By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Six persons will be inducted into the prestigious Union City High School Hall of Honors at halftime of Saturday’s Tornado boys’ basketball game against St. Benedict.
Five of the inductees qualified by either winning individual state championships or earning all-state honors, while the sixth person set for inclusion was the school system’s top administrator during a lengthy run of athletic success.
Ceremonies will be conducted at halftime of the varsity boys’ game between Union City and the Memphis School Saturday. There will be a jayvee boys’ contest at 4 p.m., with the varsity boys’ contest game to follow and scheduled to tip-off around 5:30 p.m.
Among the honorees will be:
Taylon Tribble — Taylon was a two-time state track champion in the discus, claiming championships in both 2019 and 2021. Tribble won his first title as a sophomore, stunning a stacked field that included the defending champion with a top throw that was 10 feet farther than his closest competition. After a serious knee injury and COVID-19 robbed him of his junior season, Tribble capped his senior year by easily capturing a second state title last spring. His winning throw of 168 feet, 4 inches, was the best in any division and set a UCHS program record. He was named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State Team after both his sophomore and senior seasons. Tribble is currently attending college at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Kylie McCadney – Kylie finished in a dead-heat with a runner from Knoxville Austin-East to win the 400-meter run in the state track championship last spring at Rockvale High School. She became just the third female in Union City High School track history to win a state championship, joining Tammy Critchfield and Jenny Jernigan. McCadney’s time of 1-minute, 37 seconds was a career-best and capped a performance that saw her place in three events in all on the state’s biggest stage. She was part of Union City’s 4X200 relay team that placed sixth in the state and also finished seventh for the Lady Tornadoes in the triple jump. She was awarded All-State designation by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for her efforts following her senior campaign. Kylie is currently attending school at UT Knoxville.
Ben McMillan – A prolific scorer throughout his UCHS playing career, Ben earned All-State honors his junior season after scoring more than 18 points per game and making 96 shots from 3-point range. Eleven times that season, he made four or more 3-pointers in a game. He was named both the District and Regional Most Valuable Player in 2020 and led the Tornadoes to the first of two consecutive sectional appearances that season. McMillan was one of just three rural West Tennessee players to be named to the TSWA All-State squad. He ended up scoring more than 1,800 points during his Purple and Gold playing days. McMillan is currently a freshman at the University of Tennessee at Martin and is a walk-on member of the Skyhawk golf team.
Neil Brown – Brown, a four-year starter for the Golden Tornado football team as an offensive tackle, was named All-State by the TSWA following his senior season in 2020. Brown was chosen the Top Lineman in Region 7-2A and was one of just five linemen named to the Class 2A All-State unit. He anchored a Tornado front that averaged just under 300 yards rushing a game and an offense that produced a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. Brown burst onto the Union City football radar as a freshman, earning a starting spot on a Tornado squad that went on to win the last of the program’s four state championships in 2017. Neil is currently a student at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
B.J. Frankum – B.J. earned TSWA All-State honors his junior year after placing 3rd among 173 runners in the State Cross Country Championships. It was the best-ever individual performance in modern-era program history and helped the Tornado boys to a sixth-place showing overall in 2019 when UC made the third of four straight state appearances as a team. Frankum earlier in the year won 1st place in both the UC Invitational and the Regional Championships and showed true grit by ridding himself of a walking boot that was protecting an injured foot in the week leading up to the state championships. B.J. is currently a student at UT-Martin.
Gary Houston – Mr. Houston was the longtime Director of Schools (1997-2017), a former principal at Union City Elementary School (1994-97), and an inductee to the Hall as a Special Contributor. A staunch supporter of all things Purple and Gold ‑‑ including academics, the arts, and sports ‑‑ Tornado athletics enjoyed unprecedented success during his lengthy and noteworthy tenure. The Union City boys’ basketball program won five state titles, the football program claimed three state championships and the Lady Tornado basketball program brought home gold from the state level with an undefeated season during his time as the top brass at UC Schools. Mr. Houston and his wife, Marsha, still reside in Obion County and he remains active in several community causes.