Legends | Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame

Gray, Elmer

May 10, 2022 | Legends, Track & Field

ELMER GRAY is one of two posthumous recipients of this year’s Bill Hart Memorial Legends Award. Gray graduated from Roscoe High School in 1928 and came to ACU to run track and play football. He was the first athlete at ACU to run under 50 seconds in the quarter-mile,...

Martin, Milton

Jul 22, 2021 | Athlete, Basketball, Legends

Milton Martin was a member of Avoca’s 1955 Class B state championship basketball team. He scored 62 points in a game vs. Jim Ned, which is a school record. He was the leading scorer in the scholarship era at Hardin-Simmons with 1,584 points in four...

Magness, Boone

Jul 22, 2021 | Athlete, Football, Legends

Boone Magness was a standout quarterback for the Breckenridge team that tied Port Arthur 0-0 in the 1929 state championship game after upsetting defending champion Waco in the semifinals. He later played at Washington State. In 1968, he was in the first...

Childers, Elijah

Jun 20, 2019 | Athlete, Football, Legends

Elijah Childers (deceased) graduated from Woodson High School in Abilene before integration where he was a three-year letterman in football, basketball and track. He started at tackle on offense and defense at Prairie View A&M, where he was all-SWAC in 1954-55....

Jones, Ellis

Jun 20, 2019 | Athlete, Football, Legends

Ellis Jones (deceased) played football at Abilene High from 1939-41. He then played guard and linebacker at Tulsa where he was a first-team all-American and played for the College All-Stars in their annual game against the defending NFL champion Chicago Bears in 1944....

Alford, Gene

Jun 13, 2018 | Athlete, Football, Legends

Gene Alford from Rising Star was quarterback/halfback at Daniel Baker in Brownwood and then transferred to Texas Tech and later to Sul Ross State. Pete Shotwell, then at Sul Ross, called Alford the best player he ever coached. He scored the first touchdown in Texas...