The fifth class of the East Ridge High School Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducted Friday at the school’s gym at 1:30 p.m.
The following people are receiving the designation this year.
James Citty _ Citty was a member of the second graduating class of ERHS in 1963. Citty ran track where he won the Decathlon in 1961. He served as Captain of the track team in 1963, when the team went undefeated and where crowned district champions and City/County Champs.
Citty’s athletic career also included football, where he holds the distinction of scoring the first-ever touchdown on Shanks Field. Citty was named All City in football his senior season.
Kenny Erb – Erb, class of 1967, was a well-rounded athlete who played baseball, basketball and football.
On the gridiron, Erb’s 1965 team won the Strawberry Bowl in Dayton. The team also defeated powerhouse Oak Ridge during the ’65 season. He served as Co-Captain his senior year and was named to the All Hamilton Interscholastic League. Erb received a grant-in-aid to play football at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Erb played basketball for three years. He was Co-Captain in his senior year when the team went 19-4.
Erb played baseball for three years and served as Captain his senior year. He was named to the All City and All Hamilton County Interscholastic League in 1967.
Larry Garner – A tremendous baseball player (1970-72) he was named All America in college and was taken in the Major League draft by the San Diego Padres.
As a Pioneer, Garner led the city in strikeouts for three consecutive years, finishing with a school career record of 201. His career earned run average was a stingy 1.63. He remains the only pitcher in ERHS history to strike out 20 batters in a seven-inning game.
After graduating he continued his career at Cleveland State, leading the conference in strike-outs and was named to the All Tennessee Junior College Athletic Association team.
He continued his baseball career at UTC where in 1976 he led the nation in hitting with a .484 average. He was named to the All America team that year, prior to the draft.
Debbie Wooten Giles _ Giles (class of 1971) played volleyball and basketball for three years. In all three seasons both teams had winning seasons.
Her volleyball teams won two regional championships. The team compiled a three-year record of 50-17. In 1970 Giles was named to the All City and All Region teams. She was named MVP of the All Region team. In 1971 Giles was named once again to the All Region team and the MVP of the region tournament.
During her basketball career, Giles averaged 20 points per game and was named All City in 1971, when the Lady Pioneers compiled a 17-4 record. She was named MVP by her teammates in 1971.
Giles was a member of the 1969 team that played 16 overtimes versus Ooltewah, the longest game ever to be played by a girls’ high school team. The game received national attention as it was the subject of a Sports Illustrated story.
Tim James _ The current coach of the ERHS football team, James (class of ’82) is the son of legendary football coach Raymond James.
At East Ridge, James distinguished himself in football and wrestling. In football, James was Captain of the team his senior season. He was named to the Chattanooga Times All Star team and was Second Team All State. He received the team’s Most Valuable Lineman award.
In wrestling, James was runner-up in the TSSAA State Wrestling Tournament at 155 pounds. He was named to the Best of Preps wrestling team by the Chattanooga News-Free Press.
He returned to coach football at East Ridge where his 2001 team had an 11-2 record and won the school’s first-ever region title. He was named the Region 4/A Coach of the Year by the Tennessee Football Coaches Association.
Marc Lawrence – Lawrence (class of 1988) excelled in football, basketball and baseball at ERHS.
In football, Lawrence threw for more than 3,000 career yards, completing 73 percent of his passes. In 1987, Lawrence had 36 passing touchdowns, rushed for 10 more en route to being named to the All District team. In 1987 he was named the top quarterback in the area by both the News-Free Press and The Times.
In basketball, his three-year career concluded with 1,420 points. He was named All District and All Region in 1987 and 1988. In 1988 he was an Honorable Mention on the All State basketball team.
In baseball, his career ERA was 2.4. His senior year he was named to both newspapers’ All City teams. That same year he was Honorable Mention All State.
He was named Scrappy Moore Athlete of the Year in 1988.
He went on to play football at the University of Tennessee. He transferred and played basketball at UTC from 1989-91.
Bob Lively – Lively was a member of the first graduating class of East Ridge High School (1961). He played basketball, baseball and ran track.
In 1961, East Ridge won the Class A Division Championship and Lively was selected to the All City team.
His senior year, Lively was Co-Captain of the basketball team where he averaged 14.7 points per game, scoring 391 points.
In track, Lively’s 1961 team went undefeated. Lively ran the mile and was a member of the relay team.
After a stint in the Army in Vietnam, Lively played basketball for McKenzie College, where he was selected to the Small College of America All Tournament Team in 1976.
Lively, who moved to Florida, continued to stay involved with athletics as an official in college and high school basketball, baseball, AAU Basketball and for the Special Olympics.
Mark Mariakis – Mariakis (class of 1980) played four sports while at East Ridge excelling in all of them.
Mariakis was All County in football and baseball his senior year. In track, he was a member of the 4X400 relay team that set a record in the district meet.
In his senior season on the baseball team, Mariakis he batted .402 and threw a no-hitter in the district tournament.
His senior year on the basketball team, he averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds. He was voted Most Athletic his senior year.
Mariakis accepted a baseball scholarship to UTC.
Markiakis has made a career in coaching high school athletes. He is currently coaching football at Chattanooga Christian School.
Connie Maxwell – Maxwell (class of 1973) is being given the honor posthumously. She distinguished herself on the basketball and volleyball courts during her three-year career.
In her years on the volleyball team, the Lady Pioneers went 65-16, winning the region all three years. She was named to the All Region team in 1973 when the team went 22-2.
In hoops, Maxwell’s teams established a 56-22 record. She was named to the All District team when the Lady Pioneers won the district crown.
Maxwell went on to a career in nursing. For a time she worked at the University of Tennessee for the Lady Vols basketball team and Coach Pat Summitt. She served at the team message therapist for more than 20 years.
Bob Wade – Wade (class of ’67) played football and ran track and cross-country for three years.
In 1965, Wade was part of the track team that won the Chattanooga Jaycees Invitational, the Hamilton County Interscholastic League title and runner-up in the district. Wade set a record for the 60-yard dash.
Wade won the region title in the 110-yard dash in 1966. He held or tied school records in the 60-yard dash, Long Jump, 60-yard Low Hurdles and 880 Relay.
In 1967 Wade was named Athlete of the Week, based on his performance at the Southeast Indoor Track Meet.
In football, Wade was named Honorable Mention All City and participated in the Tennessee/Georgia All Star Game.
Wade went on to run track at Cleveland State and UTC. He took a Bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Health, and Physical Education from UTC.
Wade went on to a career as a community recreation director for the YMCA.
