DRC 6 headed for NT's hall of fame

OldTimer · July 2, 2005

Six headed for UNT's hall of fame

07:57 PM CDT on Friday, July 1, 2005

From Staff Reports

DENTON – Krista Davey will become the first women's soccer player in UNT's hall of fame. The other members of the 2005 class: former football players Burkley Harkless, Charlie Shepard, Brian Waters and Lance White and former track athlete Rudy Levarity.

GrandGreen · July 2, 2005

It continues to amaze me, how they fail to honor the late Walter Chapman. Lance White and Brian Waters are good players and deserving but neither in my opinion came close to Walter's level.

PlummMeanGreen · July 2, 2005

It continues to amaze me, how they fail to honor the late Walter Chapman. Lance White and Brian Waters are good players and deserving but neither in my opinion came close to Walter's level.

Agree about the late Walter Chapman. IMO, all 3 should have been in years ago, but I guess you can't get em' all in at one time.

Hayden Fry's first nose-guard at NORTH TEXAS, ie, the great J.C. Garrett, should be in the NT Athletic Hall of Fame one day, too. He seems to have fallen thru the cracks like so many. J.C. was on Coach Fry's 1'st NT football team that finished first in the Missouri Valley Conference only in his first year as coach in Denton, circa 1973. On that team was a pretty good little receiver named David Kervin who should get NTAHOF consideration, too--gutsy little receiver as some of you might recall.

What about a place in the NTAHOF for athletic trainers? Present Denton ISD Superintendent and NT grad Dr. Ray Braswell was ever present as a very good football trainer during the mid-1970's. Seems to be doing a good job in Denton as its ISD's head honcho. Maybe Dr. Braswell can give us some tips on building a new football stadium?

Too bad the old Mo' Valley Conference didn't have a bowl tie-in back in 1973 because if it would have, Fry's first team at NT would have been in that bowl.

Edited July 2, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

SUMG · July 2, 2005

I agree whole-heartedly that Walter Chapman should be in the HOF.

I wonder if the fact that we were an Indy from 1975-1982 hurts players from those years. Because I don't know who's on the committee, but if they are people who weren't around then......they probably put a lot of stock in All-Conference selections, of which none of our players from that era would have ever had the chance to receive.

Malcolm Jones should also be in the HOF, IMHO.

Of this group....Brian, Lance and Burkley are all deserving of this honor. And, I know Krista was great in soccer......I'm not familiar with the other two.....

Edited July 2, 2005 by SUMG

MeanGreen61 · July 2, 2005

Here's the DRC's full writeup

Davey heads '05 class

08:27 AM CDT on Saturday, July 2, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas women’s soccer coach John Hedlund was convinced Krista Davey was the player who could take his team to the next level back in 1995.

The former Houston area standout had the talent to play at several schools, but picked UNT after taking a visit to the school. The decision turned out to be the right one for Davey who was honored for her contributions to the program on Friday when she was included in UNT’s 2005 Athletic Hall of Fame Class.

The class includes six former UNT athletes who will be inducted during homecoming on Oct. 29.

“I was very surprised and honored,” Davey said. “I certainly didn’t expect it.”

Davey earned first-team All-Big West Conference honors three times and still ranks among the top five players in UNT history in every major statistical category.

Those accomplishments helped earn Davey a spot in a class that also included four former UNT football players and track standout Rudy Levarity.

Brian Waters, a former UNT lineman who earned NFL All-Pro honors as a guard with the Kansas City Chiefs last season, headed the continent of former football standouts in the class that also included defensive lineman Burkley Harkless, running back Charlie Shepard and linebacker Lance White.

Of the members of UNT’s Hall of Fame class, Davey might have faced the most unique challenge. UNT started its soccer program just a year before Davey arrived on campus to help build the team almost from scratch.

“Coach Hedlund was a big part of the reason I decided to come to North Texas,” Davey said. “His vision for what he wanted for the program influenced me. I wanted to be a part of building something. I knew coach Hedlund had what it took to do it.”

