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Credit to Rachel Perreault | Director, Athletics Communications – 12thman.com
WACO, Texas – Former Texas A&M Athletics Director and Head Football Coach Jackie Sherrill has been named to the 2024 Texas Sports Hall of Fame ballot by the TSHOF Selection Committee.
Sherrill led the Aggies to their first Cotton Bowl appearance in nearly 20 years by winning the Southwest Conference Championship in 1985. In the New Year’s Day classic, the Aggies shut down Auburn’s Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson on their way to a 36-16 win over the Tigers. Sherrill added another pair of SWC titles and Cotton Bowl berths over the next two years, falling to Ohio State in 1987 and beating Notre Dame and its Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, 35-10, in 1988. He led the Aggies to final Associated Press Top 25 rankings of No. 6, No. 12 and No. 9 over that three-year span.
Sherrill’s most lasting impact on Texas A&M may have been the formation of the famed 12th Man Kickoff Team, which was built off the legend of the original 12th Man, E. King Gill, who famously came out of the stands at the 1922 Dixie Classic and “stood ready” to enter the game. Sherrill ran an advertisement in the school newspaper reading: “Persons interested in trying out for the Twelfth Man Kickoff Team need to report to the Kyle Field Dressing Room on Monday, Feb. 21, at 5 p.m. No prior experience is required.”
Sherrill’s 12th Man Kickoff Team used non-scholarship students to create a towel-waving kickoff coverage unit that many pundits expected to fail, but the group was an unqualified success after allowing just 12.5 yards per return during its first five seasons. “I knew that I could find, out of 40-some-odd thousand students, 11 guys that would cover kickoffs, but have no regard for their body and be tough as nails,” Sherrill said. “I just knew it would work.”
In seven seasons at the helm of the Aggies, Sherrill compiled a 52-28-1 overall record, including a 36-17-1 SWC mark. Beginning in 1984, Sherrill led the Aggies to an unprecedented streak of five straight wins over the archrival Texas Longhorns. Sherrill’s teams generated four All-Americans in Ray Childress (1983 and 1984), Johnny Holland (1985-86), John Roper (1987) and Darren Lewis (1988).
Official voting will begin on July 17th and end on August 17th. The voting ballot will be emailed to TSHOF members, board members, the selection committee and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to Simply Voting. Individuals can cast a vote this year by clicking here and becoming a TSHOF member. Membership packages start at $25.
The 2024 Texas Sports Induction Banquet is set to take place in Waco, Texas, on April 13, 2024. The Official 2024 class announcement and ticket sales will be released in the fall of 2023.
2024 TSHOF Ballot
Randy Allen- Football
Jose Altuve- Baseball
Tim Buchanan- Football
Jay Buhner- Baseball
Jamaal Charles-Football
Phil Danaher-Football
Todd Dodge- Football
Kirk Dressendorfer- Baseball
Cito Gaston-Baseball
Chris Gilbert-Football
Juan Gonzalez- Baseball
Brittney Griner- Basketball
Roy Hofheinz (Deceased)- Administration
Barbara Jacket (Deceased)- Track & Field
Charmayne James- Rodeo
Jon Kay- Football
Wes Kittley- Track & Field
Mike Leach (Deceased)- Football
Colt McCoy- Football
Hal Mumme- Football
Fred Newhouse- Track & Field
Billy Nicks (Deceased)- Football
Carla Overbeck- Soccer
Arthur Rhodes- Baseball
Richard Ritchie-(Deceased)- Football
Jackie Sherrill-Football
Leon “Red” Spencer- Basketball
Matthew Stafford- Football
Ira Terrell- Basketball
Bubba Thornton- Track & Field
Wilson Whitley (Deceased)- Football
Christa Williams- Softball