Mark McKinney
Student-Athlete
Baseball, Football, Track & Field, Basketball
Tennessee High School
Class of 1977
Mark McKinney – 1977 (Tennessee High School)
Mark McKinney moved to Bristol his sophomore year and immediately made an impact, starring for the Vikings in baseball, football, basketball, and track and field.
McKinney was a three-time All-Upper East Tennessee football selection beginning his sophomore year. In his junior and senior seasons, he was named to the All-City, All-Big 6, and All-Big 9 teams. He also garnered honorable mention on the All-State team in his junior and season seasons.
McKinney was a pitcher and centerfielder for the THS baseball team and was named to the All-Upper East Tennessee team during his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. As a senior, his batting average was .477, and he drove in 31 runs and had 26 stolen bases. That year, he was also All-Big 6, All-Big 9, the Upper East Tennessee Player of the Year, the Big 9 Player of the Year, and an All-American selection.
During his senior season, McKinney led the Vikings conference, district, and regional titles, and a third-place finish in the state tournament.
McKinney was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round, the 83rd player chosen overall in the 1977 draft. He received multiple college scholarship offers in baseball and football, ultimately choosing to forego the major leagues to play baseball for the University of North Carolina.
