BIRMINGHAM — A trio with North Alabama connections and a U.S. senator headline the newest class of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Florence native Jeff Brantley, Decatur native Kim Evans, UAH’s all-time winning softball coach Les Steudeman and U.S. Sen./former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville join Jason Campbell, Cohn Copeland, Evan Mathis, and Ray Odums in the Class of 2026, the Hall of Fame board announced.
Starting with the first class in 1969, this will be the 58th class inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. The eight newly elected inductees, who will join the Hall on May 9, will bring the total number of inductees to 417.
LORRAINE “LES” STUEDEMAN – SOFTBALL/COACHING
A Tuscaloosa native, Stuedeman played volleyball and softball at Samford University for one season before transferring to Huntingdon College. While playing catcher at Huntingdon, she received All-District honors from 1990 to 1992 and was named an All-American in 1992. In 1995, Stuedeman was named the first softball coach at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
In 30 seasons, she guided the Chargers to 1,297 wins, nine conference titles, and has appeared in 26 NCAA Tournaments. Coach Stuedeman is also a 10-time Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year and won the Gulf South Conference Coach of the Decade Award in 2010 and 2020. Stuedeman announced her retirement following the 2025 season.
JEFF BRANTLEY – BASEBALL
A Florence native, Brantley pitched at Mississippi State University where he was a two-time All-SEC honoree and 1985 All-American. He helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1985 College World Series, finishing the season with an 18-2 record. Brantley is tied for the most career pitching wins in SEC history with 45 wins. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the sixth round of the 1985 MLB Draft. In his second season in the majors, Brantley pitched in three games of the 1989 World Series. The Giants ultimately lost the World Series to the Oakland Athletics. Brantley was named an All-Star the following season. In 1994, Brantley signed with the Cincinnati Reds as a free agent.
He led the National League in saves in 1996 and was named the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award winner. Brantley also played with the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers in his 14-year MLB career. Brantley worked as an ESPN broadcaster from 2002 to 2006. He has worked with the Cincinnati Reds radio and television broadcast teams since 2006.
KIM EVANS – GOLF/COACHING
Born in Decatur, Evans played golf at Auburn University from 1977-1981. She was named Auburn’s women’s head golf coach in 1994 and remained at the helm for 21 years. She led Auburn to eight SEC championship titles and coached seven SEC Players of the Year. During her stint, Auburn made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and finished among the Top 10 NCAA programs seven times.
Evans is a five-time SEC Coach of the Year. In 2002, she won the Golf Coaches Association National Coach of the Year Award, and she was inducted into the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.
TOMMY TUBERVILLE – FOOTBALL/COACHING
Born in Camden, Ark., Tuberville is most known in sports circles for his successful tenure as head coach of Auburn University, where he led the Tigers to six consecutive Iron Bowl wins and five SEC Western division titles. In 2004, Tuberville led the Tigers to an undefeated season and a Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. Following the 13-0 season, Tuberville received six Coach of the Year honors including SEC Coach of the Year and AP Coach of the Year. His 2004 team was recently recognized as national champions, with four Auburn players being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Prior to assuming the head coaching job at Auburn, Tuberville served as head coach at Ole Miss, where he was named 1997 SEC Coach of the Year. Before assuming head coaching roles, Tuberville had assistant stops at Arkansas State, the University of Miami, and Texas Tech. At Miami, he was part of three national championship teams — 1987, 1989, and 1991. Tuberville coached three years at Texas Tech and four years at Cincinnati before retiring as one of the “Top 50 Most Winning Coaches of All Time” with an overall record of 159-99.
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