Three Texas legends to help celebrate ACU
ACU will also add 'Centennial Hall of Fame' class at May 28 luncheon
ABILENE, TX - Three Texas sports legends are scheduled to be on hand Saturday, May 28, as Abilene Christian University celebrates 100 years of athletics excellence with the "Centennial Champions" luncheon at the Teague Special Events Center on the ACU campus.
ACU graduate and three-time Olympic gold medalist Bobby Morrow, as well as Major League Baseball's all-time strikeout king, Nolan Ryan, and PGA golfing great Byron Nelson will be at the luncheon, which will start at 11:30 a.m. Tickets for the event are $15 per person, and they are still available by calling 325-674-2287.
The athletic luncheon is the first official event of the ACU Centennial Celebration, marking the 100th anniversary of ACU. The luncheon also ties in with the final day of the NCAA Division II track and field championships, which will be May 26-28 at Elmer Gray Stadium on the ACU campus.
While each of those Texas legends will be recognized at the event, ACU will also induct a "Centennial" class into the Sports Hall of Fame. Those inductees are former track and field standout Sylvia Dyer-Barnier; Ove Johansson, the holder of the world record for longest field goal in a game (69 yards); former golf standout Jon Bradley; former track and field world-record-holder Don Conder; and former football player Tom Teague.
With the addition of the five "Centennial" class members, the ACU Sports Hall of Fame now includes 112 men and women.
Morrow won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, winning the 100 and 200 meters and anchoring the United States' gold-medal-winning 4x100 relay team. Morrow won 14 intercollegiate national championships during his career and set 17 world records during his career.
He was the face of ACU track and field during the 1950s when the Wildcats had one of the best teams in the nation. He was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year in 1956, beating out the likes of New York Yankees centerfielder Mickey Mantle (Triple Crown winner), Floyd Patterson (youngest heavyweight champion in history) and New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen (perfect game in World Series) for the honor. In 1957, he was named the winner of the Sullivan Award, signifying the top amateur athlete in the U.S.
Ryan won 324 games, threw seven no-hitters and struck out 5,714 batters during his remarkable 27-year career. Ryan played for four teams during his major league career -- New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers -- and led the majors in strikeouts 11 times, including in 1973 when he struck out a record 383 batters.
Ryan was an Angels teammate of former Wildcat pitching great -- and ACU Sports Hall of Fame member -- Bill Gilbreth in the early 1970s, and Ryan played a big role in the return of baseball to ACU in 1991. In April 1990, ACU hosted a fundraising event in Arlington to celebrate Ryan's career, and with the late Mark Holtz serving as the master of ceremonies and Rangers' managing general partner and future President, George W. Bush, in attendance, ACU raised $258,000 that night for the baseball program. Ryan will be presented with a 21st Century Award by ACU Vice President Dr. Gary McCaleb, a longtime friend of the Ryan family.
Nelson is a longtime supporter and friend of ACU. Nelson won 62 career tournaments and is generally regarded as one of the top 10 golfers of all time. He is best remembered, however, for his 1945 season, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this season. That season - "The Greatest Year in Golf" - Nelson won 18 tournaments, including a remarkable 11 straight. During the 1945 season, Nelson finished second seven times, did not finish out of the top 10 in any tournament he entered, fired 92 below-par rounds and had 22 consecutive under-par rounds.
But it wasn't just the 1945 season that made Nelson a golfing legend. Along with his 52 career PGA Tour victories are five major championship wins - The Masters in 1937 and 1942, U.S. Open in 1939, and PGA championships in 1949 and 1945.
Still revered by today's PGA Tour players as the "ultimate gentleman," Nelson became directly involved with the ACU golf program in May 1984 when ACU hosted a fundraising event in Dallas honoring him. The dinner raised more than $400,000 to permanently endow the ACU men's golf program.
Bradley, one of the "Centennial" Hall of Fame inductees, is Nelson's long-time business manager and one of the driving forces behind the annual Byron Nelson Golf Tournament, which is played each November at the TPC Las Colinas and is a fund-raiser for the ACU golf program. 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.
Johansson 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. Johansson kicked just one season (1976) for the Wildcats, but he made it a memorable one by booting the 69-yarder in a win over East Texas State on Oct. 16, 1976. Johansson went on to a brief NFL career with Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia.
