Drew Pearson shares about making some of the most celebrated plays in Dallas Cowboys history. Pearson takes us onto the field for his famous Hail Mary catch and his game-winning touchdown against Atlanta in the 1980 NFL Playoffs. He also walks us through his journey to making the Cowboys roster as an undrafted rookie.   The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is sponsored by the Fairfield Inn and Suites, Waco North. Hosted by author Jackson Michael (The Game Before the Money).

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast

Drew Pearson’s Greatest Moments

Jeff Bagwell shares stories about his illustrious baseball career. Former Houston Astros manager Larry Dierker and longtime Astros broadcaster Bill Brown provide more great stories about Bagwell.  The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by Townplace Suites, Waco Northeast, and is hosted by author Jackson Michael. 

Jeff Bagwell -- In the Dugout with Jeff Bagwell

Texas Sports Hall of Fame member Jody Conradt and All-American swimmer Vicki Brown-Sobecki shed light on the impact of Title IX in sports and the workforce. Title IX was signed into law on June 23, 1972, and has affected the lives of millions of women, both on and off the field.

A Brief History of Title IX in Texas

Baylor baseball legend Dutch Schroeder shares stories taken from a recently-found recording. The late coach talks about a 1930s Southwest Conference football game between Baylor and Texas as well as his memories of playing and coaching baseball at Baylor. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Fairfield Inn and Suites Waco North. Author Jackson Michael is the host and producer of the program.  

Lost Stories from Dutch Schroeder

Robert Hurst has painted portraits of Texas Sports Hall of Fame inductees for over two decades. The nationally recognized artist discusses his memories of Texas sports history, his friendships with the inductees, and his artwork in this episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast. You can learn more about Robert at https://adamnfineartist.com . The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast releases two episodes per month. The show is sponsored by the Townplace Suites Waco Northeast. Author Jackson Michael (The Game Before the Money, We Were the Oilers) hosts and produces the podcast.

Robert Hurst and the Art of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame

Jody Conradt coached the Texas Lady Longhorns to a national championship in 1986 and led the team to two other Final Fours. She won 900 games over her illustrious career. In this episode, she shares memories of the road to the national championship and talks about her days of playing high school basketball and her college days at Baylor. She also discusses how others provided her with opportunities and how she worked to grow the sport of women’s basketball and open doors for future generations.  You will hear the legendary coach describe the obstacles the 1985-86 Texas Lady Longhorns overcame to become the first women’s Division 1 NCAA team to complete an undefeated season and about her coaching career before she arrived at the University of Texas. She also recalls the early days of women’s college basketball and the creative ways coaches dealt with limited budgets in the days before Title IX and how coaches worked to help expand the sport into what it's become today. Coach Conradt was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. This episode is presented by the Hampton Inn Waco. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money.

Ep 19 Jody Conradt - Passing it Forward

Four SMU basketball legends talk about their coach, Doc Hayes, and the years that SMU dominated the Southwest Conference. Bobby Mills, Rich Herrscher, Max Williams, and Denny Holman share their NCAA tournament memories and stories about great games in SMU history under Coach Hayes, including SMU's Final Four appearance in 1956. Doc Hayes won more Southwest Conference championships than any other coach in history and is the winningest coach in SMU history. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1972. This episode is presented by the Fairfield Inn and Suites, Waco North location. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money. #NCAA #FinalFour #MarchMadness #SMU #CollegeBasketballHistory #TexasSports

Doc Hayes and the Glory Days of SMU Basketball

Hear legends of the Southwest Conference swap stories in this episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast. Southwest Conference greats such as Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware and Texas A&M football coach Jackie Sherrill were on hand the first annual Southwest Conferece Legends Golf Tournament and Reunion. The socially-distanced event was hosted by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame at the Clubs of Kingwood in Houston and featured an array of stars playing a round of golf with attendees and a lively reception afterward. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast was on site to record interviews with Ware and Coach Sherrill, along with Bubba Bean, Matt Wingo, Sean Gay, Alois Blackwell, Trevor Cobb, Edd Hargett, and several other of the many SWC athletes who attended the special gathering. This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Fairfield Inn and Suites Waco North. The podcast is hosted and presented by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money and Red, White, and Columbia Blue: Chasing the Dream with the 1979 Houston Oilers.

