Four inducted into Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame

 

Four former Wildcat athletes were inducted into the Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame at halftime on Homecoming Night on Friday, September 18, at Blankenship Field.

The four were picked by the board of the Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame. They are:

• Lowell Wilson—1953, track, football;
• Dennis Strickler—1968, tennis;
• Dave Moore—1972, football; and
• Regina Kirk—1984, basketball.

The 2015 class covers four different sports in four different decades.

A reception with refreshments was held at the Soup Kitchen following the game.

Here are photos of the inductees on Homecoming Night, when the Wildcats played Lenoir City, as well as a brief summary of their athletic careers.

 

Lowell Wilson is a 1953 graduate of Oak Ridge High School. He participated in both track and football.

As a member of the track team, Oak Ridge won the state title in both 1952 and 1953. Lowell was a member of the 880-yard relay team, which set school and state records.

Lowell set the record in the 100-yard dash at the Knoxville News Sentinel Relays, a record which would stand until the track surface was changed.

Lowell signed to run track at the University of Tennessee.

 

Dennis Strickler attended and played tennis at Oak Ridge High School in the late 1960s.

He won several local tennis tournaments in the late 1970s.

Strickler has won many state tournament titles in the 35-and-older, 50-and-older, and 55-and-older age divisions.

“Getting better with age, Strickler is still playing tennis, now on a national level,” the press release said.

Dennis is playing and winning tournaments and has been ranked in the Top 3 in the South and Top 20 in the nation in his age division.

 

Dave Moore is a 1972 graduate of Oak Ridge High School. Dave excelled in both baseball and football.

Dave captained the 1971 football team and led the baseball team to a state tournament third-place finish in 1971 and a runner-up finish in 1972.

Dave later signed and played football at UTC.

After his playing days, he turned to coaching. Coach Moore had head coaching duties at Sunbright High School, Knox Catholic High School, and Lenoir City High School. He earned an impressive East Tennessee Coach of the Year six times.

After hanging up his coaching whistle, Dave started CAREACTOR Star Athlete Program. This program was started at Oak Ridge High School and is now a national program.

 

Regina Kirk is a 1984 graduate of Oak Ridge High School.

As a standout basketball player at Oak Ridge, Regina earned all-Region three times, all-State, and all-American honors.

Regina signed to play basketball at UTC. She led UTC to back-to-back Southern Conference titles in 1984 and 1985. She was voted Southern Conference Player of the Year a very impressive four years in a row. She holds the UTC all-time records of points scored, rebounds, field goals made, and free throws made. She was inducted into the UTC Sports Hall of Fame, the Southern Conference Hall of Fame, and the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame.

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