1967 State Championship Baseball Team
Team
Baseball
Tennessee High School
1967
1967 State Baseball Championship Team (Tennessee High)
The 1967 Viking club did something no other THS team had done - it provided Tennessee High with its first-ever state championship in baseball.
Finishing with what was then a school record 27 wins against just 5 losses, the Vikings beat Chattanooga Central 1-0 in the title game. Sophomore Tommy Paluzzi led the Vikings on the mound, tossing a two-hitter while improving to 11-2 on the season.
The Vikings scored the winning run after Dave Rutherford and Nick Graybeal both singled in the sixth inning. Tommy Makres then smacked a double to bring Rutherford home, knocking in his 32nd run of the season with the game-winning RBI.
The Vikings, who also beat teams from Memphis and Nashville, in the state tournament, also won the District and Regional titles that season under head coach Russ Basham and assistant Bill Bingham.
Rutherford, Makres, Graybeal, and Powell Moore were all named to the All-State team. Graybeal, a catcher, was the fourth pick by the Philadelphia Phillies that season.
The Viking roster included Jimmy Butcher, Bobby Wolfe, Wayne McReynolds, Mickey Blevins, Jimmy Smith, Tim Hawk, Bobby Mutter, Greg Johnson, Wayne Bowman, Gary Rogers, and manager David Winship.
