The Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame hosted its 2nd annual Champions Celebration to commemorate the two Big Country high schools, Benjamin and Westbrook, that won football state championships during the 2022-23 season on Sunday, January 21. The reception, sponsored by BML Crude Oil Marketing, featured rousing games between the teams, a free museum tour, an awards presentation, limited edition back-to-back state championship shirts for sale and hall of fame coach CH Underwood speaking.
Players, coaches, school administration and staff, families and fans from both schools were present to celebrate both schools’ back-to-back state championships. Including the 2021 and 2022 Benjamin and Albany teams, there have only been 11 Big Country football teams win back-to-back state championships in the history of the UIL.
The Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame has produced limited edition shirts to mark this historic occasion. Long sleeve shirts are available to purchase at the Museum, or you can call us at 325-704-1759 to place an order. We are able to ship shirts for an additional fee.
Corn-Clark, Lynn
Lynn Corn (Clark) Corn is considered one of the top girls basketball players to come out of the Big Country in the modern five-on-five era. She was a first-team All-State selection in 1990 as she led Abilene Wylie to the Class 3A state championship. Corn went on to...
Ash, Twyman
Twyman Ash Ash was a two-year starter in football, basketball and baseball at Abilene High. He was an all-state selection in football in 1954 and went on to play football at Rice University. Ash is best remembered for his finger-tip catch for the winning...
McClure, Bill
Bill McClure McClure, a 1939 graduate of Abilene High, spent a 47-year career in athletics, beginning first as a coach at Stamford High School and then as an assistant and later head track coach at ACU, leaving to become the head track coach at both South Carolina and...
Stuard, Jack
Jack Stuard Stuard was the fourth recipient of the Lifetime Achievement for Media, joining Bill Hart, Dallas Huston, and Bill Little. Stuard, a graduate of Abilene High, taught and served as an assistant principal in the AISD from 1955 until his retirement in 1990....
Sitton, Ted
Ted Sitton Sitton grew up in Stamford and was the quarterback on Abilene Christian University’s only unbeaten, untied team that won the Refrigerator Bowl in 1950. He was an assistant coach on ACU’s two national championship teams in 1973 and 1977 and was the head...
Rowland, Brad
Brad Rowland Rowland, who played high school football at Hamlin, still holds the career rushing record (4,437 yards) at McMurry, even though it has been more than a half century since his senior season. He led McMurry to three Texas Conference championships and was...
Miller, Bill
Bill Miller Miller, a star in both football and track in high school at Winters and in college at McMurry, won the Class 2A state long jump in 1959. He went on to win NAIA championships in the long jump in 1962 and 1963 and became the first Texan to long jump 26 feet...
Hudson, Ray
Ray Hudson Hudson was the fifth recipient of the Lifetime Achievement for Officiating in the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame, joining Curly Hays, Shorty Lawson, Bill Voss and Moose Stovall. Hudson spent 38 years (1961-1999) officiating football and basketball on...
Heath, Nikki
Nikki Heath Heath, an all-state volleyball and basketball player in high school at Sweetwater, was a starting guard on the Texas Tech Lady Raiders national championship basketball team in 1993. She became the second player off that championship team to be selected to...
Berry, Ray
Ray Berry Berry, an outstanding linebacker at Abilene Cooper, was a four-year letterman at Baylor from 1983-86. He was twice named all-Southwest Conference and was named to Baylor’s all-Decade team of the 1980s. He ranks second only to Mike Singletary in career...