The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast

Ep. 18: Doc Hayes and the Glory Days of SMU Basketball

Four SMU basketball legends talk about their coach, Doc Hayes, and the years that SMU dominated the Southwest Conference. Bobby Mills, Rich Herrscher, Max Williams, and Denny Holman share their NCAA tournament memories and stories about great games in SMU history under Coach Hayes, including SMU's Final Four appearance in 1956.

Doc Hayes won more Southwest Conference championships than any other coach in history and is the winningest coach in SMU history. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.

This episode is presented by the Fairfield Inn and Suites, Waco North location. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money.

#NCAA #FinalFour #MarchMadness #SMU #CollegeBasketballHistory #TexasSports

Ep 17: First Annual Southwest Conference Legends Golf Tournament and Reunion

Hear legends of the Southwest Conference swap stories in this episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast. Southwest Conference greats such as Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware and Texas A&M football coach Jackie Sherrill were on hand the first annual Southwest Conferece Legends Golf Tournament and Reunion.

The socially-distanced event was hosted by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame at the Clubs of Kingwood in Houston and featured an array of stars playing a round of golf with attendees and a lively reception afterward. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast was on site to record interviews with Ware and Coach Sherrill, along with Bubba Bean, Matt Wingo, Sean Gay, Alois Blackwell, Trevor Cobb, Edd Hargett, and several other of the many SWC athletes who attended the special gathering.

This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Fairfield Inn and Suites Waco North. The podcast is hosted and presented by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money and Red, White, and Columbia Blue: Chasing the Dream with the 1979 Houston Oilers.

Ep. 16: "Little Mo" -- Maureen Connolly Brinker

Few players have dominated a sport like Maureen Connolly conquered tennis. The teenage phenom captured 9 Grand Slam titles in her three short years of competitive play before a horse riding accident prematurely ended her career.

 

She remains one of only five players to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year and won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open three times in a row. The United States Post Office honored her and issued the "Little Mo" postage stamp in 2019. Her life continues to impact young tennis players today through the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation.

 

Listen to her daughter Cindy Brinker Simmons share stories about her mother's amazing tennis career and life, both of which were gone far too soon. Former USTA Texas Section Executive Director Ken McAlister also details the importance of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation.

 

This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Hampton Inn Waco. All episodes are hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL.

Ep. 15: R.C. Slocum -- In the Locker Room with R.C. Slocum

R.C. Slocum is the winningest head coach in Texas A&M football history. He guided the Aggies to three straight Southwest Conference championships and one Big 12 title. He is the only head coach in Southwest Conference history to amass a winning percentage of over .800. 

Hear Coach Slocum share stories of growing up in Orange, Texas and playing high school football against future Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson. He also shares the secrets to the famous Texas A&M "Wrecking Crew" defense and gives the behind-the-scenes details of the Aggies stunning comeback win in the 1998 Big 12 Championship Game.

This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the TownePlace Suites -- Waco Northeast. The podcast is hosted by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money.

Ep. 13: Greg Swindell -- In the Dugout with Greg Swindell

Greg Swindell is a University of Texas pitching icon. He still holds school records over 30 years after creating history. The Cleveland Indians selected Swindell as the second-overall pick in baseball's amateur draft in June of 1986 and he was already pitching in the majors for good by that August. Swindell pitched for 17 seasons at the major league level. He was a member of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks World Series championship team. He made the American League All-Star team in 1989. 

Greg Swindell shares stories of winning the state baseball championship in high school, playing for legendary Texas baseball coach Cliff Gustafson, and his pitching approaches against iconic hitters of the 80s and 90s. He also takes us behind the scenes of the dramatic 2001 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees in the aftermath of 9/11. 

This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Fairfield Inn and Suites Waco North. The podcast is produced and hosted by Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money and writer/director of We Were the Oilers: The Luv Ya Blue Era!

 

 

Ep. 12: Thursday Night Lights -- Celebrating PVIL Football with Author Michael Hurd

Author Michael Hurd joins the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast to discuss his book Thursday Night Lights: The Story of Black High School in Texas, a book that celebrates the rich history of Prairie View Interscholastic League (PVIL) football -- a league that produced many pro and college football stars including Dick "Night Train" Lane, Bubba Smith, and Ken Houston.

The PVIL stood as the governing body for black schools in Texas throughout the decades of segregation. The league provided a home for the biggest high school event in America in its heyday, the annual Turkey Day Classic between Houston Yates and Houston Wheatley.    

Hurd shares with us the exciting history of PVIL football programs from the hardscrabble days of the 1940s when Joe Washington started his high school’s program while still a high school student in Rosenberg, Texas, and through the glory years in the 1960s when Charlton Pollard coach Willie Ray Smith, Sr. and Hebert coach Clifford Ozen seemed to produce football star after football star through their rivalry in Beaumont, Texas. Joe Washington’s son -- Joe Washington Jr. – wound up being the fourth-overall pick in the 1976 NFL draft. Three sons of Willie Ray Smith, Sr. were all major recruits coming out of high school, most notably future NFL legend Bubba Smith.