Davey developed into a dangerous offensive player under Hedlund and finished with 38 career goals and 24 assists.

“Krista definitely ranks as one of the best players in school history,” Hedlund said. “She is a fierce competitor and who helped us win a lot of important games. She never backed down from anyone and was a great leader with a passion for the game.”

That passion helped Davey continue her career in the WUSA, a women’s professional soccer league that lasted from 2001-2003. Davey was drafted by Washington D.C. and concluded her career in New York.

“I hope that women’s professional soccer comes back,” Davey said. “It was a life-changing experience for me. It’s a necessity if we want our national team to continue to play at a high level.”

Davey still plays for the Destiny, a women’s team that is part of the Richmond Kickers Soccer Club in Richmond, Va. The team plays in a league that features former WUSA and college players.

Hedlund said Davey’s success on the professional level has helped UNT’s program grow. The Mean Green advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and are scheduled to play on a new field this fall.

Davey has enjoyed watching UNT’s program grow after playing for the Mean Green helped spark her professional career.

“I hope that I made a contribution to get the team going,” Davey said. “I learned a lot at UNT and playing there was a great start that helped me go pro. I am very grateful.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

2005 UNT HALL OF FAME CLASS

* Krista Davey was a three-time first-team All-Big West Conference selection who helped establish the UNT women’s soccer program.

* Burkley Harkless started at nose tackle for the UNT football team in the 1965 and 1966 seasons and was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Team after both seasons. He was a key member of a defense that allowed a league low 413 rushing yards in 1966.

* Rudy Levarity ranks among the greatest sprinters in the history of the UNT track and field program. Levarity still holds the school record in the 100-meter dash (10.18 seconds), 200-meter dash (20.50) and was a member of the 800-meter relay team that set the school record of 1:23.84. Levarity lettered in 1980 and 81 and was the second member of the UNT track team to compete in the NCAA Championships. He finished seventh in the 200-meter dash in 1980 and also advanced to the semifinals in the 100.

* Charlie Shepard was drafted by the Baltimore Colts after a standout football career at UNT when he lettered four times from 1951-55 and earned All-Gulf Coast Conference honors in 1955. After a brief NFL career, Shepard signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. Shepard led the Blue Bombers in punting from 1957-62 and was named the MVP of the Grey Cup championship game in 1959. He played on four Grey Cup championship teams and was inducted into the CFL Winnipeg Hall of Fame.

* Brian Waters has gone on to a standout career in the NFL after playing on both the offensive and defensive lines for UNT from 1995-98. Waters led UNT in receptions with 28, including four that went for touchdowns, in 1996 and was an All-Big West Conference selection as a senior. The Dallas Cowboys signed Waters as a free agent before he ended up with Kansas City Chiefs. He was a Pro Bowl selection and a member of the NFL All-Pro Team last season. Waters also became the first offensive lineman to be named the AFC’s Player of the Week last season.

* Lance White ranks fifth in the history of the UNT football team with 325 tackles, a total he posted in a career that spanned from 1983-86. The linebacker was an All-Southland Conference selection in 1984 and 1986 and was also named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. The two-time defensive team captain was a member of UNT’s 1983 Southland Conference championship team.

greenfrog · July 2, 2005

I'm sure that all of these players are deserving. However when a 2 time All American golfer who has been

and still is one of the most influencial golfers in the golfing world can't get in, I have lost a great deal of

respect for the Hall. That would be Bill Eschenbrenner, now and for the past 40+ years at the El Paso

CC.

We have cronies such as Charlie Johnson, former coach and failure at UNT, in the Hall and other great

and more deserving people on the outside looking in. After 43 years of following NT I have not

respect or interest in this entity.

