The Blount County Alumni Association is proud to recognize the outstanding contributions of Maryville College alumni and current students. Explore below to see some of their accomplishments!
Carol and Tony Ierulli
CAROL IERULLI - Class of 1980
Carol Ierulli graduated from Maryville College in the Spring of 1980. She did her student teaching at Sam Houston Elementary School in the Maryville City School District in the Spring of 1980. She has taught school for a total of 45 years. The past 20 years have been at Union Grove Middle School in Blount County. Her teaching career includes teaching in the following districts:
· Liberty Center Schools - Liberty Center, Ohio
· Hallsville Middle School - Hallsville, Missouri
· Doddridge County Schools - West Union, West Virginia
· Lewisburg Area Schools - Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
· Fairfield City Schools - Fairfield, Alabama
· Shelby County Schools - Pelham, Alabama
· Shippensburg Area Schools - Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
· Sevier County Schools - Kodak, Tennessee
· Blount County Schools - Maryville, Tennessee
The majority of her teaching experience has been in the middle school grades. Teaching has been a goal for Carol since she was in third grade. She has impacted thousands of students over the past 45 years. Maryville College played a major role in preparing her for her career!
Maryville College has played a large role in Carol’s life starting in 1963 when her Dad, Chief Eldria Hurst, took a job in Security at the college. A few years later her family moved into the Alexander House on campus. She lived her life riding bikes around campus, playing in the College Woods, and attending events at the College. Carol’s father was eventually named Chief of Security and devoted his life to serving to protect the students, faculty, and staff at the college. Her Mom, Etta Hurst, was hired in housekeeping at Maryville College in the 1990s. She was well loved by the students in her dorms and the faculty! Both her Dad and Mom have left a lifelong legacy with their years of service to Maryville College. Carol and Tony’s three children, AJ, Katie, and Kelli, all grew up visiting their grandparents in the Alexander House and making wonderful memories on campus! It is an understatement to say that Maryville College holds a special place in the hearts of our family members!
The following people in Carol’s family are associated with or have graduated from Maryville College:
· Carol Ierulli MC 1980
· Tony Ierulli MC 1980
· AJ Ierulli (son) attended MC 2000 - 2002 and played Baseball
· Katie Ierulli Dowis (daughter) MC 2006 and was a cheerleader
· Joe Dowis (son in law) MC 2005 and played Baseball
· Kelli Ierulli Nehf (daughter) MC 2010 and played Golf
· Nathan Nehf (son in law) MC 2018 and played Baseball
· David Ierulli (Tony’s brother) attended 1978-79 and played baseball
· Teresa Hurst Crabtree (Carol’s sister) MC 1985
· Joe Crabtree (brother-in-law) MC 1982 and played football
· Matthew Hurst (nephew) MC 2025 and was in MC Marching Band & Concert Band
· Eldria Hurst Chief of Security at MC for 33 years
· Etta Hurst Housekeeping at MC for years
· Mike Hurst (Carol’s brother) Worked in Security at MC in the late 1970s and was the equipment manager for the football team when Tony was head coach from 2003-2011
· Donna Davis Ierulli (sister-in-law) worked in the Career Planning and Placement Office
TONY IERULLI - Class of 1980
From Sarasota, Florida, graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1975. Won the 1972 State Championship in Florida. Named 1st team All-State linebacker in 1973 & 1974. Named 1st team All-State Catcher in Baseball. Signed baseball scholarship to Manatee Junior College (FL) before transferring to Maryville in 1976.
Started at linebacker for Maryville for most of his career during the most success four-year era of Maryville football history. Was captain of 1979 team. Career batting average for the Fighting Scots baseball team of .384 including five grand slams with one grand slam hit against the University of Tennessee.
Married my beautiful wife, Carol Hurst, right after we both graduated from Maryville in 1980.
Has completed 45 years of coaching college football. Started as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green University, then named as an assistant defensive line coach for 2 seasons at the University of Missouri. Was hired as linebacker coach and then defensive coordinator at Salem College (WV) for 3 seasons. Spent the 1987 & 1988 seasons as head baseball coach and defensive coordinator at Susquehanna University (PA). Hired as defensive coordinator at Samford University from 1988 – 1994 where the defenses were one of the best in the nation. In 1995, hired at Shippensburg University as their defensive coordinator.
Named as Head Football Coach at Maryville College in 2003 and coached the Fighting Scots for 9 seasons. Finished as the 3rd winningest coach in Maryville College History. Have been linebacker coach at Carson-Newman University since the 2012 football season.
Honors Include:
· 1980 - J.D. Davis Award Winner
· 1992 – Cardinal Mooney Hall of Fame
· 2002 – NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year
· 2008 – Salem College Wall of Fame
· 2008 to 2012 – NCAA Football Rules Committee
· 2010 – Division II All-Star Game – Head Coach of South Team
· 2013 – Founder and Chairman of the Wounded Warrior Golf Tournament
· 2015 – Susquehanna University Wall of Fame
· 2024 – Maryville College Wall of Fame
· 2025 – Samford University Wall of Fame