Kittley tops Hall of Fame class
ACU announces 10 new members of ACU Sports Hall of Fame
ABILENE -- Wes Kittley, the winningest coach in the history of ACU athletics, leads a group of five former athletes and coaches who will be inducted into the Abilene Christian University Sports Hall of Fame in February.
Others set for induction are former head football coach DeWitt Jones, former assistant football coach K.Y. Owens, former all-America offensive lineman Greg Feasel and former women's track and field standout Dr. Camille Coates-Clark.
The February class, however, isn't the only 2005 induction class as the school will also induct five others into the Hall of Fame as on May 28, 2005, as "Centennial Inductees." Those five will join the hall on the day that ACU celebrates its athletics history with a luncheon at the Teague Special Events Center. That luncheon will coincide with the final day of competition at the NCAA Division II outdoor track and field championships, which will be hosted by ACU at Elmer Gray Stadium.
The five "Centennial Inductees" are world-record-holder Ove Johannson, former national track and field standouts Sylvia Dyer-Barnier and Don Conder, former football linebacker Tom Teague and former golfer Jon Bradley.
The February group of five will be officially inducted into the hall during the 19th annual Hall of Fame festivities, Feb. 19, 2005, at 11:30 a.m. in the Hilton Room of the McGlothlin Campus Center. With the addition of the 10 members of the Class of 2004-05, the ACU Sports Hall of Fame now includes 112 men and women.
Kittley led the Wildcat men's and women's track and field teams to 29 NCAA Division II national track and field championships during his tenure. Before becoming the head track and field coach at Texas Tech in July 1999, Kittley had coached more than 100 athletes who either earned all-America status or won individual national championships. At the time of his resignation, Kittley had won more NCAA Division II national championships than any coach in history.
Jones took over from former head coach Wally Bullington prior to the 1977 season and the Wildcat football program didn't miss a beat as Jones led ACU to its second NAIA Division I national championship in five seasons. Jones, who started on the 1963 ACU team that finished 8-1, directed the Wildcats to a 7-3 campaign in 1978 before retiring from coaching to enter private business in Abilene.
Owens is the only man in Abilene to be part of a pair of local athletic halls of fame. Owens, inducted into the Hardin-Simmons University Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, was an assistant football coach at ACU from 1967-75, and helped the Wildcats compile an overall record of 55-36-2 in those nine years. A 1956 HSU graduate, Owens was the defensive coordinator for the Wildcats, and was also an assistant professor in the ACU Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
Coates-Clark put together one of the greatest careers in the history of ACU women's track and field field during one of the program's most dominant eras. She helped the Wildcats win Lone Star Conference titles from 1985-87 and NCAA Division II outdoor titles in 1985 and 1986. She was injured before ACU won the 1987 outdoor team title. In her three seasons as a Wildcat, she won 15 of 20 100-meter finals races in her career, including setting a still-standing ACU school record of 11.25 at the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz., in 1987.
Feasel was one of the most dominant offensive lineman in ACU football history. He was a unanimous first team all-Lone Star Conference selection in 1979, the same season he was NAIA all-District IV and honorable mention Associated Press college division all-America. Following his senior season, he was selected to play in the annual Blue-Gray all-star game. Greg joins his brother, Grant Feasel (1994-95 inductee), as the first set of brothers to be inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame.
Johannson still owns the world record for the longest field goal kicked in a game, and at 69 yards, it's a record that's not likely to be broken anytime soon. Johannson kicked just one season (1976) for the Wildcats, but he made it a memorable one by booting the 69-yarder in win over East Texas State on Oct. 16, 1976. Johannson went on to a brief NFL career with Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native now resides in Amarillo.
Bradley was a four-year golf letterman from 1969-72, and was a two-time ACU Golfer of the Year. His support of the ACU golf program has been instrumental in its rise to prominence over the last 20 years. Since 1978 he has served as the agent and personal accountant for golfing legend Byron Nelson, and has served as the chairman of the annual Byron Nelson Golf Tournament, which benefits the ACU golf program.
