Clarksville, TN – With great sadness, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) athletics department announces that Sherwin Clift, an alumnus, long-time staff member, Hall of Fame member, and long-time university supporter, passed away Tuesday night.
When he arrived in Clarksville from Cornersville High School in 1956, Sherwin Clift immersed himself in Austin Peay State University’s athletics scene. As a freshman, he competed in basketball, and the following year, he took to the track. His athletic prowess was evident when he finished third in the mile run at the 1957 Volunteer State Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships.
Clift’s passions extended beyond the field, as he spent two years contributing to the university’s yearbook and newspaper staffs. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in 1960 and his master’s degree in education in 1961 from Austin Peay State University.
After graduating, Clift was hired as Austin Peay State University’s public, sports, and alumni information director. He continued that combined role until 1967 and later returned as Sports Information Director from 1981-83. He also was APSU’s head golf coach (1961-71; 1978-80) and the original ‘Voice of the Govs’ (1971-82), ultimately calling 386 football and basketball games. Clift also served as an advisor to The All State from 1960-78 and in that same capacity for the Farewell & Hail – Austin Peay State University yearbook – from 1964-73.
A 1983 APSU Hall of Fame inductee, Clift is probably best known for his tenure as Austin Peay State University’s head men’s golf coach. Over his 13 seasons and 64 stroke play tournaments as head coach, the Governors won 13 championships, finished runners-up eight times, and took third place in another 12 events. Austin Peay compiled a 543-252 record in stroke-play events and added a 113-38-6 record in match-play events.
Clift led the Governors to the 1979 Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Golf Championship, the 1966, 1970, and 1979 Tennessee Intercollegiate Championships, and the 1961 and 1962 Volunteer State Athletic Conference championships. In NCAA national championship play, Austin Peay State University finished third and eighth, respectively, in the 1968 and 1967 NCAA College Division Championships. The Governors finished ranked No. 15 in the nation in Golf World in 1979. Clift was awarded the Tennessee Intercollegiate Championships Coach of the Year in 1966 and 1970 and was the 1979 OVC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year.
When Clift left Austin Peay State University for a position with the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office in 1984, he didn’t stop supporting the university. He immediately became involved as a key supporter and Governors Club member. His philanthropic efforts were significant, creating scholarship endowments – the Dr. Leon and Margaret Bibb Hall of Fame Scholarship and the Clift Men’s Golf Graduate Assistant Scholarship – that support graduate assistants for athletics. In 2005, Clift also played a large role in building the endowment for the Dr. Aaron Schmidt Alumni Band Scholarship, created as the namesake of another APSU Athletics Hall of Famer.
After seven years in Tennessee State Government, Clift and his wife Norma launched a successful real estate venture with Keller Williams, allowing them to play an even greater role in growing Governors athletics. The Clifts were long-time Governors Club and Monocle Society members, season-ticket holders for basketball, and suite holders at Fortera Stadium.
They could also be found at many Austin Peay State University golf tournaments, supporting both the men’s and women’s teams. Clift’s influence also played a large role in sustaining an annual men’s golf alumni match. Sherwin was inducted into APSU’s Red Coat Society in 2017 for his long-time support of Governors athletics. He was the first inducted into the Austin Peay State University Athletics Hall of Fame and Austin Peay’s Red Coat Society.
Sherwin is survived by his wife Norma, his children Lamar and Natalie, and his two grandchildren, Tristan and Bentley.
Funeral arrangements at Neal-Tarpley-Parchment Funeral Home are pending.
