The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made "lasting fame and honor to Texas sports". [1] It was established in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. Once it made its first induction (baseball star Tris Speaker) in 1951, Texas became the first U.S. state to have a sports hall of fame. [2]
Home of more than 300 Texas legends, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame was the idea of the sports editor at The Beaumont Enterprise. Thad Johnson spoke to the Texas Sportswriters Association during the 1949 Texas High School Coaches Association All Star Games in Beaumont about starting the Hall of Fame. The sports writers unanimously agreed with Johnson and in 1951 baseball great Tris Speaker was the inaugural inductee and Texas became the first state to honor its athletes with a hall of fame. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame under the guidance of Texas sports entrepreneur Lamar Hunt was opened in Grand Prairie on Saturday, May 23, 1981 but was closed in 1986. The Hall of Fame remained dormant until several prominent members of the Waco community created a plan in 1990 to have the Hall of Fame moved to Waco. Their plan was realized on April 16, 1993 when Waco had its grand opening for the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. The museum also houses the Texas Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame and Texas High School Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame expanded in 2010 to include a new banquet hall, the Health, Fitness and Education Center and Texas’ preeminent college conference, the Southwest Conference (SWC). The Southwest Conference was a national power conference for most of the century until it broke up in 1996. The Southwest Conference exhibit displays the grand history of college athletics in Texas. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame is now truly representative of the athletic history in Texas as it sits at 35,000 sq. ft., of which 2,000 sq. ft. is dedicated to the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame. History
Nominations for the Hall of Fame are open to the public. The selection committee, consisting of at least 21 sports journalists from various Texas newspapers, meets annually to review the nominees and make a ballot. [3] The ballot consists of a primary and veterans section. The Primary Ballot has 20 names, while the Veterans has 12. Dues-paying members of the Hall of Fame vote each year to decide the inductees. [4] The top 6 vote getters of the Primary Ballot and the top 2 of the Veterans are inducted into the Hall of Fame. The top 5 vote getters of each ballot who are not selected are automatically placed into the next year's ballot. [1]
The Hall of Fame, with assistance from the selection committee, notifies the winning nominees once the voting process has completed.
The winning nominees, if they accept their induction, must then attend the banquet at Ferrell Center in Waco to be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame. If a nominee rejects their induction, the Hall of Fame inducts the next highest vote getter. If a nominee declines their induction for two consecutive years without a legitimate reason, the nominee will not be eligible for the ballot for another five years. [1]
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coaches, officials, franchise owners, and front-office personnel, almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League (NFL).
Johnny Nolan Robinson is an American former professional football player. He was primarily a safety, but also played on offense as a halfback and flanker early in his career. He played college football for the LSU Tigers.
Lee Roy Jordan is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, he played 14 years in the NFL for the Cowboys from 1963 to 1976. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
Thomas Henry Nobis Jr., nicknamed "Mr. Falcon", was an American professional football linebacker who played for 11 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, where he played as a linebacker and guard, and won the Maxwell Award in 1965. He was the first overall selection in the 1966 NFL draft.
The National College Baseball Hall of Fame is an institution operated by the College Baseball Foundation serving as the central point for the study of the history of college baseball in the United States. In partnership with the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library located on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, the Hall of Fame inducts former collegiate players and coaches who have met selection criteria of distinction. On January 23, 2024, the College Baseball Foundation announced it would open a physical hall of fame in Overland Park, Kansas, in the Museum at Prairiefire.
The 1962 NFL draft was held on December 4, 1961 at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois.
Bobby Dan Dillon was an American professional football player spent his entire eight-year career as a safety with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was an All-American playing college football with the Texas Longhorns. Although he was a safety, he also returned kicks and played several games at halfback. Dillon finished his college career with 13 interceptions on defense, one touchdown as a halfback, and multiple kick returns for touchdowns. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1952 NFL draft.
Lawrence Clayton Elkins is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL). He was a two-time All-American playing college football as a flanker for the Baylor Bears before playing professionally for the Oilers
The Southern Jaguars and Lady Jaguars represent Southern University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Southern University's 13 athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Texas is home of several national sports league franchises among other professional sports, being the second most populated U.S. state. Since the state is located in the South Central United States, most teams are part of the Central / South or West league divisions, with the notable exception of the NFL Dallas Cowboys, which is an NFC East franchise.
Julian Luis "Kiki" DeAyala is a former American football linebacker in the United States Football League (USFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He still holds the University of Texas record for career sacks with 40.5.
Peter Alexander Gardere is a former American football quarterback, famous for his four-year tenure as the Texas Longhorns quarterback in the late 1980s/early 1990s. He is the only starting quarterback on either side of the Texas-Oklahoma football rivalry to win four straight games in the Red River Rivalry. He set 10 school records and still shares the record for most interceptions thrown over a career.
William Edward "Rooster" Andrews, Jr. was a former University of Texas team manager who gained fame as a drop-kicking player, whom the media called the "All-American Waterboy." He later opened a sporting goods store and in that capacity developed the university's iconic Longhorn logo and changed the uniform color to burnt orange. He was also the older brother of Texas starting quarterback John "Bunny" Andrews.