Anderson will be on opposing bench when gym is named in his honor

The gym at Stratford will be named in honor of Charlie Anderson, who coached the Spartans from 1961-1969, at a game on Jan. 17..

Charlie Anderson will come away a winner no matter what the score ends up being when Stratford plays Martin Luther King in a boys basketball game in January.

Anderson will be at the game at Stratford serving as a Martin Luther King assistant coach for his grandson Caden, who is the head coach..

During halftime Stratford’s newly renovated gym will be named in honor of Anderson, who spent much of his hall of fame career at the East Nashville school.

“I haven’t seen the gym since they did all the work to it, so that’s something I’m looking forward to,” Anderson said. “As far as it being named in my honor, every award that I’ve ever gotten just shows two things -— I’ve had a lot of good players and I’m old.”

Anderson, 81, won 1,080 games on the high school and junior college levels during his 53-year career, which began as a head coach at Stratford.

“Coach Anderson put Stratford on the map and in the forefront of Tennessee high school basketball,” said Stratford great Mike Jackson, who went on to play at Tennessee (1974-77) with Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King. “His success on the court is a mere reflection of his knowledge, character, work ethic, drive and passion to inspire his players to reach their full potential as athletes and young adults. Many of his former players like me owe him a debt of gratitude that is too priceless to be repaid, and no one in the coaching ranks is more deserving of an honor like this.”

Anderson isn’t worried about it being awkward that night when he will be trying to help the opposing team beat the school honoring him.

“I think it will be a good crowd with some of my former players coming back, and we’ll have a lot of fun one way or the other,” Anderson said. “I know Stratford’s going to be good this year. They’ve got a couple of hosses that have come in.”

Anderson took over at Stratford in 1961 and led the Spartans to the state tournament in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969. In 1975 he went to Bellevue and led the Owls to the state tournament in 1976, 1978, 1979 and 1980.

After retiring from Metro in 1981 Anderson was hired at Aquinas College where he won the national junior college championship in 1991.

Anderson returned to the high school level in 2002 as the head coach at Nashville Christian where he stayed until 2014.

His record as a high school coach was 408-132.

Anderson joined Caden, who played for him at Nashville Christian, on the staff at Martin Luther King last spring.

Wilt, Kennedy, Kaplan selected for Golf Hall of Fame

Three Middle Tennessee-area golf enthusiasts — Toby Wilt, Joe Kennedy and Mike Kaplan — have been selected for induction into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame.

Toby Wilt, left, with Brandt Snedeker, after winning the 2013 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Wilt has been been selected for induction into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame.

Wilt served as director of the Tennessee Golf Foundation for its first 19 years.

In 1991 he and Bronson Ingram were principal founders of The Golf Club of Tennessee.

Wilt serves each year as the starter on the first tee at the Masters and in 2013 teamed with Nashville’s Brandt Snedeker to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Some of the recipients of Wilt’s endowed Vanderbilt scholarship include Snedeker, fellow PGA Tour member Luke List and current Commodores All-American Matthias Schwab.

Kennedy has been the head superintendent at Vanderbilt Legends Club since it opened in 1992.

He has been at the forefront of turf research at The Little Course, growing 56 varieties of Bermuda, zoysia, fescue and bent grass.

Kennedy is known in the golf industry for being able to grow grass that can be played on year-round in temperatures ranging from 10-below to 105 degrees.

Kaplan, a prominent tax attorney with Sherrard & Roe, has served as legal counsel of the TGF, Tennessee Golf Association and Tennessee Section PGA for the past 26 years.

He is past president of the TGA and an expert in the USGA Rules of Golf. Kaplan orchestrated the merger of the Women’s Tennessee Golf Association and the Tennessee Golf Association.

The date of the induction ceremony will be announced in 2017.

Jordan Matthews asks fans to match his stats with donations

Jordan Matthews

Former Vanderbilt All-America receiver Jordan Matthews, in his third season with the Philadelphia Eagles, has started a “Match My Stats” ejoinme.org campaign.

It raises funds for underprivileged youth in Nashville, Philadelphia and Jordan’s hometown of Huntsville, Ala., through the Boys & Girls Club.

At the end of each month, Jordan’s statistics are calculated to determine the amount participants should donate based on their pledge

Matthews has 13 receptions for 185 yards and one touchdown..

To sign up visit https://cfmt.ejoinme.org/matthews-mission-match-my-stats.

Red carpet reception for movie on Don Meyer’s life

There will be a red carpet reception at the premier of “My Many Sons,” the life story of legendary Lipscomb basketball coach Don Meyer, on Oct. 3 at Collins Alumni Auditorium on Lipscomb’s campus.

It is a private event.

The movie already is available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Playstation, Xbox Video and Fandango Now. For more information visit wellgousa.com/my-many-sons.

