RAIDER RALLY RECAP: A CELEBRATION OF ATHLETICS
RSCC – Three new members have been added to Roane State’s Hall of Fame for 2025. On Saturday, April 26, Bernadette Mattox, George Ogilvie, and Larry Works joined the prestigious company of a select group of Raider coaches and athletes.
Added as a player inductee, Mattox made her name on the basketball court as a Roane State Raiderette. After she graduated, she established herself as a trailblazing basketball coach, becoming the first woman to serve as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky.
Mattox’s success as an assistant coach led to her opportunity as the head coach of the University of Kentucky Lady Wildcats, where she led them to their first 20-win season in almost a decade.
“She has the kind of story that we all strive to have and to accomplish in our careers,” Roane State Athletics Director David Lane said. “What she did coming from a small community and a community college and going on to do incredible things with her life, that’s what we try to pass on to our players.”
Ogilvie, known to his players as “Coach O,” took over as head baseball coach in 1984 after previously coaching at Martin Methodist College from 1981 to 1984. He led the Raiders until 1991, guiding the program to two conference championships, the most by any coach in Roane State history, before returning to Martin Methodist.
Ogilvie’s playing career included stints at Motlow State and the University of Tennessee at Martin.
“It means a great deal,” Ogilvie said. “Looking at the names that are already in there… Just being in the hall of fame with them just means so much because there’s so much talent there and so much great coaching. To be associated with them is very important to me.”
Works has been part of Roane State since its early days, serving as head baseball coach and head women’s basketball coach beginning in 1972. He coached women’s basketball from 1973 to 1975 and led the baseball program from 1973 to 1979 and again from 1991 to 2009, with his 1999 team finishing as TCCAA tournament runner-up.
Works was instrumental in preserving the baseball program during a period when it faced potential elimination.
“We played because we loved the game,” Works said. “I’m not sure that’s why everyone plays anymore, but we played because we had fun doing it.”
Roane State Community College established its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019 to honor players, coaches, and teams who have made significant contributions to the college’s athletics programs. The Hall of Fame continues to expand, with new inductees recognized regularly by the athletics department.
“Having them on campus and letting our current players and community hear their stories allowed us to pull on our past to build our future,” Lane added. “I think it was great to have all those generations together in one spot to really set a tone and an expectation for future success at Roane State.”