First Annual Southwest Conference Legends Golf Tournament and Reunion

Few players have dominated a sport like Maureen Connolly conquered tennis. The teenage phenom captured 9 Grand Slam titles in her three short years of competitive play before a horse riding accident prematurely ended her career.   She remains one of only five players to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year and won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open three times in a row. The United States Post Office honored her and issued the "Little Mo" postage stamp in 2019. Her life continues to impact young tennis players today through the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation.   Listen to her daughter Cindy Brinker Simmons share stories about her mother's amazing tennis career and life, both of which were gone far too soon. Former USTA Texas Section Executive Director Ken McAlister also details the importance of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation.   This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Hampton Inn Waco. All episodes are hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL.

"Little Mo" -- Maureen Connolly Brinker

R.C. Slocum is the winningest head coach in Texas A&M football history. He guided the Aggies to three straight Southwest Conference championships and one Big 12 title. He is the only head coach in Southwest Conference history to amass a winning percentage of over .800.  Hear Coach Slocum share stories of growing up in Orange, Texas and playing high school football against future Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson. He also shares the secrets to the famous Texas A&M "Wrecking Crew" defense and gives the behind-the-scenes details of the Aggies stunning comeback win in the 1998 Big 12 Championship Game. This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Townplace Suites -- Waco Northeast. The podcast is hosted by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money.

R.C. Slocum -- In the Locker Room with R.C. Slocum

Greg Swindell is a University of Texas pitching icon. He still holds school records over 30 years after creating history. The Cleveland Indians selected Swindell as the second-overall pick in baseball's amateur draft in June of 1986 and he was already pitching in the majors for good by that August. Swindell pitched for 17 seasons at the major league level. He was a member of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks World Series championship team. He made the American League All-Star team in 1989.  Greg Swindell shares stories of winning the state baseball championship in high school, playing for legendary Texas baseball coach Cliff Gustafson, and his pitching approaches against iconic hitters of the 80s and 90s. He also takes us behind the scenes of the dramatic 2001 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees in the aftermath of 9/11.  This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Fairfield Inn and Suites Waco North. The podcast is produced and hosted by Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money and writer/director of We Were the Oilers: The Luv Ya Blue Era!    

Greg Swindell -- In the Dugout with Greg Swindell

Author Michael Hurd joins the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast to discuss his book Thursday Night Lights: The Story of Black High School in Texas, a book that celebrates the rich history of Prairie View Interscholastic League (PVIL) football -- a league that produced many pro and college football stars including Dick "Night Train" Lane, Bubba Smith, and Ken Houston. The PVIL stood as the governing body for black schools in Texas throughout the decades of segregation. The league provided a home for the biggest high school event in America in its heyday, the annual Turkey Day Classic between Houston Yates and Houston Wheatley.     Hurd shares with us the exciting history of PVIL football programs from the hardscrabble days of the 1940s when Joe Washington started his high school’s program while still a high school student in Rosenberg, Texas, and through the glory years in the 1960s when Charlton Pollard coach Willie Ray Smith, Sr. and Hebert coach Clifford Ozen seemed to produce football star after football star through their rivalry in Beaumont, Texas. Joe Washington’s son -- Joe Washington Jr. – wound up being the fourth-overall pick in the 1976 NFL draft. Three sons of Willie Ray Smith, Sr. were all major recruits coming out of high school, most notably future NFL legend Bubba Smith.  Hurd also conveys the excitement of Kansas City Chiefs star Otis Taylor showing off his new Ford Thunderbird to Hurd and his schoolmates as well as the tremendous athletic ability and ultimately tragic story of Eldridge Dickey, a man who earned the nickname, “The Lord’s Prayer” for his prayers before games and his accomplishments at quarterback. This episode Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Hampton Inn Waco. The show is written and produced by host Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL.

