FootballApril 20, 2005

Stallings Inducted into SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame

April 20, 2005Eight individuals who helped shape the tradition of the SBC Cotton Bowl Classic and college football history will be inducted into the SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame on Wednesday, April 20

April 20, 2005

Eight individuals who helped shape the tradition of the SBC Cotton Bowl Classic and college football history will be inducted into the SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame on Wednesday, April 20.

SBC Communications, Inc., and the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association have announced the Hall of Fame "Class of 2005." The honorees include UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman, Arkansas halfback Lance Alworth, former CBAA executive director Jim "Hoss" Brock, Texas offensive guard Mike Dean, Tennessee fullback Andy Kozar, Tennessee tailback Hank Lauricella, Penn State running back Lydell Mitchell, and former Texas A&M head coach Gene Stallings.

The 2005 SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on Wednesday, April 20, at Cotton Bowl Plaza in Fair Park. The ceremony begins at 11:00 a.m., and is free and open to the public.

"The SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame honors the many extraordinary individuals who have played a role in developing the tradition, pageantry and prestige of one of college football's most historic post-season bowl games," said Gayle M. Earls, Chairman, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. "We believe that the SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame provides future generations with a greater appreciation for the rich tradition of college football on New Year's Day here in Texas."

A 35-member judging committee comprised of media representatives and athletic administrators voted from a list of 52 original nominees that included players, coaches, bowl administrators and others who have made special contributions to the Classic.

Selection criteria for the SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame include the following:

Voting is based solely upon an individual's performance in, or contribution to, the Classic rather than on the person's college or professional career.
An individual is eligible five years after their final Classic appearance.

"The SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame provides the perfect opportunity to properly and permanently recognize these heroes and unique personalities who helped establish the Classic as one of college football's premier events," said Bill Blase, President and CEO of SBC Southwest. "Over the past few years, the SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame has become home to a virtual who's who of college football legends."

The Class of 2005 is the sixth to be inducted into the SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. The inaugural Class in 1998 included Syracuse halfback Jim Brown, Texas quarterback Bobby Layne, Rice halfback Dicky Maegle, Texas coach Darrell Royal, Cotton Bowl Founder J. Curtis Sanford, "Mr. Cotton Bowl" Field Scovell, and SMU halfback Doak Walker.

The Class of 1999 featured TCU quarterback Sammy Baugh, Arkansas coach Frank Broyles, Kilgore Rangerettes founder Gussie Nell Davis, Houston linebacker David Hodge, Cotton Bowl Team Selection Chairman Felix McKnight, and Texas quarterback James Street.

The Class of 2000 honored Alabama and Kentucky coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, Texas quarterback Duke Carlisle, Texas A&M linebacker Johnny Holland, Texas A&M fullback John Kimbrough, the longtime Voice of the Cotton Bowl Lindsey Nelson, Navy quarterback Roger Staubach, and TCU halfback Jim Swink.

The Class of 2001 recognized Texas defensive tackle Scott Appleton, Syracuse halfback Ernie Davis, Miami defensive tackle Russell Maryland, Rice and Clemson head coach Jess Neely, Arkansas defensive tackle Loyd Phillips, Texas split end Cotton Speyrer, and Houston head coach Bill Yeoman.

The Class of 2003 was comprised of former CBAA Chairman Robert B. Cullum, Mississippi quarterback Eagle Day, Georgia tailback Kent Lawrence, LSU head coach Charles McClendon, SMU halfback Kyle Rote, Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theismann, and Texas fullback Steve Worster.

The SBC Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame is one of several events developed by SBC Communications and the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association to extend the Classic to the community and to future generations. Among these activities is the SBC Cotton Bowl Art Contest involving more than 5,000 elementary children throughout Dallas and Richardson during the fall, as well as the SBC Cotton Bowl Parade of Bands and team pep rallies in Fair Park on December 31.

Since its first game in 1937, the Classic has hosted:

18 Pro Football Hall of Famers
13 Outland Trophy winners
12 Lombardi Award winners
11 Heisman Trophy winners
9 Maxwell Award winners
7 Walter Camp Award winners

In September 1996, SBC Communications became title sponsor of the SBC Cotton Bowl Classic, an agreement that will run through the year 2010. The Cotton Bowl Athletic Association supports higher education through athletic competition. Three quarters of every dollar generated by the SBC Cotton Bowl Classic has been returned to higher education. Since 1937, the Classic has contributed nearly $145 million to participating institutions. Each year, football fans attending the SBC Cotton Bowl generate more than $30 million in direct spending for the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

SBC COTTON BOWL HALL OF FAME - THE CLASS OF 2005

COACH GENE STALLINGS, TEXAS A&M

In 1968, Coach Gene Stallings had Aggie fans sitting on the edge of their seats. No one could believe what was happening. Unranked Texas A&M was outplaying No. 8 Alabama. Stallings utilized the element of surprise to keep his former coach, the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant, completely off balance. Stallings told his quarterback to air out the stadium, and by halftime the Aggies were up 13-10. A&M scored again in the third quarter to take a 20-10 advantage, but everyone knew that Bama would come storming back. The Crimson Tide scored once more to narrow the gap to 20-16, but they couldn't beat Stallings' Aggies. This time around it was the pupil who outfoxed his mentor.

