Blair, Green & Krueger are Aggie Candidates for Texas Sports Hall of Fame

June 29, 2010

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair and Aggie football All-American and NFL All-Pro defensive lineman Jacob Green are both on the primary ballot of the 2010 Texas Sports Hall of Fame as comprised by the media members around the state and chaired by Dave Campbell, legendary sportswriter and founder of Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine. Aggie football All-American and outstanding NFL player Charlie Krueger is a nominee on the veteran's ballot.
           
Official voting members of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame will once again be able to assist the committee by voting. The deadline for the general public to sign up and be able to cast a vote is August 1. To join, go to the museum's website at www.tshof.org. The official announcement of the Class of 2010 will be made in September and the induction ceremonies will take place in Waco in early 2011.
           
Blair, a 1963 graduate of Bryan Adams High School in Dallas, attended Texas Tech and played baseball for the Red Raiders as well as earning undergraduate and master's degrees from Texas Tech. He was the architect of several state championships at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas before taking over the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack program and making it a national contender.  
           
On the collegiate level, Blair has been a two-time national finalist for Coach of the Year honors. He is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA women's basketball history and is one of only two coaches to lead three different teams (Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, Texas A&M) to the NCAA Sweet 16.
           
Blair has been named to the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Southland Conference Hall of Honor in 2009.
           
At Texas A&M, he took over a women's basketball program that was at the basement and has won both Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles as well as leading the Aggies to the NCAA Championships for five straight seasons including an Elite Eight appearance in 2008.
           
Green is currently an associate vice president for major giving with the 12th Man Foundation. After a high school All-America career at Houston's Kashmere High School, Green played defensive line for Texas A&M and earned All-America honors in 1978 and again his senior season of 1979. He still holds the school single-season sack record with 20 sacks his senior year and is second on the all-time list at Texas A&M. A member of the Texas A&M Hall of Fame, Green was a first-round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks and played 12 seasons in Seattle before finishing his career with the San Francisco 49ers. Green earned All-Pro honors and was selected to the All-Star Game on several occasions as a Seahawk and he ended his career as the all-time sack leader in the Seattle organization and is one of only nine individuals elected into the Seahawks' Ring of Honor.
           
Krueger, who played his high school football at Caldwell, earned All-America honors in 1956 and 1957 playing for the Texas Aggies and head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Krueger helped the Aggies post an undefeated record in 1956 with a 9-0-1 record and in 1957 he would help the Aggies achieve a #1 ranking into the month of November. Krueger was a first-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers and played 15 years for the 49ers earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors on several occasions. Krueger was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
           
Usually six nominees are selected from the primary ballot and two are selected from the veteran's ballot.

2010 PRIMARY BALLOT  NOMINEES
Gary Blair - Women's Basketball/Texas A&M (SFA, South Oak Cliff HS)
Trevor Brazile - Rodeo/Decatur, TX
C.O. Brocato - NFL Scout Houston Oilers & Tennessee Titans
Cecil Cooper - Baseball/Brenham native
Jacob Green - Football/Texas A&M
Louie Kelcher - Football/SMU
Justin Leonard - Golf/Dallas native
Donna Lopiano - Former women's athletic director/Texas
Bobby Moegle - High School Baseball/Lubbock Monterey
G.A. Moore Jr. - High School Football Coach/Pilot Point & Celina
Keith Moreland - Baseball/Texas
Eddy Peach - High School Football Coach/Arlington Lamar
Drew Pearson - Football/Dallas Cowboys
Richard Quick (deceased) - Swimming/SMU
John Randle - Football/Texas A&I
Lovie Smith - Football Coach/Chicago Bears
Stuart Smith - Mountain Climbing
Jim Sundberg - Baseball/Texas Rangers
Emmitt Thomas - Football/Angleton native
Laura Wilkinson - Diving/Houston native

2010 VETERAN BALLOT NOMINEES
Marty Akins - Football/Texas
Lucious "Luke" Jackson - Basketball/Pan American College
Charley Johnson - Football/Big Spring native
Charlie Krueger - Football/Texas A&M
Ollie Matson - Football/Trinity native
Dave Marr (deceased) - Golf/Houston
Clint Murchison (deceased) - Administration/Dallas Cowboys
Red Murff (deceased) - Baseball
Dave Parks - Football/Texas Tech
Tobin Rote (deceased) - Football/San Antonio native
Don Trull - Football/Baylor
Willie Wells (deceased) - Baseball, Negro Leagues/Austin native