The 2025 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Class is clad in Big Orange--well, almost.
The Tennessee Volunteers will be well represented among the new wave of members soon to be enshrined in Nashville with four former players and one coach named to the class this month.
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Former Johnny Majors assistant that was part of Tennessee's resurgence in the mid 1980s Doug Mathews, record-setting quarterback Andy Kelly, Vols tennis star turned head coach Chris Woodruff, All-American defensive back Deon Grant and standout forward Ron Slay were named to the 17-member class.
Here is a look at the new inductees.
Doug Mathews, Assistant coach 1980-89
A former defensive back at Vanderbilt for two seasons in 1968-69, Mathews joined Majors' Tennessee staff as a running backs coach in 1980.
Mathews was instrumental in Jeff Powell's touchdown run in the Vols' 35-7 triumph of Miami in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1986 after seeing a defensive breakdown from the Hurricanes during a film study leading up to the game.
Mathews was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1988, and oversaw a Tennessee defense that helped the Vols to a 11-1 campaign in 1989.
He has been a sports radio fixture in Nashville for 30 years.
Andy Kelly, Quarterback 1988-91
Kelly finished his Tennessee career as one of the most prolific passers in program history, and was key in two SEC Championship-winning seasons.
A standout quarterback at Rhea County High School in Dayton, Tennessee, Kelly signed with the Vols in 1988 and took over the starting signal caller midway through the 1989 season.
Kelly led Tennessee to two memorable come-from-behind wins in his career, the first over Virginia in the 1991 Sugar Bowl, and then against Notre Dame in the "Miracle at South Bend" where he threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Aaron Hayden in a 35-34 victory.
Kelly ranks sixth among Vols' quarterbacks all-time with 6,397 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Chris Woodruff, Tennis 1992-93
Before he took over the Tennessee tennis program as head coach, Woodruff was a standout player for the Vols in the early 1990s.
Woodruff is the only player in program history to win the NCAA Singles Championship 1993, and finished that season as the No. 1 ranked player nationally.
He played professionally, winning two ATP Tour Championships and ranking as high as the No. 29 player in the ATP rankings.
Woodfruff returned to Tennessee as an assistant coach in 2002. He was named head coach in 2017 and has since led the Vols to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, two Round of 16 berths, two semifinals and an SEC Championship in 2021.
Deon Grant, Defensive back 1997-99
Among the headliners during Tennessee's dominating run in the late 1990s that included two SEC titles and a national championship, Grant was an All-American safety for the Vols.
Grant accounted for 141 tackles, 14 interceptions, 14 pass breakups and one touchdown during his Tennessee career. He had five interceptions during the Vols' 1998 national title run, including a memorable one-handed grab in Tennessee's 20-17 overtime win over Florida.
Grant was taken by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft and spent 12 seasons in the pros.
Ron Slay, Forward 1999-03
Slay was an All-State player at Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville before leading prep basketball power Oak Hill Academy to a perfect record in 1998-99.
A Nashville native, Slay signed with Tennessee in 1999 and made an immediate impact as a freshman, appearing in 33 games and averaging 9.7 points and 4.4 rebounds.
By the end of his sophomore season, Slay had worked his way into the Vols' starting lineup where he averaged 13.0 points and was named Third Team All-SEC.
Slay had his best season as a senior in 2002-03, leading the SEC in scoring in league play and finishing in the top 10 of the program record books in three-point percentage, free throws made and free throws attempted.
He was named the SEC Player of the Year by the Associated Press and was a Third Team All-America selection.
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