Childress Inducted Into Texas Sports Hall of Fame
Mar 12, 2008 | Football
March 12, 2008
Former Texas A&M All-American defensive end Ray Childress was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday at the annual banquet at the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus.
Childress, who is also on the 2008 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, was part of a star-studded Hall class that included Michael Irvin, Mia Hamm, Mike Modano, Spike Dykes, Jim Ray Smith, Leta Andrews and Abner Haynes
"This is very humbling, and it's quite an honor," Childress told the Houston Chronicle?™s John McClain. "When you grow up in Texas, well, having a night like this is a great privilege."
An all-state lineman at Richardson Pearce High School near Dallas, Childress forced his way into the Aggies?™ starting lineup as a freshman. Childress earned All-America honors in 1983 and 1984 and finished his career with 360 tackles, which remains a school record for defensive linemen. His 25 career quarterback sacks rank No. 5 in school history and his 15 sacks in 1983 are tied for second-most by an Aggie in a single season.
?I?™ve often been asked what makes the difference between the good players and the great players,? former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum told Brice Cherry of the Waco Tribune Herald. ?It?™s that the great players are never satisfied. Ray is a great example. He was never happy with himself, always thinking that he should be better and could be better. He was the nicest guy off the field, but at practice, it was like he was upset at the world. He only had one speed ?- wide open.?
Slocum, who was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, was the Aggies?™ chief recruiter of Childress out of Pearce High School and was A&M?™s defensive coordinator during Childress?™ time in College Station. Slocum credits Childress with starting Texas A&M?™s defensive identity of the ?Wrecking Crew.?
?It wasn?™t until Ray arrived that all the talk of the ?'Wrecking Crew?™ came about,? Slocum told the Waco Tribune Herald. ?I give him a lot of credit for setting the tone for the Wrecking Crew.?
Childress went on to become a first-round draft pick of the Houston Oilers and played 12 seasons in the NFL. Childress finished his pro career with 76.5 quarterback sacks and went to five Pro Bowls.
? He had the physical skills, no doubt,? former Houston Oiler head coach and A&M Athletic Hall of Famer Jack Pardee told the Tribune Herald. ?But with a guy like that, because he played hard on every down, he was always making a difference. In a 60-play game, he?™s going to force an interception or a bad throw, or get a fumble, something that equates to a turnover. He was consistently around the action.?
Childress was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, just six seasons after his playing days with the Aggies.
For more on Ray Childress, go to:
Ex-Oiler, A&M great Childress brings competitiveness to life after football (By Brice Cherry, Waco Tribune Herald)
http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2008/03/09/03092008wacchildress.html
Childress inducted into Texas Hall (By John McClain, Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5611877.html
