TSHOF Announces Class of 2012 - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

WACO –  The Texas Sports Hall of Fame announces its Class of 2012 presented by Texas Farm Bureau Insurance.  The class includes -  New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees, former Dallas Cowboys RB Walt Garrison, former Milwaukee Braves 3B Eddie Mathews, former Lubbock Monterey HS baseball coach Bobby Moegle, former San Antonio HS & NBA basketball champion Shaquille O'Neal, former University of Texas softball pitcher Catherine "Cat" Osterman & former University of Texas RB and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams and one other individual TBA.  

The inductees are scheduled to appear in Waco for the banquet which will be held on Monday, February 18, 2013.  There will be a reception at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame before the banquet from 4:30-6:00pm. Combination Reception/Banquet tickets are $200 each or $1,500 for a reserved table of 10.  The banquet will be held at Baylor University's Ferrell Center. Banquet only tickets can be purchased for $75 each or a table of 10 can be reserved for $675.  Tickets can be ordered by calling the museum at 800-567-9561 or securely online through our website.   

For breaking news regarding the banquet for the TSHOF Class of 2012 follow us on twitter at @TXSportsHOF. 

DREW BREES
Drew Brees, a native of Austin, Texas, was an all-state quarterback with 3,528 yards leading Westlake to the 5A Division II 1996 state title his senior year with a perfect 16-0 record. Brees is the Purdue and Big Ten career leader in every major passing category, including passing attempts (1,678), passing completions (1,026), passing yards (11,792), passing touchdowns (90) and total offense (12,692). His college years were successful both on and off the football field, and in his senior year, he was named the Academic All-American of the Year, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and the Maxwell Award winner. Brees spent five seasons with the San Diego Chargers before signing as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints in 2006 where he was named Super Bowl MVP after leading the team to its first NFL title in 2010. Prior to the 2012 season, Brees had 40,742 career passing yards with 281 touchdowns and was the NFL's all-time single season leader with 5,476 yards . He's been a part of six Pro-Bowls and is a four-time All-Pro. On Oct. 7, 2012, Brees made history by breaking Johnny Unitas record (47) for consecutive games with a touchdown pass.

WALT GARRISON
Walt Garrison, a Denton, Texas, native, stood at six-feet-tall and 205 pounds as the Oklahoma State fullback from 1963-65. Garrison was named to the 1964 All-Academic Team, and in the following season, he led the Big Eight in rushing yards, was an All-Big Eight selection, and was named Outstanding Back in the 1965 Senior Bowl. After college, Garrison began his nine-year NFL career in Dallas where he played in the Cowboys' backfield from 1966-74 under head coach Tom Landry. He was a member of the 1971 World Champion Cowboys team, was named to the All-Pro team in 1973 and was the 1972 Pro-Bowl selection after rushing for 784 yards with seven touchdowns during the season. Garrison retired with 3,886 career rushing yards and 1,794 receiving yards, which ranked third and fourth respectively in all-time Dallas Cowboys history.

EDDIE MATHEWS
Eddie Mathews, a Texarkana, Texas, native, spent 17 years in the major leagues playing for the Braves in Boston, Atlanta and Milwaukee from 1952-66, the Houston Astros in 1967 and the Detroit Tigers in 1967 and '68. Playing a total of 2,391 games, Mathews had 2,315 hits, 512 homeruns, 1,453 RBIs, and a .271 batting average. He played on the 1968 Detroit Tigers and the 1957 and 1958 Milwaukee Braves World Series teams, winning two games in the 1957 series against the Yankees with homeruns in the 10th inning. Mathews made 12 All-Star Game appearances as both a third and first baseman, and in the 1959 game, he hit a first-inning homerun. After retiring, Mathews stayed close to the game managing the Atlanta Braves from 1972-74 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.

BOBBY MOEGLE
Bobbly Moegle is the third most winning high school baseball coach in the nation, and has compiled a 1,115-266-1 record from 1960-99 at Lubbock Monterey High School. Moegle has taken 13 teams to the 4A and 5A state tournaments, winning the state championship in '72, '74, '81, and '96, and finishing second in state four times. He's coached over 100 players who have continued their baseball careers at the collegiate level, 20 of whom signed professional contracts. Moegle is the founder of the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association, a three-time Texas High School Coach of the Year, and was the National Coach of the Year in 1972.

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL
Shaquille O'Neal's successful basketball career began in San Antonio, Texas, at San Antonio Cole High School. Experiencing a major victory for the first time, he led Cole to a 3A state title in 1989 and then continued this title-winning tradition in the NBA. As a Los Angeles Laker, O'Neal won three consecutive world championships from 2000-‘02, and won another world championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat. His 19-year NBA career included eight first-team All-NBA selections, 15 All-Star Games, and in 1996, O'Neal was named to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He was the NBA MVP in 2000 and the NBA Finals MVP in 2000, '01, and '02. O'Neal averaged 23.7 points per game, 10.9 rebounds per game and 2.3 blocks per game, with a total of 13,099 rebounds and 28,596 points during his career.

CATHERINE "CAT" OSTERMAN  
Softball pitcher Cat Osterman, a native of Houston, Texas won 136 games for the Texas Longhorns and led her teams to three NCAA softball world series. One of the most accomplished athletes in softball history, Osterman broke virtually every University of Texas pitching record. She set NCAA records for strikeout ratio for season (15.42) & career (14.34). Osterman also ranks 5th all-time in NCAA in shutouts (28), 8th all-time in wins (136) & 2nd all-time in strikeouts (2,265).  She was the first NCAA pitcher to break 2,000 strikeout mark.  A four-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year she was also a member of Olympic teams in 2004 (gold medal) & 2008 (silver medal). Osterman's impressive resume also includes 20 NCAA no-hitters and 10 perfect games. 

RICKY WILLIAMS
San Diego, California native Ricky Williams wasn't born in Texas but he got here as fast as he could.  His stellar football career as a running back at the University of Texas (1995-98) culminated with the sport's highest honor - the 1998 Heisman Trophy.  Williams set 21 NCAA records and 46 University of Texas career records. Two of the biggest records that Williams set included 72 career rushing touchdowns and 6,279 career rushing yards. His brilliant senior campaign also included being named the 1998 AP Player of the Year and winning the Maxwell & Walter Camp Awards. The two-time All-American was also the first player to win the Doak Walker Award twice. Williams won back to back NCAA rushing titles his junior and senior seasons and was one of only three University of Texas running backs to rush for over 1,000 yards three years in a row.  He was also named MVP of the 1999 Cotton & Hula Bowls.  Williams played in the NFL from 1999-2011 with the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins & Baltimore Ravens.