The Houston Independent School District (HISD) hosted its 2nd Annual Hall of Honor banquet this past Saturday, August 13th at Delmar Fieldhouse.
The event was emceed by Fox 26 Sports Morning Show Sports Analyst Nate Griffin. The national anthem was sung by singer/songwriter, as well as Forward Times Business Manager, Chelsea “Lenora” White. God Bless America was sung by legendary public address announcer Rick Godfrey.
The committee did an amazing job of choosing this year’s inductees.
Honoree J.V. Cain, posthumously
Honoree Mike Singletary – Worthing
Honoree Jacob Breen – Kashmere and Ralph Cooper
Honoree Jackie Washington – Yates
Honoree Eddie Owens – Wheatley
HISD AD Andre Walker and
Honoree Debra Williams – Austin
Henry Small the starting Forward for the Kashmere 1975 State Championship Team, with son Jarren Small
Coach Gary Dunham and Mark Cain accepting on behalf of his brother Honoree J.V. Cain, posthumously
1975 Kashmere Rams Back to Back state Champions
Some of the greatest athletes in HISD’s storied athletic history were honored.
An Olympic medalist, NFL greats, coaching legends, college greats, and one of the greatest high school basketball teams in Texas High School history were given their flowers of praise.
Here are some of the honorees:
- Jackie Washington—At Jack Yates High School, Jackie became the state champion in the 100 and 200 meters during her senior year in 1981. She broke the record for the 100 meters with a 11:23 time. She was the first female to run under 11 seconds in the 100 meters in the state of Texas. She had a storied college career at the University of Houston. She dominated in the 60-meter dash and went undefeated in the 100 and 200 meters. She was a member of the gold medal winning Women’s 1984 4×100 relay team.
- Jacob Green—In 1976, Jacob was Blue Chip All-State football player at Kashmere High School. He attended Texas A&M where he was a 2x All-American in 1978 and 1979. He was the #10 pick in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Jacob played 12 seasons in the NFL, where he recorded 116 sacks. He was named All-Pro in 1983 and 1984 and was a 2x Pro Bowler in 1986 and 1987. He was named the Seahawks’ Man of The Year. He also is inducted in four other Halls of Honor—the Texas A&M Hall of Fame; Texas Black Hall of Fame; Southwest Conference Hall of Fame; and Texas College Hall of Fame.
- Mike Singletary—At Worthing High School, Mike was an All-State linebacker during his senior year in 1977. He received a scholarship to Baylor University in Waco. While at Baylor, Mike became a 2x All-American in 1979 and 1980. He was drafted in the 2nd round by the Chicago Bears in 1981. He went on to become one of the greatest middle linebackers in NFL history, making the Pro Bowl 10 out of 12 seasons. Mike won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times. He led the Bears to the 1985 Super Bowl, where they defeated the New England Patriots 46-10. The Bears finished their season at 15-1. Mike was named the NFL Man of The Year in 1981 and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1998.
- Eddie Owens—At Wheatley High School, Eddie was arguably the greatest high school player in HISD history. He played for the legendary coach Jackie Carr. He led Wheatley to a state championship in 1973 by defeating Odessa Midland. He was named All-City, 3x All-State, and the Chamber of Commerce Player of the Year in 1973. Owens played college basketball at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) for Jerry Tarkanian. He is the All-Time leading scorer in UNLV history. Owens was drafted by the Kansas City Kings in the second round of the 1977 NBA draft.
- Debra Williams–At Austin High School, Debra was one of the most prolific scorers in Texas high school history. She had a silky-smooth stroke from the 3-point-line and was All-City and All-State while at Austin. Debra played in college for the Lady Techsters of Louisiana Tech. She was a 4x All-Sunbelt Conference Player, and was named MVP in 1994, and a Kodak All-American in 1996. Debra went on to play professionally for the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA and then overseas in Italy, Israel, and Greece.
- J.V. Cain —At Booker T. Washington High School, Cain was named All-American during his senior year in 1968. He led Booker T. to the 1974 District and Regional Championship. Upon graduation, Cain received a scholarship to attend the University of Colorado, where he became a 2x All-American. He was drafted 7th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1979 NFL Draft. He died on his 28th birthday of congenial heart failure due to extreme heat while practicing with the Cardinals.
- Otis Taylor—At Worthing High School, Otis was a four-sport star in high school. He starred in football as a quarterback and was All-State in Track & Field. Otis played basketball on the same basketball team as David Latin and was on the State Championship baseball team at Worthing. He went on to have an All-American college career at Prairie View A&M University. He was drafted in the 5th round by the Kansas City Chiefs. You can see more about his professional career in my “Telling It Like It Is” column in this week’s paper.
The 1975 Kashmere Ram High School Basketball Team—This team maybe the greatest HISD basketball team of all time. They won back-to-back state championships and won 78 straight games. They won 92 out of 94 games over a two-year period. They were led by Karl Godine and Jarvis Williams, two All-Staters. This team could do it all, play run and gun, or slow it down if they needed to. Nine players on that team received college scholarships.
Other honorees included: Dave Elmendorph, Westbury High School; Bill McMurray, Houston Chronicle; Debbie Sokol, Bellaire High School; Jim Gideon, Bellaire High School; Julia Heymach, Lamar High School; and Cynthia Potter, Lamar High School.
Congratulations to all honorees for being inducted and honored by HISD.