A highly decorated basketball player at Central High in the mid 1960s, Ronnie Gibbs had the distinction of being named Third Team All-State in 1966 and First Team All-State in 1967. In that era, every high school in the state played in a single division, making this accomplishment even more notable. Additionally, he was selected to the 1967 TSSAA East-West All Star game in Nashville. Upon graduation he was awarded a basketball scholarship to Freed-Hardeman University. He later transferred to Oklahoma Christian College (now known as Oklahoma Christian University) where he received team MVP and All-Conference honors.
CLASS OF 2018
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Ronnie Gibbs
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Chris Qualls
In the early-to-mid 1970s, Chris Qualls was the face of Tiger football. As a senior in 1976 he was a true ironman, averaging 13 solo tackles and 7 assists per game and also catching 42 passes for 496 yards as a tight end. During his senior campaign he was also named All-Region and All-Conference as a tight end and as a linebacker, as well as All-West Tennessee and honorable mention All-State linebacker. Upon graduation he received a scholarship to Vanderbilt University where he played linebacker. After suffering a knee injury, he transferred to the University of North Alabama in 1977 where he was teammates with HCSHOF member Steve Carter.
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Mark Turnbow
One of the most dominant pitchers to ever take the mound for HCHS, Mark Turnbow was a force in the mid-to-late 1990s. He set the school record for single-season wins (11) and lowest season ERA (0.41), and during his senior year was selected as District MVP and All-Tournament team, and USA Classic All-Tournament team. He declined a scholarship to Ole Miss after being selected in the 7th round of the 1997 MLB draft by the Cleveland Indians. In his first professional season he tied for the Appalachian League lead in wins (8) and was 5th in ERA (2.78). In the late 1990s he was consistently recognized as one of the top prospects in the Indians’ organization.