Vandy picked 5th, UT 13th in SEC by Lindy’s

Tennessee’s Robert Hubbs III and Diamond DeShields along with Vanderbilt’s Jeff Roberson and Memphis’ Dedric Lawson are featured on the cover of Lindy’s Sports College Basketball magazine.

Vanderbilt is predicted to finish fifth in the SEC and Tennessee 13th by Lindy’s Sports College Basketball magazine.

“For many in Nashville, the departure of Kevin Stallings qualifies as good news,” according to the magazine.

Vanderbilt senior Luke Kornet made the Preseason All-SEC third team and was named the top defender. The Commodores’ Matthew Fisher-Davis was the top shooter, and Jeff Roberson was most versatile.

Middle Tennessee State was picked second and Western Kentucky third in Conference USA.

Blue Raiders junior Giddy Potts and senior Reggie Upshaw made the Conference USA second team, and WKU junior Justin Johnston made the third team.

Belmont was picked to win the OVC East Division, Tennessee State was second and Tennessee Tech fifth. Austin Peay was second in the West.

Belmont senior Evan Bradds was the player of the year. Bradds, TSU seniors Tahjere McCall and Wayne Smith and Austin Peay junior Josh Robinson made the All-OVC first team. Belmont senior Taylor Barnette made the second team.

Lipscomb was picked sixth in the Atlantic Sun.

Captain of 1972 Olympic basketball team speaking at CPA

Kenny Davis

Kenny Davis, captain of the 1972 Olympic basketball team, will speak Monday at 6 p..m at Christ Presbyterian Academy.

Davis recently released his book “Better Than Gold” about his experience leading the U.S. team as captain into the gold medal game amid a terrorist attack in the Olympic Village that left 11 Israeli athletes dead.

Former Vanderbilt star and current Commodores radio analyst Tim Thompson will introduce Davis.

The event is open to the public and tickets ($20) are available at www.cpalions.org/steakdinner.

TSU band performing at Titans-Raiders game

The Tennessee State football team has a bye Saturday, but the Big Blue’s Aristocrat of Bands isn’t taking the weekend off.

It will perform at halftime of the Titans-Raiders game Sunday at Nissan..

The Aristocrats performed earlier this week on the South Lawn of the White House at the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

All-American 400 is next week at Fairgrounds Speedway

The 32nd annual All-American 400 is next Sunday (Oct. 2) at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville.

Daniel Hemric from Kannapolis, N.C., won the 300-lap pro late-model race last year..

Hermic is now running full-time on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and has not yet signed up for the All-American 400..

Bubba Pollard was second last year and John Hunter Nemechek, the 2014 winner, was third.

For tickets call 615-254-1986 or visit fairgroundsspeedwaynashville.com.

TSU shuffles women’s basketball staff

Josh Cooperwood has left TSU’s women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach to join the staff at North Carolina Central.

Cooperwood, who played at Hillwood and TSU, spent three seasons on the Tigers staff as director of operations before being promoted to assistant coach in 2015.

Le’coe Willingham left the TSU staff earlier in the summer.

Evelyn Thompson, who served on the staff at Tennessee Tech and Western Kentucky, and Jessica Davis.replaced Cooperwood and Willingham.

Antioch Alumni Putt-Putt tournament coming up

The Antioch High School Alumni Association’s Putt-Putt Golf Tournament is Oct. 8 at 9 a.m. at Family Golf Center on Blue Hole Road.

The cost is $100 per foursome. Lunch will follow at 11 a.m. at the Alumni Hall at Antioch Middle School.

For more information contact Nancy Pope at 615-484-8965 or nancypope1963@att.net.

East Nashville High reunion will recognize school’s greatest athletes

The East Nashville High All-Alumni Reunion, which will include several athletic-related events, is Saturday at the school.

A slideshow featuring East’s all-time greatest athletes will be shown at 9:30 a.m.

Former East basketball star Bill Boner, who served as Nashville’s mayor (1987-1991), will make a presentation at 10:30 a.m.

The 1959-60 state champion track team will also be honored.

For more information visit eastalums.com or contact Marilyn Gollnitz Kooch at 615-227-3855 or mkooch@bellsouth,net.

If you have an item for Midstate Chatter contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 and on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.

SPORTS ON NASHVILLE TV

The top 5 local sporting events television ratings for Sept. 12-18
1. NFL: Titans-Lions 22.0 rating
2. College football: Alabama-Ole Miss 17.8 rating
3. NFL: Colts-Broncos 15.3 rating
4. NFL: Packers-Vikings 14.1 rating
5. NFL: Jets-Bills 10.9 rating
Each rating point is equal to 9,902 Nashville households.
Source: Mark Binda, WTVF-5 program & research director