Five Inducted into Hall of Fame/Two Inducted into Hall of Honor at 25th Annual Burgess Banquet

COLLEGE STATION, Texas– It is always a special event when people are honored with an induction into any Hall of Fame. Friday night, the 25^th edition of the Burgess Banquet, took on special significance as five athletes and coaches were so honored, along with two inductees into the Hall of Honor at The Zone Club at Kyle Field as the Texas A&M Lettermen's Association Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor ceremonies took place.
 
Athletics Director Wally Groff and Larry Bossier were inducted into the Texas A&M Lettermen's Association Hall of Honor. Jim Blaine, Lisa Branch, David Kent, Terry Taylor and Judy Trussell Whillock were inducted into the Texas A&M Lettermen's Association Athletic Hall of Fame.
 
A special surprise honoree, current Athletics Director Wally Groff was inducted into the Hall of Honor. A self-professed "frustrated architect", Groff has been a fixture in A&M athletics for close to 40 years. He earned his bachelor's degree in business from Texas A&M in 1964 and was a member of the Corps of Cadets. He completed work on his master's degree in 1965 and in December of 1966, Groff joined the Aggie Athletic Department as its business manager. In 1975, he was promoted to assistant athletic director for business affairs. In 1979, he received another promotion to associate athletics director for finance. In 1981 and 1982, he served as interim athletics director. He continued to oversee the business side of the athletic department and in May of 1993, he was called upon again to serve as interim athletics director. On August 31, 1993, Groff was named Texas A&M's Athletics Director.
 
During his tenure the past 10 years, the athletic department has seen unparalleled growth in terms of facilities, budget, championships and compliance with Title IX issues. All the while maintaining compliance with the rules and regulations set forth by the conference and NCAA, and demanding integrity and honesty while upholding the outstanding reputation of Texas A&M University.
 
Under his guidance and direction, Texas A&M served host to numerous conference championships and played host to two NCAA Championships. Due to the success of the championships, Texas A&M is being considered for future NCAA Championship events.
 
The other Hall of Honor inductee was long-time Bryan/College Station resident Larry Bossier. Bossier has served as part of the Aggie Wheels Program for the past 19 years. He is the co-owner of the Bossier Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Daewoo Dealership and Bossier/Atkinson Toyota Dealership in Bryan/College Station. His dealerships have provided five cars each year to the Wheels Team. His affiliation with Texas A&M dates back to 1967 when he provided then-head football coach Gene Stallings with a vehicle. A loyal supporter who attends all road games as well, Mr. Bossier has always stepped forward when the athletic program has needed assistance.
 

Jim Blaine was a member of the Aggie cross country and track and field teams from 1951-54. Blaine served as a team captain for the cross country squad and was the Southwest Conference Cross Country Champion for three consecutive years in 1951-52-53. In track and field, Blaine placed second in the 1951 SWC mile and fourth in the half-mile event. In 1953, Blaine won the SWC crown in the two-mile and then posted a SWC victory in the mile competition in 1954. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in animal husbandry in 1954 and served in the United States Army. He worked for the Texas Veteran's Land Board and the Texas Highway Department, and served as a Senior Fieldman for John Hancock Life Insurance Company.
 
Lisa Branch, the current assistant women's basketball coach, was the first female Aggie basketball player to earn first-team All-American honors. As a freshman in 1993, she was named the league's Newcomer of the Year and in 1994 she was Co-Player of the Year and led the Aggie squad to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. In 1995, she led the Aggies to the NWIT Championship and Branch was the tournament's MVP. As a senior in 1996, Branch led the team to the post-season for the third straight year as the Aggies advanced to the NCAA Championships. She was a three-time All-SWC selection and still holds the school record in seven categories and ended her career as the Southwest Conference all-time leader in assists and free throws made. She graduated in 1997 with a degree in kinesiology and played one season in the ABL. She served as a high school coach in Hearne and Brenham before being hired this past summer by Peggie Gillom at Texas A&M.
 
David Kent served as the head coach of the men's tennis team from 1979 through 1996. He ended his career as the winningest tennis coach in school history winning 316 matches and he posted more than 500 career wins, one of only nine coaches in collegiate tennis to reach that mark. He coached 21 SWC individual champions, 18 NCAA qualifiers, three All-Americans, two NCAA Tournament squads and his 1984 unit won the SWC Team Championship. He was named the SWC Coach of the Year in 1984 as well. Before coming to Texas A&M, Kent served as the tennis coach at West Texas State. Kent is already a member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame, the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame and the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame.
 
Terry Taylor was a key member of some of the most powerful Aggie baseball teams in school history. He came to Aggieland and started as a second baseman as a freshman in 1987. He hit over .300 in each of his three years and ended with a career batting average of .314 with 40 homeruns and 203 RBI. He signed a professional baseball contract with the California Angels after being selected in the fifth round of the 1989 major league baseball draft. He came back to school and finished his degree in agricultural economics in 1993. As part of the "Triplets", Taylor packed a punch with fellow classmates and Hall of Famer's Chuck Knoblauch and John Byington. The record-setting 1989 season saw Taylor bat second, Knoblauch third and Byington fourth in the Aggie lineup that never wavered. In 1989, the Aggies set a school record by winning 26 straight games and ended the season with a record 58-7 mark. The team won the SWC regular- season and post-season crowns and hosted the very first Aggie baseball regional at Olsen Field. During his three-year career, the Aggies posted a record of 154-44-1, the most wins in any three-year period of time in the school's history. He earned first-team All-America honors in 1989 and was a three-time member of the SWC All-Conference team.