When current Sweetwater head football coach Dan Williams was hired to lead the Wildcats last April, the coach said he would welcome any involvement former Sweetwater head coach Bill Dupes wanted to have with the program.

And should Dupes take that offer from Williams, the current coach will be taking advice from one of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame's newest members.
Dupes was one of 11 people selected to be inducted to the Hall of Fame on February 19 at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville.

As a standout high school player at Sweetwater High School and Tennessee Military Academy, Bill Dupes was offered a scholarship to attend Tennessee Tech University where the three-year starter was elected team captain his senior year, was named All-Ohio Valley Conference and Honorable Mention Little All-American.

Dupes began his coaching career at Tech serving as an assistant helping the Eagles to a Tangerine Bowl victory and winning two Ohio Valley Championships.
In 1963, he took over an Austin Peay program that had not had a winning season for more than a decade.

In his second season at the helm he led the Governors to an 8-1-1 record earning unanimous selection as OVC Coach of the Year.
During his tenure at APSU he had 23 players earn first-team All-OVC honors in addition to four being selected first-team Little All-American.
He returned to high school coaching in 1976, first at TMI and later his prep alma mater, Sweetwater where he led his team to a state title in 1993, one of three state titles claimed by the Wildcats.
He retired from coaching in 1998 ending a 44 -year career.

More on Dupes and his road to the Hall of Fame will appear in a future issue of The Advocate & Democrat.