Conder, a member of the ACU Board of Trustees, was a part of some of the greatest track and field teams in collegiate and ACU history in the mid-1950s. Conder ran on the 880-yard relay team along with Bill Woodhouse, James Segrest and Bobby Morrow that tied a world record with a time of 1:24.0 on May 26, 1956.
Teague was a two-year football letterman in the early 1970s who was also elected president of the Students' Association and was the 1971 "Mr. ACU." Teague was also a member the Alpha Chi Honor Society. After he graduated, he served for a short time as the director of athletic development at Abilene Christian, and he has continued his support of ACU athletics for more than 30 years. Both as a student-athlete and alumnus, he has exemplified the spirit of ACU athletics through his loyalty to his teammates and exemplary support of ACU athletics.
Dyer-Barnier was inducted to the NCAA Division II Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2002 after an ACU career that saw her win five individual national championships and earn 20 first team all-America honors. A 1991 ACU graduate, Barnier went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration before returning to ACU as a coach. She also served as NCAA Compliance Coordinator and Senior Woman Administrator at ACU before leaving the school in 2003 for a similar position at Minnesota State-Moorhead..
Here's a brief bio on each of each of this year's inductees, beginning with the five February inductees:
WES KITTLEY (Head Coach, Track and Field): Won an NCAA record 29 national track and field championships as the men's and women's track and field coach. Kittley - who gave ACU 23 years of service as a student-athlete, assistant coach, head coach and administrator - was born in Rule, Texas, and attended Rule High School, where he was a state champion on the mile relay team. Kittley won his first national championship in 1985 when his women won the Division II outdoor championship, a title he would win again from 1986-88. When ACU combined its track and field programs in 1993, Kittley was selected to head the men's and women's teams. He wasted no time taking a floundering men's program to an elite level, winning the Division II indoor title in his first season. Aside from his coaching duties, Kittley had also assumed an administrative role at ACU. In 1996, he led the men's and women's teams to all four NCAA Division II track and field titles (both indoor and outdoor titles) as ACU became the first school at any level of NCAA competition to accomplish the feat. The Wildcats did it again in 1999. In 1997 he added the additional duties of associate director of athletics to his resume. His 15-year tenure at ACU included coaching 12 Olympic qualifiers, three Pan-American Games athletes, five World University Games athletes, 16 athletes who have qualified for the world championships and one United States national champion. As the women's coach, Kittley's teams won 15 straight Lone Star Conference titles and he was named LSC Coach of the Year 14 times. During his tenure as the men's coach, Kittley's teams won six straight LSC titles and he was named Coach of the Year five times. He coached the women's team to 20 NCAA Division II titles, and coached the men to nine national championships. Three years ago, the Lone Star Conference renamed its award honoring the top female track athlete at the conference meet the "Wes Kittley Award." Kittley also coached the ACU women's volleyball team from in 1987 and 1988, going a combined 30-20 in those two years. Kittley was also an outstanding student-athlete while at ACU, earning NAIA all-America honors three times and being named captain in 1981 of ACU's Lone Star Conference championship team.
DeWITT JONES (Head Coach, Football): Served the most successful two-year head coaching stint in school history, going 18-4-1 and leading the 1977 Wildcats to the NAIA Division I national championship in his first year. Resigned after a 7-3 mark in 1978 to go into private business in Abilene. Replaced former head coach Wally Bullington on Jan. 1, 1977, after spending one season as the head coach at Abilene High. Prior to taking the Abilene High job, Jones was an assistant coach at Highland Park, Abilene Cooper and Midland Lee high schools before getting the head coaching job at Class A Troup in 1972. His 1973 team at Troup was 15-0 and won the Texas Class A state championship. He was the head coach at Liberty in 1974-75 before taking the job at Abilene High prior to the 1976 season. He had a combined record of 62-15-3 in seven years as a head coach. Jones coached 10 all-state players in five years as a high school head coach. In 1973 he was named Coach of the Year by the ACU Exes Coaches' Association and Troup Citizen of the Year by the city's Chamber of Commerce. In 1977 he was named NAIA Coach of the Year, American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year, NAIA Area II National Coach of the Year and Region VII Coach of the Year. A 1965 graduate of Abilene Christian, he was a three-year letterman in football and a team co-captain in 1964. He was a starter at tight end and defensive end on the 1963 team at ACU that went 8-1 and finished the season ranked No. 8 in the nation. After completing his eligibility at ACU, Jones was offered free agent contracts from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Oilers, New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. He began his coaching career in 1965. After retiring from coaching after the 1978 season, he went into private business in Abilene.
