Watkins Park in Nashville in Davidson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Coach Cornelius Ridley

1932 - 2003

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 23, 2024

1. Coach Cornelius Ridley marker

Inscription. Cornelius Ridley's teams won 684 games, 15 district, 8 region and 5 state championships at three Nashville schools from 1960-91. Ridley, a 1949 Pearl graduate, succeeded his legendary basketball coach William Gupton in 1960. He coached the Tigers in Nashville's first integrated game in 1965 and led Pearl to an undefeated season and state title in 1966, the first year the tournament was desegregated. An educational mentor, he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Erected 2024 by The Historical Commission of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. (Marker Number 275.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Sports.

Location. 36° 9.748′ N, 86° 48.049′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in Watkins Park. It is on 17th Avenue North north of Jo Johnston Ave, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 655 17th Ave N, Nashville TN 37203, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker

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is in Middle Tennessee.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection at Fisk University (within shouting distance of this marker); The Fisk Jubliee Singers (within shouting distance of this marker); Pearl High School (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Watkins Park (about 600 feet away); Blue Triangle YWCA (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pearl Sanders Creswell (1912 - 1994) / Creswell House (approx. ¼ mile away); James Weldon Johnson Home (approx. ¼ mile away); William Edmondson (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.

Also see . . . Ridley, Cornelius. Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (Submitted on November 23, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia.)

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 23, 2024

2. Coach Cornelius Ridley marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 358 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 23, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.