Texas Sports Hall of Fame facts for kids

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame building in Waco.

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame is a special place that celebrates amazing athletes, coaches, and leaders in Texas sports. These are people who have brought great honor to Texas through their achievements. The Hall of Fame was started in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. When baseball star Tris Speaker was the first person 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

Inside the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, showing the Southwest Conference Gallery.

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame is home to more than 300 Texas sports heroes. The idea for it came from Thad Johnson, a sports editor at The Beaumont Enterprise newspaper. In 1949, he talked to the Texas Sportswriters Association about starting a Hall of Fame. Everyone agreed with his idea!

In 1951, baseball legend Tris Speaker was the first person to be honored. This made Texas the first state to celebrate its athletes with a Hall of Fame.

Later, a sports leader named Lamar Hunt helped open the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Grand Prairie on May 23, 1981. However, it closed down in 1986. The Hall of Fame stayed closed until 1990. That's when some important people in Waco made a plan to move it there.

Their 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, Fitness and Education Center. It also created an exhibit for the Southwest Conference (SWC). The Southwest Conference was a very powerful college sports league for many years. It broke up in 1996. The SWC exhibit shows the amazing history of college sports in Texas.

Today, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame truly shows the history of sports in Texas. It is a huge building, covering 35,000 square feet. About 2,000 square feet of that space is just for the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame.

How People Are Chosen

The Texas High School Football Hall of Fame exhibit.

Anyone can suggest someone to be considered for the Hall of Fame. This is called a nomination. A special group of at least 21 sports journalists from different Texas newspapers meets every year. They look at all the suggested names. Then, they create a list of people to vote on.

This list has two parts: a main section and a veterans section. The main list has 20 names. The veterans list has 12 names. Members of the Hall of Fame who pay their dues vote each year. They decide who will be honored.

The top 6 people from the main list who get the most votes are chosen. Also, the top 2 people from the veterans list are chosen. If someone is on the list but not chosen, the top 5 vote-getters from each list are automatically put on the ballot for next year.

Once the voting is finished, the Hall of Fame tells the winners. They get help from the selection committee to do this.

If a winner agrees to be honored, they must go to a special dinner. This event 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 Hall of Fame chooses the person with the next highest number of votes. If someone says no for two years in a row without a good reason, they cannot be considered for the Hall of Fame for five more years.

Famous People Honored

Exhibits for football players honored in the Hall of Fame.

The Texas Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame inside the main building.

Here are some of the well-known athletes and coaches who have been honored:

• Troy Aikman (Dallas Cowboys) – A retired NFL quarterback. He won the Super Bowl three times and is 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. He is also in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Sammy Baugh (TCU) – A famous 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. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Craig Biggio (Houston Astros, inducted 2005) – A retired MLB second baseman and catcher. He is in the Baseball Hall of Fame and is a member of the 3,000 hit club. He holds Astros' records for hits and doubles.
• Gary Blair (Texas A&M) – A college baseball player at Texas Tech. He is a top winning coach for the Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball team.
• Drew Brees (Austin Westlake) – He led Westlake High School to a championship in 1996. He is a NFL quarterback who won Super Bowl XLIV and was named its MVP.
• Norm Cash – From Justiceburg, Texas. He was a MLB first baseman and won the 1968 World Series with the Detroit Tigers.
• Roger Clemens (Texas) – A retired MLB starting pitcher. He won the World Series twice. He also played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns.
• George Foreman (Boxing) – A famous boxer.
• Hayden Fry (Baylor) – A football coach for high schools and colleges like Baylor and SMU.
• Augie Garrido (Texas) – A college baseball coach. He won the College World Series five times, including 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 leader. He owned the FC Dallas soccer team and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Yale Lary – The first Texas A&M player in 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. He is the highest-scoring American-born player in NHL history. He is in both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
• Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) – A retired NFL wide receiver. He holds the Texans' team records for catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
• Shaquille O'Neal (San Antonio Robert G. Cole) – A retired NBA center. He won the NBA MVP three times and was an NBA champion four times. He is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Cat Osterman (Texas) – A Texas Longhorns softball player. She won a Gold Medal 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 was an NBA champion twice. He is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Darrell Royal (Texas) – A long-time coach for the Texas Longhorns football team. The Longhorns' 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 – From Beaumont, Texas. She won Olympic Gold Medals in track and field and was a pioneer in women's golf.

See also

• List of museums in Central Texas