K.Y. OWENS (Assistant Coach, Football): K.Y. Owens served as nine seasons as an assistant football coach at ACU, and the Wildcats were 55-36-2 in his nine seasons (1967-75) with one national championship, the 1973 NAIA Division I title. Owens graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in 1956 where he was an all-conference fullback under coaches Murray Evans and Sammy Baugh. Owens coached football and track at Brady High School from 1956-65 and at Texas A&I University in 1966 before joining the ACU staff under head coach Wally Bullington. During his six years as the head coach at Brady, he led his team to four district titles and a state semifinal appearance in 1962. He left ACU in 1975 to become the director of athletics and the physical education program for the Conroe public school system.
GREG FEASEL (Football): One of the most dominant offensive lineman in ACU football history, Feasel was a unanimous first team all-Lone Star Conference selection in 1979, the same season he was NAIA all-District IV and honorable mention Associated Press college division all-America. He was also a team captain in 1979. Following his senior season, he was selected to play in the annual Blue-Gray all-star game. As a sophomore in 1977 he played on the Abilene Christian team that won the NAIA Division I national championship with a 24-7 win over Southwest Oklahoma in the Apple Bowl in the Kingdome in Seattle. His brother, Grant, also played at ACU and in the NFL and was inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. Greg played professionally from 1983-87, and his career covered stints with the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers of the NFL and the Denver Gold in the United States Football League. After his football career, he moved into marketing and sales, eventually working his way up to Coca-Cola's Division Director of Sales and Marketing for the state of Colorado. He joined the Colorado Rockies' organization in January 1966 as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and is now the team's Senior Vice President-Business Operations. He is responsible for day-to-day management for corporate sales, advertising, promotions, publications, internet, special events and broadcasting departments. He oversees all negotiations between corporate clients and the Colorado Rockies. He also oversees the television and radio broadcasts.
DR. CAMILLE COATES-CLARK (Women's Track and Field): Put together one of the greatest careers in the history of ACU women's track and field field during one of the program's most dominant eras. She helped the Wildcats win Lone Star Conference titles from 1985-87 and NCAA Division II outdoor titles in 1985 and 1986. She was injured shortly before ACU won the 1987 outdoor team title. In her three seasons as a Wildcat, she won 15 of 20 100-meter finals races in her career, including setting a still-standing ACU school record of 11.25 at the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz., in 1987. In 1986 she finished second in the 100 meters at the NCAA Division II championships before finishing fourth at the NCAA Division I championships and then winning the Jamaican national championship in 11.33 seconds. She went on to finish second at the Central American and Caribbean championships in both the 100 meters (11.69) and the 200 meters (23.44). She was second in the 100 meters at the NCAA Division II outdoor championships in 1985. A 1987 ACU graduate, she went on to graduate from the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and she now works as an orthopedic surgeon in Florida.
OVE JOHANNSON (Football): Only played one season of football, but he made it a memorable one. On Oct. 16, 1976, he booted a 69-yard field goal in the Wildcats' Homecoming victory over East Texas State to set a world record for longest field goal at any level of football, a record that still stands. A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, Johansson earned first team all-Lone Star Conference honors in 1976, and his kicking helped ACU go 9-2 and defeat Harding in the Shrine Bowl in Pasadena. During the 1976 season he was 8 of 15 on field goals and 34 of 37 on PATs. He kicked field goals from 21, 22, 28, 33, 37, 42, 43 and 69 yards. He led the Wildcats and the LSC in scoring with 58 points. A 1977 graduate of ACU, Johansson lives in Amarillo where he has run Johansson & Associates for the last 20-plus years.