PlummMeanGreen · July 2, 2005

I'm sure that all of these players are deserving. However when a 2 time All American golfer who has been
and still is one of the most influencial golfers in the golfing world can't get in, I have lost a great deal of
respect for the Hall. That would be Bill Eschenbrenner, now and for the past 40+ years at the El Paso
CC.
We have cronies such as Charlie Johnson, former coach and failure at UNT, in the Hall and other great
and more deserving people on the outside looking in. After 43 years of following NT I have not
respect or interest in this entity.

greenfrog, there are so many deserving (like Bill Eschenbrenner) who have fallen thru the cracks and I think its like SUMG said, ie, the selection committees are from eras that many times have no idea who were playing varsity sports at our alma mater in other eras.

Just curious, but do they take NTAHOF suggestions from our general UNT populace or is it just a closed-door meeting of committee members? And surely all NTAHOF committee members would be NT grads, right? Please tell me I'm correct on that one someone?

Edited July 2, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

shaneb · July 2, 2005

Six headed for UNT's hall of fame
07:57 PM CDT on Friday, July 1, 2005
From Staff Reports
DENTON – Krista Davey will become the first women's soccer player in UNT's hall of fame. The other members of the 2005 class: former football players Burkley Harkless, Charlie Shepard, Brian Waters and Lance White and former track athlete Rudy Levarity.

Used to watch Krista Davey play all the time.. she, April Bonilla and others worked hard and had very little to work with in the first years of the program, but they always played hard. Wont it be great when they have their own stadium?? We used to watch them on the field outside the PEB.

Congrats Krista!!!

Shane

GrayEagle · July 2, 2005

I'm sure that all of these players are deserving. However when a 2 time All American golfer who has been
and still is one of the most influencial golfers in the golfing world can't get in, I have lost a great deal of
respect for the Hall. That would be Bill Eschenbrenner, now and for the past 40+ years at the El Paso
CC.
We have cronies such as Charlie Johnson, former coach and failure at UNT, in the Hall and other great
and more deserving people on the outside looking in. After 43 years of following NT I have not
respect or interest in this entity.

Good post and my thoughts exactly, greenfrog.

I'd guess all of those enshrined have been good to excellent athletes but some are/were not worthy if this is to be a truly elite group.

The selection process is far too political. I don't know what it takes to be a part of the 'good ole boy' network but it's obvious that some don't belong while lesser talented athletes do. They seem compelled to admit six per year. Why?

Of the four football players, only Brian Waters would be admitted if the vote were mine. Lance White was a fine linebacker but I'd rate at least four ahead of him on my all-time list. Burks Washington finally made it last year and I don't believe that Byron Gross has yet. OK, Kassell and Spencer are too new to be voted in but they're the caliber that should become the benchmark now. Charlie Shepherd is pretty much in the same category. IMO better fullbacks have been Ken Bahnsen, A.D. Whitfield and Art Perkins. Only Bahnsen is in the HOF. Burkley Harkless was a good lineman at NT but if he had not served as equipment manager, it's highly doubtful that he would have ever been considered.

As some of you have pointed out, there are other very deserving players who should already be in.

I agree with your comment on Charlie Johnson and I'll add Fred McCain to the list. Maybe one day in the future the inductees will be decided by a 3/4 vote of the Mean Green Club. Well, maybe that fraction is a little high. We probably can't get 75% to agree on motherhood, family, apple pie or respect for the flag.

SilverEagle · July 3, 2005

Maybe one day in the future the inductees will be decided by a 3/4 vote of the Mean Green Club. Well, maybe that fraction is a little high. We probably can't get 75% to agree on motherhood, family, apple pie or respect for the flag.

Jack, you just gave a great discription of any gathering of North Texas students/Alumni. It's very similar to my "wrinkled $100 bill" analogy.

BTW, I'm glad you mentioned what position he (Shepard) played, because the article didn't give me a clue. Also, I don't find his name in any of the North Texas records during that era. If he was a punter in the CFL, he didn't appear in the North Texas record books in that catagory. The leading punters for NT from 51 to 55 were, Bill Brasher (51), Don Baker (52 thru 55). The rushing leaders from 51 thru 55 were Ray Renfro (51), Tommy Gray (52), Dean Renfro (53 & 54) and Tommy Runnels (55).

