University of Houston Athletics
Six New Cougar Greats Set To Join Hall
4/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | General
April 23, 2002
The University of Houston, in conjunction with the Houston Athletics Foundation, Inc., is proud to announced today the induction of six former Cougar greats into the prestigious UH Athletics Hall of Honor this fall. Danny Davis (football), Dwight Jones (basketball), Carol Lewis (track and field), Bruce Lietzke (golf), Jim Nantz (golf & media) and Tom Tellez (track and field) comprise the Class of 2002.
Tom Kirkendall, Chair of the Hall of Honor Committee, is pleased with this year?s induction class.
?With this 2002 class of inductees for the University of Houston Hall of Honor,? commented Kirkendall, ?we are again reminded of the remarkable achievements of University of Houston athletes and coaches, as well as their meaningful contributions to our community and country. The Houston Athletics Foundation and the University of Houston are privileged to honor this outstanding 2002 class of inductees to the University of Houston Hall of Honor.?
UH Director of Athletics Dave Maggard echoes Kirkendall?s comments.
?Those inducted into the UH?s Hall of Honor are those who have excelled not only on one occasion but also over a period of time and in very important ways,? added Maggard. ?They are not only known to the Houston community but have achieved a level of greatness nationally and internationally. They have contributed to the rich sports legacy of this university and have carved their names and accomplishments in the great history book of Cougar sports. ?We are proud of these individuals for not only their achievements in athletic performance, but their wonderful examples of sportsmanship and values in a world where these qualities often times are unnoticed.?
Considered by many Cougar football fans as one of the all-time greats, Davis legitimized the Cougars membership in the Southwest Conference, and is the only quarterback in the history of the University of Houston to guide his team to two Cotton Bowls. As a sophomore in 1976, Davis led the Cougars to a 10-2 record and a Southwest Conference championship in UH?s first year in the league. Then, on January 1, 1977, Davis guided Houston to an impressive 30-21 win over Maryland in the Cougars? first-ever visit to the Cotton Bowl, finishing fourth in the nation after the win.
Two years later Davis did it again, taking the Cougars to another SWC championship and a 9-3 overall record. On New Year?s Day at the Cotton Bowl, Davis and his teammates lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame, 35-34, but still finished ninth nationally. Davis finished his career with a 20-5 record as a starting quarterback.
Jones is another in a long line of Cougar Olympians, and he made his trip to the world?s stage as a UH sophomore in 1972. At the Munich Olympics as the United States? starting center, Jones led the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game while ranking second in rebounding with 5.7 a contest. Jones lettered two seasons as a Cougar and finished his career with 951 points and 739 rebounds?averages of 17.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.
As a senior in 1972-73, Jones was named to the NABC District IX First Team, as well as receiving USBWA District VI accolades while posting 18.7 points and a team-leading 14.1 rebounds per game. Jones continued his basketball career in the NBA, when he was the ninth player taken overall in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Jones had a distinguished 10-year professional career, which included stops in Atlanta (1973-76), Houston (1976-79), Chicago (1980-82) and Los Angeles (1982-83). His last year was with the 1983 Laker squad that advanced to the NBA Finals.
Following in the footsteps of her brother, Carl (a 1998 inductee) into the UH Athletics Hall of Honor, Lewis forged her own career as one of the top Cougar female athletes of all time. Competing for the legendary Tom Tellez, Lewis was a two-time NCAA champion, winning the long jump titles both indoors and outdoors during the 1983 season. Winner of six Southwest Conference Indoor and four SWC Outdoor titles, Lewis qualified for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics where she finished ninth in the long jump.
Lewis? mark on the UH record books are evident today, where she still sets the standard in the long jump with 23-1 1/4 outdoors and 22-3 indoors. She ranks in the top five in the 55-meter hurdles and high jump indoors, as well as the 100-meter hurdles, high jump and both the sprint and mile relays outdoors. After her track and field career was complete, Lewis made a run at the Winter Olympics as a member of the U.S. Bobsled Team. She currently is a track and field commentator for NBC Sports.
