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.
Aldridge, Cory
Cory Aldridge was a standout outfielder for the Abilene Cooper baseball team and a tight end on the Cougars’ state runner-up football team in 1996. Aldridge enjoyed a remarkable 18-year professional baseball career playing from 1997-2014 for the...
Hess, Jay
Jay Hess threw for a state record 3,154 yards and 37 touchdowns to lead the Eastland High School Mavericks to an unbeaten season and the Class 2A state title in 1982. He was voted the Texas High School Player of the Year for all classifications, a first-team all-state...
Biggers, Frank
Frank Biggers, a 6’3” forward, played basketball for the Wallace Wildcats, a small segregated African American school in Colorado City before integration. Wallace won five state championships from 1959 to 1966. Biggers was named all-state as a sophomore in 1962,...
McKinney, Jim
Jim McKinney was the Head Gymnastics Coach at Cooper for 25 years. His Cougars gymnastics teams won three state championships while McKinney was at the helm of the program. He was named the Texas High School Gymnastics Coach of the Year five times and was twice named...
Sanderson, Bob
Bob Sanderson was the Head Gymnastics Coach at Abilene High for 16 years (1983-99) and has amassed a coaching career that spans 24 years between Abilene and Lebanon, KY. His teams at Marion County High School (KY) qualified for the state meet 7 times and won state...
Hotel Information for Upcoming Induction Banquet
Our 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Banquet is less than one month away, and as we near closer to April 29, the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame would like to share partner hotel information for those traveling from outside the Abilene area for the event. We have...
Hudgens, Harold
HAROLD HUDGENS graduated from Ballinger High School in 1957. He then went to Texas Tech on a basketball scholarship and was an all-Southwest Conference selection while with the Red Raiders. The 6’10” Hudgens was inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Honor in 2006...
Robinson, Wendell
WENDELL ROBINSON played on three state championship football teams at Stamford from 1957-60 and played football for Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma. He then became a long-time high school football coach in Texas, compiling a record of 224-110-4 at Santa...
Craft, Harry
HARRY CRAFT, a Throckmorton native, was a centerfielder for the Cincinnati Reds from 1937-42 and was on the Reds team that won the World Series in 1940. Craft began his managerial career in the New York Yankees farm system in 1949. That season, he was Mickey Mantle’s...
Meyers, The Meyers Family
The 2023 Legacy Award recipients are the MEYERS BROTHERS from Abilene Cooper – Chip, Mike, Rick, Scott and David. They have the distinction of being the only family in the history of USTA Texas Tennis to win the USTA Texas’ biggest and most prestigious tournament, the...