Marvin Beidleman
Student-Athlete
Basketball, Football
Slater High School
Class of 1964
Marvin Beidleman – 1964 (Slater High School)
Marvin Beidleman was a standout athlete for Coach Dorsey Sims at Slater High School in football and basketball.
Beidleman, the first black athlete from Bristol to sign with a primarily white college - Tennessee Tech - was a 6-foot-5 star forward for the Wolves. As a senior, he averaged 25 points and 15 rebounds.
The talented Beidleman was named to the All-Tri-State basketball and football teams and was a member of the 1962 undefeated Tri-State Conference football team.
As a senior, Beidleman was named to the All-District and All-Region teams and was the MPV of the Slater High team that year. In 1964, he was honored with the Volunteer DAR Good Citizenship Award and was the Industrial Management Club Award winner.
A true trailblazer, Beidleman was one of the first three athletes to enroll at Tennessee Tech and play for the Golden Eagles, where he played from 1964-1966.
Beidleman, who served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam as a paratrooper in the 101 Airborne Division from 1967-1968, worked as an inspector at Raytheon Company in Bristol before joining Eastman Chemical Company as a chemical operator, where he worked until 1999 when he retired.
A member of the Slater Alumni Association, Beidleman is married to Sue and has two children and four grandchildren. He continues to be an avid gardener and also enjoys making jewelry for his family members.
