Texas Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2016
WACO – The Texas Sports Hall of Fame announces the Class of 2016 presented by Texas Farm Bureau Insurance.Those to be honored on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 include former University of Texas football coach Fred Akers, former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Lineman Larry Allen, PRCA World Champion Rodeo Star Trevor Brazile, former University of Texas basketball point guard T.J. Ford, former Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals All-Pro Lineman Ken Gray, former Texas A&M Defensive End Jacob Green, former New York Yankees All Star Pitcher Andy Pettitte & former Negro League Pitcher “Smokey” Joe Williams (deceased).
Tickets
The inductees are scheduled to appear in Waco for the banquet which will be held on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 6:00pm. There will be a reception at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame before the banquet beginning at 4:00pm. Combination Reception/Banquet tickets are $200 each or $1,400 for a reserved table of 8. The banquet will be held at the Waco Convention Center. Banquet only tickets can be purchased for $75 each or a table of 8 can be reserved for $600.
Tickets can be ordered by calling the museum at 800-567-9561 or securely online thru our website
Accommodations
The Hampton Inn & Suites and the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Lacy Lakeview are the host hotels (located just 5 minutes from the museum) for the induction banquet. Be sure and ask for the special Texas Sports Hall of Fame room rate.
Hampton Inn - 4259 North IH-35, Waco TX 76705, 254-662-9500
Fairfield Inn - 4257 North IH-35, Waco TX 76705, 254-412-2535.
For more information contact
Jared Mosley at JaredM@tshof.org or 800-567-9561
Jay Black at jay.black@tshof.org or 800-567-9561.
For breaking news regarding the banquet for the TSHOF Class of 2016 follow us on twitter at @TXSportsHOF.
TEXAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME – Class of 2016
FRED AKERS. Head football coach at Texas from 1977-1986 with 86-31-2 record. Won SWC titles in 1977, '83. Led UT to nine bowl games in 10 seasons . Moved Earl Campbell from FB to TB, which led to his 1977 Heisman Trophy season. Had three 10-win seasons, 4 Top-10 finishes in final polls. Also coached two Lombardi Trophy winners, 48 All-SWC players.
LARRY ALLEN. 12 NFL seasons for Cowboys. NFL Hall of Fame in 2013. 7-time All-Pro. 6-time All-NFC first team. 10-time Pro Bowler. Named to NFL All-Decade second teams for 1990s and 2000s. Helped lead Dallas to its third Super Bowl title in four years in January 1996. Best player on NFL's best offensive line helped pave way for Emmitt Smith to set Dallas single-season records for rushing yards (1,773) and TDs (25) in 1995, and eventually set NFL marks with 18,355 rushing yards and 164 rushing TDs.
TREVOR BRAZILE. Amarillo, TX native. Surpassed Ty Murray by winning 8 consecutive PRCA all-around world titles, giving him record total of 12. Since 1996 has won a record 21 rodeo world titles, most ever by a multi-event cowboy. Competes in tie-down roping, team roping, steer roping. Won $426,000 in prize money in 2013, 2nd-best in history behind his $508,000 in 2010, to become first cowboy to surpass $5 million in career earnings.
T.J. FORD. Houston, TX native. 9 NBA seasons (2003-12) with 4 teams. Won Naismith and Wooden Awards as national player of year (2003)University of Texas. Sporting News POY (2003).USBWA Freshman of the Year (2002).Consensus first-team all-American as soph at UT, averaged 15 pts, 7.7 assists and 3.9 rebs per game (2002-03). Led UT to 2003 Final Four Led nation in assists with 8.3 per game in 2001-02 and 7.7 in 2002-03. First-team All-Big 12 in 2002-03, Big 12 Freshman of Year. .Avg 11.2 points, 5.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 9-year NBA career (Milwaukee 2003-06, Toronto 2006-08, Indiana 2008-11, San Antonio 2011-12 ) despite losing all or part of at least 6 seasons to injury. McDonald's HS All-American at Fort Bend Willowridge.From 1999 to 2001 Ford’s hs team compiled a 75–1 win-loss record (including a 62-game winning streak) earning a pair of Texas Class 5A state titles.
KEN GRAY. San Saba, TX native. Seven-time NFL Pro Bowl guard for St. Louis Cardinals was a consensus All-Pro in 1963-65 and 1967, earned at least 1 first-team designation in 1966-68-69 as well. Named first-team guard on pro-football-reference.com's All-1960s Team and Cardinals' All-Time Team. Began career as 4-year letterman (1954-57) at Howard Payne, where he was All-Lone Star Conference and named to Little All-America team. Drafted in the 6th round (62nd overall pick) by Green Bay in 1958 before earning roster spot with Chicago Cardinals. Spent 12 years with Chicago/St. Louis before joining Houston Oilers in 1970. Returned to Llano HS as head coach (1973-75), spent 1977-78 seasons as Denver Broncos' offensive line coach. Inducted into NAIA and Howard Payne HOFs.
JACOB GREEN. Pasadena, TX native. Two-time All-America defensive end at Texas A&M recorded 116 sacks in 12+ seasons with Seattle Seahawks, retired 3rd all-time behind Reggie White, Lawrence Taylor. Posted 12+ sacks 6 times and intercepted 3 passes (2 for TDs). Two-time All-Pro (1983-84), 2-time Pro Bowler (1986-87). Two-time All-SWC at A&M. Drafted 10th overall in 1980 after posting 134 tackles, school-record 20 sacks as Aggie senior. Still holds school marks for fumbles forced in season (6) and career (12), 2nd in sacks (37).
ANDY PETTITTE. Houston, TX native. 18 seasons for Yankees, Astros.8-time pennant winner, 5-time World Series champ (1996-98-99-00-09). 3-time All-Star (1996, 2001, 2010) Led MLB in wins (148) from 2000-09. MLB's all-time leader in postseason wins (19), starts (44), IP (276.2) At 256-153, ranks 42nd on MLB's all-time wins list, 11th among lefties. 1st pitcher in history to start and win deciding games in LDS, LCS and World Series in same season (2009). Only pitcher in history with 6 postseason series-clinching wins. Only pitcher since 1930 to win 12+ games in first 9 seasons. Yankees retired his number (46) on August 23, 2015.
“SMOKEY” JOE WILLIAMS (deceased). Seguin, TX native. Widely recognized as one of the game’s greatest pitchers, despite never throwing a pitch in the major leagues, Williams was born in 1886. Williams would have a 25 year career from 1907-1932. Although records are incomplete, Williams is credited with a win-loss record of 41-3 in 1914. In 1930, at age 40, Williams struck out 27 Kansas City Monarchs over 12 innings helping his team to a 1-0 victory. Williams and Satchel Paige only went head-to-head on one occasion (a 1-0 victory for Williams), but the Pittsburgh Courier named Williams the greatest pitcher in Negro League history ahead of Paige. Major baseball historian and statistician, Bill James, named Williams the 12th greatest pitcher of all time, regardless of league. Williams was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
