On Thursday, the University of Tennessee announced the 2025 Athletics Hall of Fame class, honoring eight former student-athletes for their significant contributions. The class will be honored in Knoxville on April 11-12, celebrating their lasting impact on UT Athletics.
The 2025 class includes five Vols and three Lady Vols.
- Eric Berry (Football)
- A.W. Davis (Men’s Basketball, Posthumously)
- Jenny Connolly (Women’s Swimming & Diving)
- Mike Masters (Men’s Swimming & Diving)
- Lauryn McCalley (Women’s Swimming & Diving)
- Lindsay Schutzler (Softball)
- Mike Sposa (Men’s Golf)
- Tony White (Men’s Basketball)
“Every year, it’s incredible to witness the extraordinary talent we have here on Rocky Top, and we are excited to honor this exceptional group,” stated Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White. “Our success is firmly rooted in the achievements of our remarkable former student-athletes, and we take great pride in inducting this outstanding class into our Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame.”
The 2025 Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame weekend will be April 11-12. The induction ceremony is on Friday, April 11, inside the Food City Center. The following day, the group will be honored at Tennessee’s football spring Orange & White game at Neyland Stadium.
Eric Berry | Football | 2007-09
The only two-time unanimous All-American in Tennessee football history, Eric Berry cemented himself as one of the program’s all-time greats from 2007-09. Berry claimed the Jim Thorpe Award in 2009 as the nation’s top defensive back after being a finalist in 2008. A finalist for the 2009 Nagurski Trophy, Berry led Tennessee to two bowl berths, including a 21-17 win over Wisconsin in the 2008 Outback Bowl, which gave the Vols a final No. 12 ranking. A Freshman All-American, the dynamic safety helped the Vols bring home the SEC East title in 2007. A three-time All-SEC selection, Berry was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 after leading the conference with seven interceptions. Berry’s tenure on Rocky Top established him as the SEC’s all-time leader in career interception return yards (494) and single-season interception return yards (265 in 2008). He also holds the Vol record for career yards (35.3) per interception. Berry, who played nine NFL seasons, was inducted into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame and the state of Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. The Fairburn, Georgia, native was also selected to the SEC Legends Class in 2024.
Jenny Connolly | Women’s Swimming & Diving | 2009-12
One of the best backstrokers and butterfliers in school history, Jenny Connolly amassed 14 SEC medals, five NCAA medals and 22 All-America certificates during her decorated career on Rocky Top. The four-time All-SEC selection is the only swimmer in Lady Vol history to be SEC champion in the 100 back, a feat she achieved twice. Connolly won four individual conference titles, adding a pair in the 100 fly, and was a member of four SEC champion relays throughout her career. She also enjoyed success on the national stage, bringing home one silver medal and four bronze medals. She posted three top-8 finishes in the 100 back—highlighted by winning bronze in 2012—and two in the 100 fly. Connolly left Tennessee as the school record holder in the 100 back (51.34) and ranked second in the 100 fly (51.21). Today, she ranks fourth and fifth, respectively, in those events.
A.W. Davis | Men’s Basketball | 1962-65 (Posthumous)
The fifth First Team All-American in program history, A.W. Davis collected the distinction in 1964-65 from the Helms Athletic Foundation and the USBWA. A two-time First Team All-SEC designee, Davis ended his career as Tennessee’s career leader in free-throw percentage (80.5), while placing second in scoring (17.3), fourth in double-doubles (23) and fifth in rebounding average (8.1). Sixty years later, those figures remain seventh, No. 13, No. 14 and No. 12, respectively. Selected in the fifth round of the 1965 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, Davis served as UT’s assistant freshman coach (1969-70) and varsity assistant (1970-75), helping the Volunteers claim the 1971-72 SEC regular season title. After his coaching career, Davis worked as the Tennessee basketball analyst (1979-82). He was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Greater Knoxville Hall of Fame in 1988. A 2000 SEC Legend honoree, Davis passed away on Sept. 23, 2014, in Knoxville.
