Seven Sports Greats Added to Hall of Fame's Inaugural Class

Saturday, January 7th, 2012

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INDUCTION BANQUET SET FOR APRIL 14; TICKET, TABLE SALES TO KICK OFF ON FEB. 1

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  By AL CARTER 
  Pasadena ISD Communications 
  Speed was the common trait of seven Pasadena ISD sports greats named on Tuesday to fill out the inaugural class of 12 inductees for the new Pasadena ISD Athletics Hall of Fame. 
  The list includes five football standouts, a football coach who made history in his first year on the job and a pitcher whose fastball carried him to a red-hot rookie season and a seven-year career in the major leagues. 
  The seven new inductees join a group of five others named last fall. All 12 will be formally inducted at a gala banquet and Hall of Fame unveiling on April 14 at Phillips Field House. Tickets for that event go on sale Feb. 1. 
  Four of the new inductees represent Pasadena High: 
  • Robert "Bob" Barfield, who coached the Eagles football team for 15 years and reached the state finals in his first season; 

  • Carl Choate, a football and track star who played on Barfield's historic 1958 team; 
  • George Cheshire, a football and track standout in the mid-1960s who went on to become one of the most reliable receivers in Baylor history; 
  • And Mike Kirkland, a multi-sport star who quarterbacked the Arkansas Razorbacks and Baltimore Colts in the 1970s. 
  The other three new inductees represent South Houston, Sam Rayburn and Dobie: 
  • Dan McIlhany, an acclaimed quarterback for the Trojans in the early 1960s who went on to play at Texas A&M and in the NFL; 
  • David Freisleben, a flame-throwing right-hander from Sam Rayburn who shot to major-league fame in 1974 and pitched seven years in the big leagues; 
  • And Trevor Cobb, a whirlwind running back at Dobie who shattered multiple Rice University records and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best college running back in 1991. 
  Named to the Hall of Fame last fall were E.W. "Ned" Thompson, who coached Pasadena High to the state basketball championship in 1946; Bill Henry, who played on Thompson's 1946 team before pitching in the major leagues for 16 seasons; Bert Coan, a nationally acclaimed Eagles football and track sensation who is generally considered the community's most heralded sports star; Mickey McCarty, a multi-sport wonder at both Pasadena High and TCU; and Christa Williams, the softball pitching sensation from Dobie who earned Olympic gold in both 1996 and 2000. 
  Thompson, who died just three weeks ago at the age of 101, will be honored posthumously, as will Barfield and McCarty. 
  "These 12 sports greats represent far more than just heroics in the arena," said Terry Brotherton, chairman of the Hall of Fame organizing committee. 
  "These 12 represent a starting point for this entire endeavor. In coming years, many other deserving athletes will join this elite group. Many youngsters who currently play on the sandlots and in the gyms across our community will one day find their names alongside those we plan to enshrine this spring."
 
  The nine surviving inductees, and family representatives of the three deceased inductees, will be in attendance at the gala induction banquet at April 14. The event will include cheerleaders, band members and athletes from the five district high schools - and will conclude with an autograph and picture session with the inductees. 
  Tickets for the event are $50 and will go on sale Feb. 1 at the Pasadena ISD Athletic Ticket Office. Tables of 10 may also be purchased but will be limited in number. 
  Memberships for Founding Sponsors are also available. The names of each founding member and of each sponsoring corporation will be inscribed in a glass wall to be kept on permanent display in the Hall of Fame. 
  A plaque display for the 12 inaugural inductees will be unveiled at the banquet. The display will be located on a wall at one end of the field house until a permanent location is designed and built during an expansion of the facility in the coming years.
  "Our selection decisions were extremely difficult," Brotherton said. "Sound arguments were made for literally dozens of others. I expect that many of those individuals will be gracing our induction banquets in the near future." 
  Rodney Chant, the director of athletics for the Pasadena ISD, said the 12 chosen for the inaugural class reflect well on the district as much for their character as their athletic skills. 
  "Numerous athletes have gone on to the collegiate and professional level and represented Pasadena ISD in a professional manner," Chant said. "Athletics is not just about how to pass, catch or shoot. It's about the life-long lessons that it teaches. It's about how those lessons can be carried into everyday life." 
  The Hall of Fame committee, a group of local leaders in business and education, plans to name additional inductees each year and host an annual induction banquet. 
  Plans call for future banquet proceeds to fund college scholarships for senior athletes from the five Pasadena ISD high schools. 
  Founding member sponsorships are offered on four levels: 
  • Corporate ($2,500 donation): A Corporate Level donor will receive top tier glass wall recognition, program recognition, a 10-seat table to the inaugural banquet in a prime location and reservation privileges for the same table in future years. 
  • Gold ($1,000 donation): A Gold Level donor will receive glass wall recognition, program recognition and six tickets to the banquet. 
  • Silver ($500 donation): A Silver Level donor will receive glass wall recognition, program recognition and four tickets to the banquet. 
  • Bronze ($250 donation): A Bronze Level donor will receive glass wall recognition, program recognition and two tickets to the banquet. 
  Founding member donations may be made by contacting Herman Williams at 713-907-1190, or by email at [email protected]. The committee mailing address is 4222 Vista, Pasadena, TX, 77504. 
  Web content has also been created for the Hall of Fame. Pages can be viewed at www1.pasadenaisd.org/halloffame. A link to the Hall of Fame content is also posted on the homepage of the Pasadena ISD website.



  THE INDUCTEES

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