The Texas Sports Hall of Fame is located in Waco. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame originally opened under the guidance of American Football League and Kansas City Chiefs founder, Lamar Hunt.
2022 Texas Sports Hall of Fame Class
The Texas Sports Hall of Fame inducted a star-studded class of tremendous athletes on March 12, 2022. The new class included two football stars: former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and former Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys star Mike Renfro.
Olympic heroes Bob Beamon, Carly Patterson, and Stacy Skyora were also inducted, along with basketball greats Chris Bosh, Tony Parker, and Suzie Snider Eppers, the first-ever scholarship athlete for Baylor women’s basketball.
Brad Sham, the voice of the Dallas Cowboys, served as emcee during the induction ceremony.
Robert Griffin III Enters Texas Sports Hall of Fame
Robert Griffin III played high school football at Copperas Cove High School in Texas, near Fort Hood. Griffin’s father was in the military and served in Iraq.
While in high school, Griffin not only excelled in football, he also won the state championship in the 300m hurdles. He mentioned that was coincidentally one year after Mike Renfro’s son won the state championship in the 300m hurdles.
He also spoke about why he chose to go to Baylor. Be sure to follow the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast to hear excerpts from the press conference for more on that story in a future episode.
RG3 won the Heisman Trophy in 2011. He was the first Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor. Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel won the 2012 Heisman which marked two straight Heisman winners from both the state of Texas and the Big 12 Conference. Robert Griffin III was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft as the second-overall selection by the Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Commanders).
Mike Renfro Enters Texas Sports Hall of Fame
Mike Renfro played his entire football career – from high school to the pros – in Texas. He went to Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas. His high school teammate was another inductee of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Tony Franklin. Arlington Heights played in the Texas state football playoffs against Tyler and Renfro’s future NFL teammate, Earl Campbell.
Renfro played college football at TCU. He graduated as the leading receiver in Southwest Conference history. The Houston Oilers drafted him in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL Draft after selecting Earl Campbell with the first-overall pick in the draft. Campbell was on hand to support Renfro at his induction.
Renfro produced a sparkling NFL career. He scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown for the Oilers in the 1979 AFC Divisional Playoff at San Diego. The Oilers played at Pittsburgh the next week for the 1979 AFC Championship Game. Official declared Renfro hadn’t scored on a highly controversial play at the end of the third quarter. Many say that brought instant replay to the NFL rule book much sooner than it would have been adopted otherwise.
Renfro later played for the Dallas Cowboys. That brought things around full circle for Mike Renfro, who served as a water boy for the Cowboys as a youngster. His father, Ray Renfro, worked as an assistant coach for Tom Landry and also played for the Cleveland Browns during the 1950s. Mike Renfro also mentioned that his uncle Dean Renfro also played pro football and played on the Colts with Johnny Unitas.
2023 Texas Sports Hall of Fame Induction Scheduled
The 2023 Texas Sports Hall of Fame inductions are scheduled for April 15, 2023. Be sure to keep up with the Texas Sports Hall of Fame for ticket information for that and other upcoming events.
