley Stadium, home of the UTC football team, is located on the site of the former RockTenn plant and is named in Finley’s honor.
The W. Max Finley Chair was established by a $1.1 million gift from the Finley family in 2015. This Chair focuses on instruction and research in the areas of capitalism, capital formation and change, the use of data analytics in business decision making and critical support to entrepreneurism and family-owned businesses.
The family’s business, Tennessee Paper Mill, was founded in 1917 by Finley’s grandfather and others. Finley joined Tennessee Paper Mill in 1930 as a bookkeeper and became executive vice president in 1950. In 1973, the company merged with Rock City Box Company, creating RockTenn. Finley served as Chairman of the Board for RockTenn.
Allan Morris – Meritorious Service
Allan Morris was the long-time sports editor of the Chattanooga News-Free Press. He worked at the local paper from 1936 until his death in 1981. He covered the Mocs with the same energy as he concentrated on the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Falcons.
With his trademark cigar always in reach, Morris was just as much of a fixture with UTC athletics as legend Scrappy Moore and Sandy Sandlin. The Central High School graduated was just 16 when he stared covering UC, and provided years of outstanding exposure for the University and its athletic programs.