 Hurd also conveys the excitement of Kansas City Chiefs star Otis Taylor showing off his new Ford Thunderbird to Hurd and his schoolmates as well as the tremendous athletic ability and ultimately tragic story of Eldridge Dickey, a man who earned the nickname, “The Lord’s Prayer” for his prayers before games and his accomplishments at quarterback.

This episode Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Hampton Inn Waco. The show is written and produced by host Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL.

Ep. 11: Celebrating the Houston Comets -- with Cynthia Cooper and Van Chancellor

The Houston Comets soared to four straight WNBA titles from 1997-2000. Led by the “Big 3” of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson, the team captured the hearts of Houston sports fans and established a dynasty.

Join two-time league MVP Cynthia Cooper, three-time WNBA Coach of the Year Van Chancellor, and Houston Chronicle writer William Stickney Jr. as they remember the Houston Comets’ euphoric title runs and the beginnings of the WNBA. Hear Cooper's inspiring championship stories and about Coach Chancellor’s winning offensive play that highlighted Cooper’s tremendous athletic ability and guided the team to four league championships. Cooper and Chancellor also share deeply about Kim Perrot, the Comets starting point guard who tragically lost her battle with cancer in the middle of her brilliant WNBA career.

The WNBA fulfilled a dream for many athletes like Cooper who longed to play basketball professionally in front of their family and friends in the United States. Previously, American women needed to play in far away lands to play professional basketball after college. The legacy of the Houston Comets remains bright even after the team folded in 2008. Several current WNBA stars grew up in Houston and set their pro basketball dreams upon the Comets, inspired by the dynamic play of the Big 3, Kim Perrot, Janeth Arcain, and the other stars in the Comets galaxy.

This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the TownePlace Suites, Waco Northeast. The podcast is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built this NFL and writer/director of We Were the Oilers: The Luv Ya Blue Era!

 

Ep. 10: Bob Lilly -- In The Locker Room with Bob Lilly

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame celebrates Dallas Cowboys legend Bob Lilly this episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast. He tells us about growing up in Throckmorton, Texas, his college career at TCU, and the road to the Cowboys their first championship -- a victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 6. 

You'll also hear Bob share about Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry, how the Cowboys found out that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, and a funny story about Bob's first Pro Bowl. 

Hall of Famer Gil Brandt and former AP editor Denne Freeman also appear on the podcast. Brandt tells why the Cowboys made Lilly their first ever draft choice.

Bob Lilly is known as "Mr. Cowboy" and was the Dallas Cowboys first ever draft choice. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1975. He is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a member of the NFL 100 All-Time team. Many call him the best defensive lineman ever.

This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame is presented by the Fairfield Inn and Suites, Waco North Location. The podcast is hosted by Jackson Michael, author of "The Game before the Money."

Ep 9: Larry Dierker -- In the Dugout with Larry Dierker

Larry Dierker shares fantastic stories from his major league baseball playing and managerial career in this episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast. He pitched his first major league game on his 18th birthday, and shares his pitching strategies against legendary stars such as Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and Joe Morgan. Larry played on the first Astros club to play in the Astrodome and brings us with him as he steps into the Astrodome for the first time. He recalls the thrill of pitching a no-hitter during the 1976 season and also grants us insights into his managerial approach to the game.  

Larry Dierker is a Houston baseball legend, and owns several Astro pitching records. He pitched 13 seasons for the Astros, dating back to 1964 when the team was known as the Colt .45s. He worked as the Astros' color analyst on radio and television for many seasons. The team hired him as manager before the 1997 season. He piloted the club to four division titles in five seasons. He was elected into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. He won the NL Manager of the Year Award in 1998, and the Astros have retired his number.

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is produced and hosted by Jackson Michael (The Game before the Money, We Were the Oilers) and is presented by the Hampton Inn Waco. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame is located in Waco, Texas.

Ep. 8: 2019 Texas Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

The 2019 Texas Sports Hall of Fame welcomed seven new members in 2019: Maureen Connolly Brinker (aka "Little Mo"), Tony Franklin, Andre Johnson, Nancy Lieberman, Loyd Phillips, Greg Swindell, and Jason Witten.

Listen to memories of the induction ceremony, hearing great stories from the living inductees as well as Maureen Connolly's daughter, who accepted the honor on her behalf. We also hear from Dallas Cowboys legend Bob Lilly, sharing about the early years of his Hall of Fame NFL career.

Highlights include hearing about Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson's pre-game ritual, Jason Witten's thoughts on returning to the Cowboys in 2019 and how his grandfather influenced his life and career, what it was like for Nancy Lieberman to win a medal for the United States in the Olympics, why kicker Tony Franklin chose to kick barefoot, what Maureen Connolly did immediately after winning her first U.S. Open tennis championship, Greg Swindell's reflections on winning the World Series with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, and what life lessons Loyd Phillips learned from legendary coach Frank Broyles. 

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael and sponsored by the Hampton Inn Waco North.