The Texas Sports Hall of Fame has announced its 2020 Hall of Fame class and induction ceremonies are set for March.
The class includes former Texas Rangers’ third baseman Adrian Beltre and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, who played college football at Baylor.
Other inductees are former Texas A&M punter and NFL standout Shane Lechler, shot put Olympic gold medalist Michelle Carter, track standout and coach Francie Larrieu Smith, basketball star Teresa Weatherspoon and soccer great Clint Dempsey.
The 2020 class will be honored on Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 6 p.m. at the Waco Convention Center.
A reception will be held at the TSHOF before the banquet at 4 p.m.
A news conference will be held from 4:00pm to 4:30pm at the TSHOF and will be open to patrons with reception tickets.
“On behalf of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, staff and previous inductees I extend a warm welcome to the 2020 Hall of Fame class,” said Cooper Jones, President & CEO of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. “The TSHOF prides itself on recognizing the best and the brightest sports legends in the State of Texas, and the 2020 class certainly lives up to, and exceeds, that standard.”
Here is the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020, presented by Texas Farm Bureau:
Adrian Beltre: A Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native, Beltre is four time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winning thirdrd baseman for the Texas Rangers from 2011-2018. With a career .286 batting average, 3,166 hits, 477 home runs and 1,707 RBIs, Beltre became the 4th Texas Ranger to have his jersey retired on June 8, 2019.
Michelle Carter: Carter began her career winning four shot put state championships at Red Oak High School. She went on to the University of Texas to become a seven-time All American, win five Big 12 titles and become the 2006 NCAA indoor champion. In 2016, she won a gold medal in shot put at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. She was the first American female to win gold in the shot since 1948 and is the American record holder in the shot with a throw of 67-8 at the 2016 Olympics.
Clint Dempsey: A Nacogdoches native, Dempsey was the first player in U.S. history to score in three World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014) after his goal 30 seconds in against Ghana — fifth-fastest score in Cup history. The U.S. captain also scored in 2-2 draw vs. Portugal, giving him 4 WC goals. Dempsey was a member of the US Men’s National team from 2004-2017 and made 141 appearances. On July 22, 2017, he tied Landon Donovan with his 57th all-time goal for the most in USMNT history. He scored the franchise-record 50 goals for Fulham (2007-2012), most ever byan American in EPL. He was a three-time U.S. Male Soccer Athlete of Year, now retired from MSL’s Seattle Sounders in 2018.
Robert Griffin III: Griffin led Baylor University to a 10-3 record in 2011, winning the distinguished Heisman award, AP Player of the Year and the Davey O’Brien Award and setting 20 career records in the process. He was the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft for the Redskins and currently plays with the Baltimore Ravens.
Shane Lechler: Lechler played at Texas A&M, where he became a two-time all-American punter and set an NCAA record with a career average of 44.7 yards and was on the 1997 All Big 12 Team. He played with the Houston Texans from 2013-2017 and was the NFL all-time record holder for career punting average and NFL’s 2000’s Team of the Decade Punter, as well as a six-time 1st team All Pro, and a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
Francie Larrieu Smith: Larrieu Smith attended Cal State University in Long Beach and UCLA. Starting with the 1500 meter title in 1970, Larrieu established 36 U.S. records and 12 world bests in distances ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 meters. Francie was just the third female American athlete to make five Olympic teams. Larrieu served as the head men’s and women’s cross country/track and field coach at Southwestern University in Georgetown from 1999-2018.
Teresa Weatherspoon: A native from Pineland, Texas, Weatherspoon led Louisiana Tech to the 1988 NCAA women’s basketball title and brought home plenty of awards and titles. In 1997, she was drafted in the WNBA draft to the New York Liberty and retired as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists and steals. She won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics and a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics. Today, Teresa is an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans.
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TICKETS
Combination reception/banquet tickets are $200 each or $1,400 for a reserved table of eight.
Banquet-only tickets may be purchased for $75 each, or $600 for a reserved table of eight.
To purchase tickets, call the museum at 800-567-9561.
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