Sept. 11, 2003
This is another "B" Line column, a 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.
Former Baylor athletes Stan Williams and Carroll Dawson have been elected to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco. Williams was an All-American end for the Bears in 1951 and Dawson, over a period of almost two decades, both played basketball and coached at Baylor.
A native of Cisco and now a Waco businessman, Williams caught 65 career passes for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns - with most of the tosses coming from All-American quarterback Larry Isbell.
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.
Williams said he had to pinch himself upon learning of his latest honor.
"It's not just me," he said, "Parents, teachers and teammates played a big role in all of this happening."
Two NBA championships . . .
Dawson lettered in basketball at Baylor from 1958 through 1960 and served as head coach from 1973 through 1977.
He has spent the last 25 years with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association as an assistant coach and member of the management team. He currently is the Rockets' general manager and also is vice president of basketball operations for the Houston Comets of the Women's National Basketball Association. Both teams are owned by Les Alexander.
Dawson, a native of Alba, Texas, has been involved with all four Rockets teams that have made it to the NBA finals, including championships in 1994 and 1995.
Dawson told fellow BU graduate John McClain of The Houston Chronicle that he was humbled over receiving the honor.
"You know, I've been going through the Texas Sports Hall of Fame since it was located in Grand Prairie." Dawson said. "I was so proud when they moved it to Waco and put it by the Baylor campus."
The other inductees . . .
Others included in the Class of 2004 include former Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich, former Houston Oilers defensive end Elvin Bethea, former University of Houston football coach Bill Yeoman, Fort Worth Dunbar basketball coach Robert Hughes and Bob Hayes, the late Dallas Cowboys receiver.
Previous Hall of Fame inductees with Baylor ties include Larry Isbell (football), Wesley Bradshaw (football), Frank Bridges (football), Hayden Fry (football), Bill Glass (football), Clyde Hart (track), Bill Henderson (basketball), John Drew "Boody" Johnson (football), Michael Johnson (track), Barton "Botchey" Koch (football), Ted Lyons (baseball), Jack Patterson (track), R. J. "Jackie" Robinson (basketball), Mike Singletary (football), M. A. "Catfish" Smith (football), Grant Teaff (football) and Warren Woodson (basketball, tennis, football).
Two other Hall of Fame members with lesser 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.
The 2004 induction ceremonies will be held in February, at a date yet to be announced.
(The "B" Line column is written by Jack Loftis, editor emeritus of The Houston Chronicle and chairman of the Baylor "B" Association Communications Committee.)
