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.
Turner, Clyde “Bulldog”
Clyde “Bulldog” Turner Turner graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1936 and was an All-American football player at Hardin-Simmons University. He played 12 seasons for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League and made All-Pro eight times as a center and...
Parks, David
David Parks Parks, a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, was an All-American receiver at Texas Tech after graduating from Abilene High in 1960. He was the first player picked in the 1964 National Football League draft. He played 10 years for the San Francisco...
Kimbrough, John
John Kimbrough Kimbrough played high school football at Haskell and Abilene. He was twice named an All-American running back at Texas A&M and helped the unbeaten Aggies claim the national championship in 1939. He was a B-24 pilot in World War II and played...
Gainey, Hollis
Gainey was an All-State running back at Colorado City in 1954 and was inducted into the Texas High School Hall of Fame in 1999. In addition to those accolades, Gainey really made his mark on the track. He won the 100- and 220-yard dashes at the state high school...
Estes, Bob
Bob Estes Estes was a standout basketball player and golfer at Abilene Cooper. He won an individual state championship in 1984 and helped the Cougars win three consecutive team golf state championships. He received the Nicklaus Award as the nation’s top collegiate...
Ball, Beverly
Bev Ball Ball, a native of Throckmorton, spent 48 years as a coach and teacher in the Abilene Independent School District. She coached girls’ tennis at Abilene High for 15 years and then spent 32 years as the swimming coach at both Abilene High and Cooper. She has...
Wood, Gordon
Gordon Wood Wood was a 1934 graduate of Wylie High School. He began his coaching career at Rule in 1940. His coaching journey included stops at Roscoe, Seminole, Winters, Stamford, and Victoria before taking a job at Brownwood in 1960. When he finally retired as...
Maynard, Don
Don Maynard Maynard, who graduated from high school in Colorado City in 1953, was a state champion in the high and low hurdles in high school and an All-Conference wide receiver at Texas Western. He played 15 years in the NFL, including the New York Jets from...
Myers, Mindy
Mindy Myers A 1990 graduate of Munday High School, Mindy Myers was the most decorated athlete at the state level in Texas high school history at the time of her 2002 induction. She was named Texas Track Athlete of the Year in 1990. In all, Myers won 11 gold medals,...
Coody, Charles
Charles Coody Coody, a graduate of Stamford High School, made his mark in golf. His crowning achievement came in 1971 when he won the coveted green jacket as champion of the Masters golf tournament. He owns three career PGA Tour wins and five Senior PGA Tour...