DON CONDER (Men's Track and Field): Was a part of some of the greatest track and field teams in collegiate and ACU history in the mid-1950s. Conder, a member of the ACU Board of Trustees, ran on the 880-yard relay team along with Bill Woodhouse, James Segrest and Bobby Morrow that tied a world record with a time of 1:24.0 on May 26, 1956. He also ran on 16 relay teams that won relay titles at the three major meets of the era - Texas, Kansas and Drake. Coner was a member of the 1954 and 1955 NAIA national championship teams, and he also won team titles at the West Texas Relays and Texas Conference meets (1953 and 1954) and the Border Olympics, West Texs Relays, North Texas Relays and Gulf Coast Conference meets in 1956.
SYLVIA DYER-BARNIER (Women's Track and Field): A 1991 ACU graduate, Dyer-Barnier was a five-time NCAA Division II national indoor champion and 20-time NCAA Division II all-America performer. Her five indoor national titles are the most ever for any female athlete at the NCAA Division II level, and they helped her become a 2002 inductee into the NCAA Division II Track and Field Hall of Fame. Barnier won individual indoor championships in the 55-meter hurdles (1988, 1989 and 1991) and the triple jump (1988 and 1989). Aside from her five national championships, she was a seven-time runner-up at national meets and she finished below fourth place at national meets only twice. The Wildcats won six NCAA Division II national championships (three outdoor and three indoor) while Barnier was competing, including the Wildcats' first two indoor titles in 1988 and 1989. She was a five-time Lone Star Conference champion, including the 100-meter hurdles in 1987, 1988 and 1989. She also won LSC championships in the 400 hurdles in 1989 and as part of the 4x100 relay in 1989. She was named Lone Star Conference runner of the year in 1989 and was also the ACU athlete of the year in 1989. After graduation from ACU in 1991, Barnier went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration before returning to ACU as a coach. As a coach at ACU from 1998-2001, she coached ACU's long- and-triple jumpers to nine NCAA Division II national championships and 23 all-America honors. Her national champions were Ayodele Aladefa (indoor and outdoor champion in the long jump 1998); Terrance Woods (indoor champion in the triple jump 1999); Hillerie Shelton (outdoor national champion in the triple jump in 1999 and 2001 and indoor national champion in the triple jump in 2001); Stephen Moore (indoor and outdoor national champion in the long jump in 1999); and Renna Toniste (indoor national champion in the triple jump in 1999). In 2002 she was named Senior Woman Administrator before leaving ACU in 2003 to join the athletics staff at Minnesota State-Moorhead.
TOM TEAGUE (Football): Teague was a two-year football letterman in the early 1970s who was also elected president of the Students' Association and was the 1971 "Mr. ACU." Teague was also a member of the social club Sub T-16 and a the Alpha Chi Honor Society. After he graduated, he served for a short time as the director of athletic development at Abilene Christian, and he has continued his support of ACU athletics for more than 30 years. Throughout the years since his 1971 graduation, he has continued to support the entire ACU athletics program, including through scholarship endowment and significant support of ACU athletics facilities. He is currently the chairman of Westwood Residential Company in Dallas.
JON BRADLEY (Golf): Bradley was a four-year golf letterman from 1969-72, and was a two-time ACU Golfer of the Year. He joined ACU after a stellar high school career as the No. 1 golfer at Abilene Cooper High School. His support of the ACU golf program has been instrumental in its rise to prominence over the last 20 years. Since 1978 he has served as the agent and personal accountant for golfing legend Byron Nelson. In recent years, he has served as the chairman of the annual Byron Nelson Golf Tournament, which benefits the ACU golf program.