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 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:
DON CONDER (Track and Field) -- Don Conder was a part of some of the greatest track and field teams in collegiate and Wildcat history in the mid-1950s. He 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 19 relay teams that won titles at the three major relay meets of the era -- Texas, Kansas and Drake. Conder 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 Texas Relays, North Texas Relays and Gulf Coast Conference meets in 1956. A native of Little Rock, he won titles in the 100-, 220- and 440-yard dashes, the long jump and 440 relay at the Arkansas state meet in 1952. He graduated from ACU in 1956 with a bachelor's degree in business. Conder was an administrator for 20 years at Lubbock State School, and has served on ACU's Advisory Board and visiting committees. He was named a member of the university's Board of Trustees in 1983.
TOM TEAGUE (Football) -- Tom Teague was a two-year football letterman in the early 1970s who was elected president of the Students' Association and was the 1971 "Mr. ACU." He also was a member of Sub T-16 social club and the Alpha Chi Honor Society. After Teague graduated, he served for a short time as the director of athletic development at Abilene Christian. For more than 30 years, has provided significant support of the entire Wildcat athletics program, including scholarship endowment and facilities Teague received a bachelor's in education from ACU and a M.B.A. in Finance from Texas A&M University. He has been co-founder and chairman of Westwood Residential Company in Dallas since 1992. He previously served as a national partner with the Trammell Crow Company. Teague has more than 30 years of real estate industry experience, including the development of more than 250 multi-family and condominium properties nationwide.
JON BRADLEY (Golf) -- Jon Bradley was a four-year golf letterman from 1969-72, and was a three-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. Bradley graduated in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in accounting and economics. His support of the ACU golf program has been instrumental in its rise to prominence over the last 20 years. Through the 2005 season, the Wildcats have won eight Lone Star Conference team championships, produced NCAA Division II first team all-America players, one individual national champion and one NCAA Division II team national championship (1993). Bradley has served since 1978 as the agent and personal accountant for golfing legend and former ACU trustee Byron Nelson. For more than 15 years he has conducted fundraising for the university's annual Byron Nelson Golf Tournament benefiting the ACU golf program. He is actively involved in the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, which helps run the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, an annual PGA tour event held at the TPC at Las Colinas. In 2002, he authored "Quotable Byron: Words of Wisdom, Faith and Success for Life and Golf." Bradley is a CPA, C.F.E., A.E.P. and tax partner at Weaver and Tidwell, L.L.P.
OVE JOHANSSON (Football) -- Ove Johansson played only 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 any level of the sport. A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, the soccer-style kicker played on the Dallas Rangers' state semi-pro soccer champs in 1973. He later earned NAIA soccer all-America at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va., leading the Senators to a second-place finish in the NAIA national tournament. Johansson didn't try kicking a football until January 1976, but earned first team all-Lone Star Conference honors that fall, helping ACU to a 9-2 record and a win over Harding University in the Shrine Bowl. During the 1976 season he was 8 of 15 on field goals and 34 of 37 on PATs, leading the LSC in kick-scoring with 58 points. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers after the season, and had a brief NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. At age 53, Johansson re-enacted his feat Oct. 20, 2001, at halftime of ACU's Homecoming game -- the 25th anniversaryof his world record -- kicking a 53-yard field goal. A 1977 graduate of Abilene Christian, he lives in Amarillo where he owns a financial services company, Johansson & Associates.
SYLVIA (DYER) BARNIER (Track and Field) -- A 1991 ACU graduate, Sylvia (Dyer) Barnier was a five-time national indoor champion and 20-time 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. 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 national championships while Barnier was competing, including the Wildcats' first two indoor titles in 1988 and 1989. She was a five-time Lone Star Conference champion, and in 1991 she was named LSC Runner of the Year and ACU Athlete of the Year. Barnier went on to earn a master's degree in public administration from James Madison University. From 1998-2001, she coached ACU's long- and- triple-jumpers to nine NCAA Division II national championships and 23 all-America honors. In 2002 she was named senior woman administrator before leaving ACU in 2003 to become assistant director of athletics for Minnesota State University at Moorhead.