BTW, is John Baker our punter from 97 thru 99 any relation to Don Baker?

Edited July 3, 2005 by SilverEagle

PlummMeanGreen · July 3, 2005

Jack, you just gave a great discription of any gathering of North Texas students/Alumni. It's very similar to my "wrinkled $100 bill" analogy.
BTW, I'm glad you mentioned what position he (Shepard) played, because the article didn't give me a clue. Also, I don't find his name in any of the North Texas records during that era. If he was a punter in the CFL, he didn't appear in the North Texas record books in that catagory. The leading punters for NT from 51 to 55 were, Bill Brasher (51), Don Baker (52 thru 55). The rushing leaders from 51 thru 55 were Ray Renfro (51), Tommy Gray (52), Dean Renfro (53 & 54) and Tommy Runnels (55).
BTW, is John Baker our punter from 97 thru 99 any relation to Don Baker?

And is this "Don Baker" the same as Hollywood actor & North Texas graduate Joe Don Baker of Groesbeck, Texas?

I knew Joe Don "Buford Pusser" Baker was a College of Business graduate who got bit by the acting bug while in Denton, but I don't recall ever hearing that he played football at NORTH TEXAS. I would bet a little money he played for the Groesbeck High School Goats, though.

Cooley · July 3, 2005

Glad to see Rudy Levarity make the Hall. Got to know him well after I graduated. Once beat Carl Lewis in his prime.

I also agree with the Walter Chapman snub!

The best track star that we have had, that no one talks about, was Alvin Crenshaw. (Dallas Roosevelt HS) We've heard all the stories about Milton Collins being our all time biggest football recruit. Well, Alvin Crenshaw was every bit the national high school track recruit that Milton was in football. Crenshaw actually transferred to NT.

The Dallas I.S.D. has produced many of the nations top track stars. (Michael Johnson, Michael Carter, Roy Martin, etc.) Alvin Crenshaw remains the top overall sprinter ever to come out of Dallas.

His specialty was the 440. Also kicked butt in the 880 and every 220 yard dash he ran. This guy consistently ran everybody down on the anchor leg of every relay event I have ever seen.

Clearly should be in UNT's Hall of Fame!!!

GrayEagle · July 3, 2005

To Bill and Jim,

Negatory on Don Baker being related to either John or Joe Don. Don Baker of the 50s was from California. He was a good quarterback but an even better punter. One of his years (55 I believe), he led the nation in punting. I believe that Don Fechtman was the only other North Texan to lead the nation although John Baker might have. Don Baker was likely the reason that Charlie Shepherd did not punt for North Texas.

SilverEagle · July 4, 2005

You know Jack, I think North Texas should pay you to do the athletic history of the school. I'm concerned that the historical information for this school will end up being mostly lost.

PlummMeanGreen · July 4, 2005

Glad to see Rudy Levarity make the Hall. Got to know him well after I graduated. Once beat Carl Lewis in his prime.
I also agree with the Walter Chapman snub!
The best track star that we have had, that no one talks about, was Alvin Crenshaw. (Dallas Roosevelt HS) We've heard all the stories about Milton Collins being our all time biggest football recruit. Well, Alvin Crenshaw was every bit the national high school track recruit that Milton was in football. Crenshaw actually transferred to NT.
The Dallas I.S.D. has produced many of the nations top track stars. (Michael Johnson, Michael Carter, Roy Martin, etc.) Alvin Crenshaw remains the top overall sprinter ever to come out of Dallas.
His specialty was the 440. Also kicked butt in the 880 and every 220 yard dash he ran. This guy consistently ran everybody down on the anchor leg of every relay event I have ever seen.
Clearly should be in UNT's Hall of Fame!!!

For certain that Alvin Crenshaw should be in the NTAHOF.