8 TROY AIKMAN, UCLA

Arkansas found UCLA's Troy Aikman almost impossible to stop. The Bruin quarterback engineered two commanding back-to-back scoring drives of 93 and 74 yards in the second quarter. The first one consumed 19 plays for a Cotton Bowl record. Aikman was so proficient that at one point in the game he was 13-of-14 on third down. With Aikman at the helm, the UCLA offense was operating to perfection. The Bruins controlled the clock for almost 43 minutes and completely wore down the Razorback defense. As he delivered the knockout punch to the Hogs, the future overall No. 1 pick in the NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys guided UCLA to an NCAA milestone as the first team ever to win seven consecutive bowl games.

23 LANCE ALWORTH, ARKANSAS

Lance Alworth literally ran circles around Duke defenders...running, receiving, punting and returning kicks. He made the impossible look easy. In the third quarter, Arkansas was forced to punt and Alworth had to leap to control a high snap from center. Alworth eluded a swarming group of tacklers, and while running at top speed he dropped the ball and kicked it. The football angled toward the corner and went out of bounds at the two. The Blue Devils couldn't move and Alworth again stepped up for Arkansas. He fielded the ensuing punt near mid-field and uncorked an electrifying 49-yard touchdown run. The missed PAT attempt proved to be the Hogs' downfall. Duke rallied to win the game, 7-6. However, Alworth's phenomenal heroics became legend in Cotton Bowl lore.

JIM "HOSS" BROCK, COTTON BOWL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

Jim Brock ruled the roost of college football for 14 years as Executive Director of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. The bowl industry's premier public relations man, Brock was literally on a first-name basis with the rest of the world. No such thing as a stranger. Everyone he met he called "Hoss." In time, the moniker became his own. Armed with his ever present cigar, Hoss Brock was the master of working his way through press boxes around the country with his celebrated Cotton Bowl charm, always promoting the merits of college football in Dallas, Texas on New Year's Day. Texas hospitality was his chief commodity and nobody did a better job of selling it than Jim "Hoss" Brock.

66 MIKE DEAN, TEXAS

Mike Dean was never one to back down from a challenge. Even if the assignment was to block a player who was almost twice his size and destined to become the second overall pick in the NFL draft. In three consecutive Cotton Bowl Classics, Dean was the right offensive guard in Texas' celebrated Wishbone attack. In the 1970 Classic, his assignment was to block Notre Dame's standout defensive tackle Mike McCoy. Dean was listed on the Texas depth chart at 6-0, 205, while his opponent stood 6-5, 274. But, the contrast in size only added to the story. Dean took charge immediately, dominating the Irish All-American from the opening kickoff to the final gun. He was living proof that there is truth in the axiom..."the bigger they come, the harder they fall."

86 ANDY KOZAR, TENNESSEE

General Robert Neyland knew he had found something special for his powerful single-wing attack when he moved Andy Kozar from the offensive line to fullback early in the 1950 season. Kozar gave Tennessee a back with great size and balance to go with a fluid open-field running style. On a soft, rain-soaked field against third-ranked Texas in the 1951 Classic, the Tennessee sophomore proved to be the Vols' workhorse, carrying 20 times for 92 yards. His constant pounding inside finally forced the Texas defense to crack late in the fourth quarter. Kozar scored twice on short bursts of one and five yards. His game-winner came with just 3:11 to play and capped a relentless Tennessee rally that turned a 14-7 deficit into a thrilling 20-14 victory.

27 HANK LAURICELLA, TENNESSEE

Hank Lauricella, Tennessee's great single-wing tailback, found a way to place his name among the legends of the Cotton Bowl without scoring a touchdown in the 1951 Classic. In a game that matched two top-five teams, Lauricella set up the Classic's first score with an electrifying 75-yard gallop to the Texas five-yard line. What made the play so special was that Lauricella reversed his field three times and slowed only to allow his blockers to catch up. He weaved his way through Longhorn defenders while en route to the longest run in the game's 15-year history. Lauricella's first-quarter dash proved to be an omen of good things to come for Tennessee. The Vols rallied to beat Texas 20-14 in what many consider to be one of Tennessee's greatest bowl victories.

23 LYDELL MITCHELL, PENN STATE

With Lydell Mitchell supplying the firepower, Penn State turned a first half defensive battle into a runaway victory over Texas. Seldom had a Longhorn team been subjected to such a thorough beating, but Mitchell and his Nittany Lion teammates were more than happy to deliver. Mitchell was unstoppable running the football. The All-America halfback capped a brilliant career by pounding Texas defenders for 146 yards on 27 carries. At halftime, Penn State trailed the Horns 6-3, mustering only a field goal. However, minutes into the second half, Mitchell notched the game's first touchdown on a one-yard run to ignite the Lions' awesome scoring explosion. Texas had no answer for Mitchell and the end result was a resounding 30-6 victory for Penn State.