Texas Sports Hall of Fame Scattershootin'

PlummMeanGreen · January 31, 2003

These are the ones that had some kind of UNT connection; that is, either by graduating from UNT, coached or played sports in Mean Green Country.

Those with UNT connections in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame are:

Doc Hayes--UNT grad who gained his fame as SMU' men's basketball coach for many years back in the 1950's and 1960's. He is in the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame as well.

Don January--Old Bones (as some call him) the PGA golfer and was on 3 NCAA Golf National Championships at UNT. He is also in the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame.

Ray Renfro--Former Mean Green great who was an All Pro for the Cleveland Browns, a coach with Tom Landry for the Cowboys a few years and in his last years, worked with UNT letterman James Rainboldt, owner of Tarrant Concrete Company in Fort Worth. Ray Renfro is in the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame.

Odus Mitchell--Long time UNT football coach who has many wins and was head football coach when UNT integreted in the 1950's. Coach Mitchell is also in the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame.

Mean Joe Greene--Concensus All American while at UNT; Was one of several NFL #1 draft choices from UNT during the mid to late 1960's; Has 4 Super Bowl rings by way of the Steel Curtain and the Pittsburg Steelers. He as the heart and soul of the Steel Curtain. Joe Charles Greene is in the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame and his sister is now on the Board of Regents at UNT, a position he himself served on upon his appointment to the UNT board by (then) Texas Governor Mark White in the 1980's.

Hayden Fry--the multi faceted athletic career of TSHOF member Fry who was a great HS QB at Odessa High School; was the SMU Head FB coach for almost a decade before his firing on the Hilltop in 1972; In 1973 he took the UNT football job and revived his coaching career at UNT while helping UNT revive its football fortunes wiith a string of victories over some very impressive D1-A schools; left UNT for an almost 2 decade career as head football coach at Iowa where he took the Hawkeyes to 3 Rose Bowls and raised their program from the (all but dead) upon his arrival to Big 10 Country. Hayden Fry is in the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame.

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THE BIG QUESTION FOR TEXAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME OFFICIALS IS:

Why in the wide world of sports areN'T Abner Haynes, Cedric Hardman, Ron Shanklin, Spider Lockhart, Chuck Beatty, Steve Ramsey, Bill Blakely, golfer Billy Maxwell, former UNT golfer and LPGA pro golfing pioneer Sandra Palmer and I am sure I am leaving others off this list; but why are the aforementioned NOT in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame?

None of the above North Texas Exes will charge the Texas Sports Hall of Fame $25,000 to come speak and be inducted into their great hall either (PLUS) they all played their high school sports in the great state of Texas.