?I am honored to be one of the inductees into the 2002 University of Houston Hall of Honor,? said Lewis. ?In many ways this honor will pull together my family life and my career. This honor will once again reunite me with my brother, Carl, who was a 1998 inductee.
?It also will reunite me with Coach (Tom) Tellez who played such a huge part in my development as an athlete. I am honored to call myself a Cougar and to be a part of such an illustrious group.?
As for Lietzke, he made his mark at UH as one of the top golfers for legendary UH golf coach Dave Williams. Lietzke starred for the Cougars for four seasons from 1970-73, grabbing Third Team All-America honors as a senior in 1973. He captured the individual title at the Inwood Forest Invitational that season and later helped the Cougars to a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Lietzke turned professional in 1974 and posted 13 PGA Tour Victories in a 17-year span. His best season was in 1981, when he captured the Bob Hope Desert Classic, Wickes/Andy Williams San Diego Open and the Byron Nelson Golf Classic. Last season Lietzke became eligible for the Senior Tour and made an immediate impact on the circuit. In less than one year Lietzke has captured the titles at the 3M Championships, SAS Championships and the 2002 Audi Senior Classic. Last year he led the Senior Tour in most money won per start with an $111,957 average.
Nantz has made his mark after leaving UH, but his veins pump Cougar Red. Originally arriving at UH as a heralded high school golfer, Nantz lettered one season for Coach Williams in 1978, but quickly found his calling in life as a radio/television broadcaster. After receiving his degree from UH in 1981, Nantz held a variety of broadcasting jobs in Houston, which included sportscaster positions at KHOU-TV and KTRH Radio.
After a brief stop at KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, Nantz joined CBS Sports in 1985 as the host of the college football studio show. Nantz had a meteoric rise within CBS Sports and now is the network?s number-one sports announcer. He has served as the play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports? college basketball coverage for 12 consecutive seasons and has called play-by-play on more network broadcasts of Final Four and championship games than any other announcer in the history of the Tournament.
A winner of the 1998 National Sportscaster of the Year Award, Nantz currently serves as the anchor of The NFL Today show as well as the Masters, and his r?sum? includes a litany of major sporting events including the 1998 Olympic Winter Games, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, NCAA Track and Field and the PGA Championships. Seven years ago Nantz teamed with former UH roommates Fred Couples and Blaine McCallister as hosts of the ?Three Amigos? Golf Tournament, which has endowed a Cougar golf scholarship as part of its charitable contributions.
?The University of Houston has done so much more for me than I could ever do for my school,? commented Nantz. ?This is just another example of how the U of H family has made me feel special and given me the confidence and support one needs to succeed in life. I am most grateful for this recognition.?
Finally, Tellez single-handedly put Cougar Track and Field on the map. Serving for 22 years as the UH track mentor, Tellez coached some of the greatest athletes in the history of the University of Houston, including Carl and Carol Lewis, Joe DeLoach, Kirk Baptiste, Frank Rutherford, current UH track head coach and 2000 inductee, Leroy Burrell, and three-time NCAA heptathlete, Jolanda Jones.
Tellez led the Cougars to back-to-back Southwest Conference indoor championships in 1977 and 1978, later adding Conference USA consecutive titles in 1997 and 1998. Tellez began his coaching career at his alma mater, Whittier College, and in 1961 he became the head coach at Fullerton Junior College. In 1968 he took over the program at UCLA, where he coached such legendary track and field stars as Dwight Stones, Mike Tulley, Willie Banks and James Butts.
A member of the U.S. Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Tellez arrived at Houston in 1976. He later was named the head coach for the 1991 U.S. national team that competed in the World Championships in Tokyo and was the head coach of the 1987 Pan American team.
The 2002 Induction Ceremony will be held on Friday, November 8, 2002, as a prelude to the UH-East Carolina Homecoming game on Saturday, November 9.
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