WILSON WHITLEY ON TEXAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME BALLOT

Former Brenham Cub football star, the late Wilson Whitley  is on the ballot for the Texas Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016.

Whitley’s is one of 20 names on the primary ballot.  Twelve others are on the veterans’ ballot.

Whitley was an All-State lineman for the Cubs, who went on to become an All-American at the University of Houston, helping lead the Cougars to the 1976 Southwest Conference championship.

Whitley won the 1976 Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman and was named to the conference’s 70’s All-Decade team.

Whitley was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was a starter for six seasons.

Whitley died in 1992 after suffering a heart attack.

He was inducted into the national College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Whitley’s former Cub teammate Roosevelt Leakes was inducted into the Texas Hall in 2006.

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee, comprised of media members around the state has set the final ballot of nominees to be voted on for the Class of 2016. Generally six nominees from the primary ballot and two from the veteran ballot will comprise the Class of 2016.

Also on this year’s ballot are:

FRED AKERS - Football / University of Texas
LARRY ALLEN – Football / Dallas Cowboys
TREVOR BRAZILE - Rodeo / Decatur, TX
RUDY DAVALOS – Basketball / San Antonio, TX
DONALD DRIVER - Football / Houston, TX
T.J. FORD - Basketball / University of Texas
PETE FREDENBURG / Football / University Mary Hardin-Baylor
JACOB GREEN – Football / Texas A&M University
PAT HENRY – Track & Field / Texas A&M University
JASON KIDD - Basketball / Dallas Mavericks
JUSTIN LEONARD – Golf / University of Texas
NASTIA LIUKIN - Gymnastics / Plano, TX
ERIC METCALF - Football, Track & Field / University of Texas
GERALD MYERS - Basketball / Texas Tech University
ANDY PETTITTE – Baseball / Houston, TX
DENNIS RODMAN – Basketball / Dallas, TX
HUSTON STREET - Baseball / University of Texas
MICHAEL YOUNG - Baseball / Texas Rangers
SOPHIA YOUNG – Basketball / Baylor University

2016 VETERAN BALLOT NOMINEES
ANDY COOPER – Baseball / Waco, TX
KEN GRAY - Football / San Saba, TX
LESTER HAYES - Football / Texas A&M University
KING HILL – Football / Rice University
BILL HOWTON - Football / Rice University
LUCIOUS “LUKE” JACKSON / Basketball / Pan American College
DAVE MARR – Golf / Houston, TX
CYNTHIA POTTER – Diving / Houston, TX
JAMES SAXTON – Football / University of Texas
HILTON SMITH - Baseball / Giddings, TX
FLO HYMAN – Volleyball / University of Houston
“SMOKEY” JOE WILLIAMS – Baseball / Seguin, TX