HUBERT DENNIS - INDUCTEE #41
hall of fame fast fact:
When he was coaching at Rockdale, Hubert Dennis became friends with George Sessions Perry, then a struggling writer. They frequently went hunting together. Sessions later wrote about Dennis's setter, Zeke, in one of his Saturday Evening Post stories. Sessions gained fame when he won the 1941 National Book Award for his book 'Hold Autumn in Your Hand' about sharecropper Sam Tucker. His story was made into a movie, 'The Southerner', staring Zachary Scott.
Hubert Dennis
Hubert “Memphis Menace” Dennis earned his nickname as a running back for the Memphis Cyclones in 1923-1926. In 1926, Dennis scored all the Cyclones’ points, including a 65-yard touchdown run, as Memphis ambushed the Sandies 10-0.
In high school, Dennis was also a standout in basketball and track.
Dennis walked on at Texas Christian University and soon earned a scholarship, playing both football and baseball for the Horned Frogs. Dennis lettered three years in football and alternated at quarterback on the 1932 undefeated team, which was ranked fourth in the country. Dennis was TCU’s passing leader that year, completing 20 of 39 for 432 yards and two touchdowns. Dennis won All-Southwest Conference honors in baseball twice. He was TCU’s catcher and top hitter.
After he graduated in 1933, Dennis coached at Rockdale and Trinity. He returned to Memphis as a teacher after serving in the Navy during World War II.
Dennis died in 1981 at age 74.
