Where Are They Now - Part I

Marty Allison

Dickson Sports Media

*This story has been updated since originally being published.

In the WHERE ARE THEY NOW series, the goal was to list every player and coach that fit into a category. Several coaches and athletic departments at each school were contacted to get all the names possible. Unfortunately, not everyone responded back, (or some were simply overlooked) which led to some coaches and players being omitted from the series. If you recognize that someone has been left out of the series, please contact Dickson Sports Media on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and names will be added as needed.

Let’s face it, we live in a sports community.

Dickson County has produced its fair share of graduates that have gone past high school and are still involved in sports today. Many are still playing or coaching or are involved in some capacity in the world of sports.

I’m not sure that it would be possible to list all the former local graduates that continued in the sports field after high school, so I started looking for individuals who are currently participating, and the numbers were surprisingly high, especially in the coaching field. I’ve talked with several local coaches to try and identify as many as possible, but I know some names have probably been overlooked. If you see a name missing, just drop me a note.

Because of the numbers involved, I decided to break things up in a multi-part series. For part one, the focus is on individuals who are on the professional level. Getting paid for sports. It’s the dream of many, but the reality for few.

Bob Wolcott
Bob Wolcott is a 1979 graduate of Dickson County High School and a 1984 graduate of the University

of Georgia. He played five years on the PGA Tour (including two US Opens)  and five years on the Koran Ferry Tour after being named All-SEC (3 times) and All-American.

Wolcott is currently the General Manager and Director of Golf at Tunica National in Mississippi and the leasee and business owner at Greystone Golf Club in Dickson.

Rachel Bell
Rachel Bell graduated from Creek Wood High School in 2014 before taking her talents to the basketball court at Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Psychology and Medicine, Heath, and Society.

Bell currently plays professional basketball for the Whittesea Pacers of the Big V League in Australia.

Kristen Mattio
Kristen Mattio graduated from Dickson County High School in 1998 and Evangel University in 2003 with a degree in Marketing/Management. She also received a Master’s Degree in 2006 in Sports and Wellness from Austin Peay.

Mattio was named the Head Coach for the women’s basketball squad at West Texas A&M on May 12, 2015. She has also coached at Evangel University, Montana State, Austin Peay, Memphis Central High School, Ft. Lewis College, and NW Missouri State.

Walt Bell
Walt Bell graduated from Dickson County High School in 2003 and from Middle Tennessee State University  in 2005. While at MTSU, he earned degrees in Criminal Justice Administration and in Sports Management. Since then, Bell has been on the college football coaching scene.

Bell has coached at Memphis, Oklahoma State, Southern Miss, North Carolina, Arkansas State, Maryland, and Florida State. He has appeared in ten Bowl Games. He was named the Head Football Coach at the University of Massachusetts in December of 2018.

LeaLea Carter
LeaLea Carter graduated from Dickson County High School in 2016 before taking her talents to Vanderbilt University. She had a single game career-high 21 points and a career high 12 rebounds while playing at Vandy.

Carter recently signed a professional contract with ZKK Plamen Pozega in the Croatian First League.

Lindsey (Peeler) Foster
Lindsey Foster graduated from Creek Wood High School in 2008 before joining the cheer squad at UT Martin (2008-2011). Lindsey graduated from UT Martin in 2013 with a BS in Nursing.

Foster just wrapped up her second year on the Nashville Predators Energy Team in the National Hockey League and is looking forward to trying out again for the upcoming season. Lindsey spends her days as a RN at Old Harding Pediatrics.

Kendal Wallace
Kendal Wallace graduated from Dickson County High School in 1989. He went on to play basketball at Martin Methodist. After two seasons Wallace transferred to Maryville College where he played two seasons for the Scots. Wallace has a BA in History and a MA in Health & Fitness Management and a MA in Philanthropy & Development.

Wallace is entering his 10th season as the head men’s basketball coach at LaGrange University in Georgia. He also coached on the Maryville College (TN) staff before heading to Georgia.

Ashlee Jennings
Ashlee Jennings graduated from Dickson County High School in 1993. Jennings graduated from Tennessee Tech in 2007 with a degree in Secondary Education English. Jennings also has a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Austin Peay.

After leaving the English Department at Dickson County High School, Jennings took a position as the Assistant Learning Specialist at the University of Tennessee (2017), working with at-risk athletes. Since 2018, she has been the Learning Specialist for at-risk athletes at the University of Louisiana Lafayette, while also overseeing the graduate assistant program and the academic mentor program.