2012 Hall of Fame inductees

Tim Brown slips on the Hall of Fame jacket
Tim Brown slips on the Hall of Fame jacket

2012 Hall of Fame inductees

BlackSports.com

      The 2012 class features three former NFL players: Tim Brown, Heisman Trophy winner and veteran of 17 seasons; former Cowboys Defensive End Charles Haley, the only player to win five Super Bowls; and the late Gene Upshaw, six-time Pro Bowler.

     Other inductees were Chadwick Brown, former All-American lineman at East Texas State; tennis standout Lori McNeil, winner of 10 WTA singles and 32 doubles titles; Bobby Moten, former Bishop College tight end; Horatio Porter, an All American sprinter at TCU; and the late George “Jake” Roland, who led teams to 400 wins as a coach at Lincoln and Carter High Schools.

     Texas was a big player at the 1968 Olympics. In addition to Hines, Smith and Carlos, 2010 inductee Judy Dyer was on the track team in Mexico City. She, too, was in the crowd on Dec. 1, 2012.

     Hines, the first to break 10 seconds in the 100 meters, won gold in the 100 and anchored the U.S. 4×100 relay team. Smith came from behind to win the 200, and Carlos captured bronze.

     But it was their black-gloved fists that really captured the world’s attention. Their “Black Power” salute on the podium became a symbol at the height of the Civil Rights movement.

     Tim Brown, who lives in DeSoto, talked about the importance of education in his life. He said he chose Notre Dame when being recruited because it “was the only school that said I had an academic scholarship in addition to an athletic scholarship.”

     Haley credited his teammates, such as Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, for his success with the 49ers.

     “We only had one TV at our house so when I went to San Francisco I didn’t know who any of those guys were,” Haley said. “As an individual, I’m nothing. My teammates inspired me every day.”

     Tommie Smith, who sprinted to gold in the 1968 Olympics, learned the power of motivation from his father while growing up in Clarksville, Tex.

When Smith asked if he could compete in his first track meet, his father said, “‘You can go, but if you take second place, you’ll be back out here in the field picking cotton.’”

            “I’ve been beaten in the 200 meters only twice since then.”

            One of his losses came against Jim Hines; the other was to John Carlos. They won medals at the 1968 Olympics, and were together on Saturday at the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame luncheon. Smith and Hines were inducted with the 2012 class in a ceremony at the Marriott City Center Hotel. Carlos, a 2009 selection, was in the crowd cheering for them.

 

About Carma Henry 24363 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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