The `B' Line . . . May 8, 2003
5/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
May 8, 2003
This is another "B" Line column, a periodic collection of news items of particular interest to members of the Baylor "B" Association. Contribute news about you or your teammates via e-mail to Lee Harrington (leenelaine@281.com), Dutch Schroeder (Dutch_Schroeder@baylor.edu), Reba Cooper (Reba_Cooper@baylor.edu) or Jack Loftis (Jack.Loftis@chron.com). The mailing address is Baylor "B" Association, P. O. Box 8120, Waco, TX 76714.
When members of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame selection committee gather in Waco next month to consider nomination for 2003 honors, one of the names to be reviewed will be Stan Williams, Baylor's All-American end in 1951.
A native of Cisco and now a Waco resident, Williams caught 65 career passes for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns - with most of the tosses coming from All-American quarterback Larry Isbell, already a member of the TSHF.
Williams' final appearance for Baylor came in the Bears' 17-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the 1952 Orange Bowl, a game in which he caught three Isbell passes.
Williams lettered as a freshman in 1948 and went on to collect three varsity letters, playing end, defensive back and tailback. He was a consensus All-Southwest Conference end in 1951 and was named to Texas Football magazine's all-decade team following the breakup of the SWC in 1995. Williams joined the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972.
Baylor well represented . . .
In addition to Isbell, other TSHF members with Baylor ties include Wesley Bradshaw, football; Frank Bridges, football coach; Hayden Fry, football coach; Bill Glass, football; Clyde Hart, track coach; R.E."Bill" Henderson, basketball coach; John Drew "Boody" Johnson, football; Michael Johnson, track; Barton "Botchey" Koch, football; Ted Lyons, baseball; Jack Patterson, track coach; R.J. "Jackie" Robinson, basketball; Mike Singletary, football; M.A. "Catfish" Smith, football coach; Grant Teaff, football coach; Warren Woodson, football coach (he lettered at Baylor in basketball and tennis before becoming an outstanding coach at the University of New Mexico).
Two other Hall of Fame members with Baylor connections include Clyde "Bulldog" Turner, who was an assistant football coach at Baylor for a short period, and Jody Conradt, a basketball inductee who was an undergraduate student at Baylor before women athletics were recognized.
Selection criteria . . .
Membership in the TSHF is open to anyone who has "brought lasting fame and honor to Texas sports." And - according to TSHF curator Jay Black - one does not have to be a native Texan to be inducted. Both men and women who have participated in any high school, collegiate or professional sports are eligible.
However, one firm rule requires that the honoree must be present, a situation that prevented former Dallas Cowboy running back Emmett Smith from being inducted last year. It proved to be an embarrassment to all concerned after Smith promised to attend, but cancelled at the last minute.
The TSPH selection committee is composed of 21 sportswriters from around the state. The chairman is Dave Campbell, the former Waco Tribune-Herald sports editor and founder of Texas Football magazine. The deadline for making nominations for the Class of 2003 is June 1.
Nominations are accepted from the public and a one- or two- page nomination in resume format is recommended. According to Black, it is not necessary to send signed petitions, letters of support or scrapbooks. Nominations should be mailed to The Texas Sports Hall of Fame, 1108 South University Parks Dr., Waco, Texas, faxed to 254-756-2384 or made online (www.tshof.org).
JACK LOFTIS
CHAIRMAN
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