Mike Masters | Men’s Swimming & Diving | 1985-88
One of the most decorated swimmers in Tennessee history, Mike Masters concluded his time as a Vol as a program record holder, a 12-time All-American and a two-time SEC champion. A sprint freestyle specialist, Masters’ best season came in 1987, when he won the SEC title in the 100 and 200 freestyles. He followed that performance by winning bronze in the 100 free at the NCAA Championships and adding a fourth-place finish in the 50 free. Throughout his career, he tallied 10 medals at the conference meets. He was named the team captain of the 1988 squad. His top time in the 100 free of 43.21 from the 1988 NCAA Championships broke the school record and would stand until 1996. Masters is currently a member of the UT’s Shareholder Society.
Lauryn McCalley | Women’s Swimming & Diving | 2001-05
The 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year, Lauryn McCalley, was the epitome of student-athlete during her time on Rocky Top. Excelling both in the pool and the classroom, she was a five-time All-American diver for the Lady Vols and earned Academic All-America honors four times throughout her career. Receiving her degree in microbiology, McCalley won the prestigious H. Boyd McWhorter SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in 2005. She was named to GLAMOUR Magazine’s Top 10 College Women list in 2004, and in her first season at Tennessee, she garnered the 2002 SEC Freshman Diver of the Year honor. When her UT career ended, she ranked second all-time on the top-10 program leaderboard on 1-meter and was third on 3-meter. More than 20 years later, her top effort on 1-meter (313.20) still ranks eighth in program history. She was a member of the United States National Team from 1995-2004, and she’s a member of the Georgia Aquatic Hall of Fame (class of 2016).
Lindsay Schutzler | Softball | 2004-07
Lindsay Schutzler is one of the top hitters in Tennessee softball history and a three-time All-American, earning first-team honors as a junior. Many of Schutzler’s records still stand, including career marks for hits (362), triples (20), at-bats (946), and games played (296). She also led the Lady Vols to their first Women’s College World Series appearance in 2005, launching a streak of three consecutive trips to Oklahoma City. Equally accomplished in the classroom, Schutzler was a three-time Academic All-American and twice named Academic All-American of the Year—the first of four Lady Vols to receive the honor and the only two-time honoree in program history. In 2007, she was the first Lady Vol to earn SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition. Schutzler’s induction into the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025 marks her as the fifth softball player to be honored and joins former teammates Monica Abbott (2017) and Sarah Fekete (2024).
Mike Sposa | Men’s Golf | 1988-91
Mike Sposa is one of the most distinguished golfers in Tennessee history. The Teaneck, New Jersey, native was a two-time All-SEC selection and is just one of six Vols to earn multiple All-America honors. In 1990, Sposa etched his name in SEC history after claiming the individual SEC Championship title to become the third player in school history to accomplish the feat. In that same year, Sposa guided UT to a team SEC Championship. Throughout his collegiate career, Sposa won two individual titles and teed it up in 133 18-hole rounds while posting a 72.06 career scoring average. After he concluded his time on Rocky Top, Sposa played professionally and was a member of the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour (currently known as the Korn Ferry Tour) from 1994-2007.
Tony White | Men’s Basketball | 1983-87
The only player in Tennessee history to lead the SEC in scoring in back-to-back seasons, Tony White holds the highest (51) and third-highest (49) single-game point totals ever by a Volunteer. He is one of three UT players to score 550-plus points in three separate seasons, and his 16 30-point performances rank third all-time. Nine of those, co-second on the program’s single-season leaderboard, came in 1986-87, when White was the UPI Co-SEC Player of the Year, as well as an AP and UPI Third Team All-American. A three-time All-SEC selection, including a two-time first-team choice, and a two-time SEC All-Tournament pick, White ranks sixth in SEC history with 2,219 points and No. 10 with 846 made field goals. Among Volunteers, he is third in scoring, fourth in made field goals, fifth in made free throws (499), fifth in free-throw attempts (594), fifth in minutes (4,034), sixth in free-throw percentage (84.0), seventh in field-goal attempts (493), No. 10 in scoring average (17.5) and No. 10 in minutes average (31.8). The Charlotte, N.C., native has nine top-10 single-season placements at UT, including third in free-throw percentage (90.2), fourth in minutes average (37.6), fifth in points (711) and fifth in scoring average (24.5), all in 1986-87. Selected No. 33 in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, White earned SEC Legend status in 2002 and Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction in 2022.
Source: UT Sports
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