Tink Gillam

Tink Gillam
	Gillam in 1926
Biographical details
Born	April 22, 1896; Dadeville, Alabama
Died	February 18, 1988 (aged 91); Birmingham, Alabama
Playing career
1915–1919	Birmingham–Southern
Position(s)	Halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1917	Hamilton (AL) Agricultural School
1923–1924	Mercer (assistant)
1925–1927	Clemson (assistant)
Basketball
1923–1925	Mercer
1925–1927	Clemson
Baseball
1927	Clemson
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1920–1921	Southern Military Academy
1921–1923	Mississippi College (assistant)
Head coaching record
Overall	11–13–1 (baseball); 42–42 (basketball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	Basketball; 2 SIAA (1924, 1925)
Awards
	Birmingham–Southern Sports Hall of Fame (1990)

Monroe Parker "Tink" Gillam^[1] was a college football, baseball, and basketball coach. Born in Dadeville, Alabama, Gillam attended Birmingham College, where he played baseball, basketball, and was a halfback on the football team.^[2] After graduating in 1919, Gillam was athletic director at Southern Military Academy in Greensboro, Alabama, from 1920–1921 and assistant athletic director at Mississippi College from 1921–1923.

Beginning in 1923, Gillam was an assistant football coach and head basketball coach at Mercer University.^[3] He won back-to-back Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball titles as coach at Mercer, earning him the title "the Napoleon of Southern basketball".^[4]

Gillam then moved to Clemson College, where he spent two seasons as a football assistant, and was head basketball coach in 1925–26 and 1926–27, and head baseball coach in 1927.^[5]

Gillam was inducted into the Birmingham–Southern Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.^[6]

Head coaching record

Basketball

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall	Conference
Mercer Bears (SIAA) (1923–1925)
1923–24	Mercer	22–6	6–1
1924–25	Mercer	14–6	?
Mercer:		36–12 (.750)^[7]
Clemson Tigers (SoCon) (1925–1927)
1925–26	Clemson	4–17	1–7
1926–27	Clemson^[8]	2–13	1–7
Clemson:		6–30 (.167)	2–14 (.125)
Total:		42–42 (.500)
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

Baseball

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall
1927	Clemson	11–13–1
Total:		11–13–1 (.460)
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

References

^ ^a ^b "Bulletin of Mississippi College". May 1922. p. 10. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
^ "Birmingham Battles Spring Hill Thursday". Birmingham College Reporter. October 27, 1916. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
^ Wilder, Robert E. (August 12, 2011). Gridiron Glory Days: Football at Mercer, 1892-1942. Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780881462678 – via Google Books.
^ "N.C. Declines To Play Bears For The Honor" (PDF). The Mercer Cluster. March 6, 1925. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
^ "Clemson Tiger Invades Blue Camp for Game". The Kentucky Kernel. University of Kentucky. October 9, 1925. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
^ "Sports Hall of Fame". Birmingham-Southern College. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
^ Tharp, Will. "2018-19 Mercer Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Mercer University. pp. 49–50, 62. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
^ Mitchell, Red (December 15, 1926). "Thru the Field Glasses". The Tiger. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

[MC_Bulletin-1] "Bulletin of Mississippi College". May 1922. p. 10. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

[2] "Birmingham Battles Spring Hill Thursday". Birmingham College Reporter. October 27, 1916. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

[3] Wilder, Robert E. (August 12, 2011). Gridiron Glory Days: Football at Mercer, 1892-1942. Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780881462678 – via Google Books.

[4] "N.C. Declines To Play Bears For The Honor" (PDF). The Mercer Cluster. March 6, 1925. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2022.

[5] "Clemson Tiger Invades Blue Camp for Game". The Kentucky Kernel. University of Kentucky. October 9, 1925. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

[6] "Sports Hall of Fame". Birmingham-Southern College. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

[7] Tharp, Will. "2018-19 Mercer Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Mercer University. pp. 49–50, 62. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

[8] Mitchell, Red (December 15, 1926). "Thru the Field Glasses". The Tiger. Retrieved August 23, 2023.

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