Texas Sports Hall of Fame facts for kids
The Texas Sports Hall of Fame is a special place that honors amazing athletes, coaches, and leaders who have brought great fame to Texas sports. It was started in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. When baseball star Tris Speaker was honored in 1951, Texas became the very first U.S. state to have its own sports hall of fame.
History of the Hall of Fame
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The Texas Sports Hall of Fame honors over 300 Texas sports legends. The idea for it came from Thad Johnson, a sports editor. He suggested it to the Texas Sportswriters Association in 1949. Everyone agreed, and in 1951, baseball great Tris Speaker was the first person honored. This made Texas the first state to have a hall of fame for its athletes.
The Hall of Fame first opened in Grand Prairie on May 23, 1981. This was thanks to Texas sports leader Lamar Hunt. However, it closed in 1986. It stayed closed until 1990, when people in Waco made a plan to move it there.
The plan worked! On April 16, 1993, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame had its grand opening in Waco. The museum also includes the Texas Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame. Plus, it has the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame. In 2010, the Hall of Fame grew even bigger. It added a new banquet hall and a health and fitness center. It also added a special area for the Southwest Conference (SWC). The SWC was a very strong college sports conference. It showed the amazing history of college athletics in Texas.
Today, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame is 35,000 square feet. About 2,000 square feet of that space is for the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame. It truly represents the rich history of sports in Texas.
How Inductees Are Chosen
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Anyone can suggest names for the Hall of Fame. A special committee then reviews these names. This committee has at least 21 sports journalists from different Texas newspapers. They meet every year to create a list of nominees.
This list has two parts: a main ballot and a veterans ballot. The main ballot has 20 names. The veterans ballot has 12 names. Members of the Hall of Fame who pay dues vote each year. They decide who will be honored. The top 6 people from the main ballot are chosen. The top 2 from the veterans ballot are also chosen. If someone is not chosen, but they were among the top 5 vote-getters, they are automatically put on the ballot for next year.
After the votes are counted, the Hall of Fame tells the winners. If a person accepts their honor, they must attend a special dinner. This dinner is held at the Ferrell Center in Waco. There, they are officially welcomed into the Hall of Fame. If someone says no to being honored, the next person with the most votes is chosen instead. If someone says no two years in a row without a good reason, they cannot be nominated again for five years.
Famous People Honored
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Here are some of the many famous athletes and coaches honored in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame:
- Troy Aikman (Dallas Cowboys) – A retired NFL quarterback who won three Super Bowls. He is also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Jeff Bagwell (Houston Astros, inducted 2005) – A retired MLB first baseman. He was the National League MVP in 1994. He holds the Astros' team records for home runs and runs batted in.
- Sammy Baugh (TCU) – A legendary NFL quarterback for the Washington Redskins. He is in both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Elvin Bethea (Houston Oilers) – A retired NFL defensive end and a Pro Football Hall of Fame member.
- Craig Biggio (Houston Astros, inducted 2005) – A retired MLB second baseman and catcher. He is in the Baseball Hall of Fame and has over 3,000 hits.
- Gary Blair (Texas A&M) – A successful Division I women's basketball coach. He is one of the top winningest coaches of all time.
- Drew Brees (Austin Westlake) – A former NFL quarterback. He led his high school team to a championship and won Super Bowl XLIV as MVP.
- Norm Cash – A native of Justiceburg, Texas, and a former MLB first baseman. He won the 1968 World Series with the Detroit Tigers.
- Roger Clemens (Texas) – A retired MLB starting pitcher. He won two World Series and played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns.
- George Foreman (Boxing) – A famous boxer and Olympic gold medalist.
- Hayden Fry (Baylor) – A well-known football coach for high schools and colleges, including Baylor and SMU.
- Augie Garrido (Texas) – A college baseball coach who won five College World Series titles, two with the Texas Longhorns baseball team.
- Bob Hayes (Dallas Cowboys) – A retired NFL wide receiver. He won Super Bowl VI with the Cowboys and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Roy Hofheinz (Houston Astros) – A former Mayor of Houston. He founded and owned the Houston Astros and created the Astrodome.
- Lamar Hunt (SMU) – A sports promoter and administrator. He was an owner of the Dallas Burn/FC Dallas soccer team and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Yale Lary – The first Texas A&M player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He won three NFL championships with the Detroit Lions.
- Mike Modano – The first hockey player in the TSHOF. He played 16 seasons for the Dallas Stars and is the highest-scoring American-born player in NHL history.
- Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) – A retired NFL wide receiver. He holds the Houston Texans' team records for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.
- Shaquille O'Neal (San Antonio Robert G. Cole) – A retired NBA center. He won four NBA championships and is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Cat Osterman (Texas) – A Texas Longhorns softball player. She won a Gold Medal in softball at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
- Drew Pearson (Dallas Cowboys) – A retired NFL wide receiver. He won Super Bowl XII and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs) – A retired NBA center. He won two NBA championships and is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Darrell Royal (Texas) – A long-time coach for the Texas Longhorns football team. The Longhorns' home stadium is named after him.
- R. C. Slocum (Texas A&M) – A long-time coach for the Texas A&M Aggies football team.
- LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU) – A retired NFL running back. He is in both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Ricky Williams (Texas) – A retired NFL running back. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1998 while playing for the Texas Longhorns football team.
- Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias – A native of Beaumont, Texas. She was an Olympic Gold Medalist in track and field and a pioneer in women's golf.
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