Thursday Night Lights -- Celebrating PVIL Football with Author Michael Hurd

The Houston Comets soared to four straight WNBA titles from 1997-2000. Led by the “Big 3” of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson, the team captured the hearts of Houston sports fans and established a dynasty. Join two-time league MVP Cynthia Cooper, three-time WNBA Coach of the Year Van Chancellor, and Houston Chronicle writer William Stickney Jr. as they remember the Houston Comets’ euphoric title runs and the beginnings of the WNBA. Hear Cooper's inspiring championship stories and about Coach Chancellor’s winning offensive play that highlighted Cooper’s tremendous athletic ability and guided the team to four league championships. Cooper and Chancellor also share deeply about Kim Perrot, the Comets starting point guard who tragically lost her battle with cancer in the middle of her brilliant WNBA career. The WNBA fulfilled a dream for many athletes like Cooper who longed to play basketball professionally in front of their family and friends in the United States. Previously, American women needed to play in far away lands to play professional basketball after college. The legacy of the Houston Comets remains bright even after the team folded in 2008. Several current WNBA stars grew up in Houston and set their pro basketball dreams upon the Comets, inspired by the dynamic play of the Big 3, Kim Perrot, Janeth Arcain, and the other stars in the Comets galaxy. This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Townplace Suites, Waco Northeast. The podcast is hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built this NFL and writer/director of We Were the Oilers: The Luv Ya Blue Era!  

Celebrating the Houston Comets -- with Cynthia Cooper and Van Chancellor

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame celebrates Dallas Cowboys legend Bob Lilly this episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast. He tells us about growing up in Throckmorton, Texas, his college career at TCU, and the road to the Cowboys their first championship -- a victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 6.  You'll also hear Bob share about Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry, how the Cowboys found out that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, and a funny story about Bob's first Pro Bowl.  Hall of Famer Gil Brandt and former AP editor Denne Freeman also appear on the podcast. Brandt tells why the Cowboys made Lilly their first ever draft choice. Bob Lilly is known as "Mr. Cowboy" and was the Dallas Cowboys first ever draft choice. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1975. He is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a member of the NFL 100 All-Time team. Many call him the best defensive lineman ever. This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame is presented by the Fairfield Inn and Suites, Waco North Location. The podcast is hosted by Jackson Michael, author of "The Game before the Money."

Bob Lilly -- In The Locker Room with Bob Lilly

Larry Dierker shares fantastic stories from his major league baseball playing and managerial career in this episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast. He pitched his first major league game on his 18th birthday, and shares his pitching strategies against legendary stars such as Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and Joe Morgan. Larry played on the first Astros club to play in the Astrodome and brings us with him as he steps into the Astrodome for the first time. He recalls the thrill of pitching a no-hitter during the 1976 season and also grants us insights into his managerial approach to the game.   Larry Dierker is a Houston baseball legend, and owns several Astro pitching records. He pitched 13 seasons for the Astros, dating back to 1964 when the team was known as the Colt .45s. He worked as the Astros' color analyst on radio and television for many seasons. The team hired him as manager before the 1997 season. He piloted the club to four division titles in five seasons. He was elected into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. He won the NL Manager of the Year Award in 1998, and the Astros have retired his number. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is produced and hosted by Jackson Michael (The Game before the Money, We Were the Oilers) and is presented by the Hampton Inn Waco. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame is located in Waco, Texas.

Larry Dierker -- In the Dugout with Larry Dierker

Texas sports history, unforgettable games, insights into plays, and personal moments. Legends sharing legendary stories in their own words.

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The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast

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