Courtesy: Texas Athletics
AUSTIN, Texas — Eleven former University of Texas student-athletes will be inducted this September into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor. These 11 individuals will be recognized as the Class of 2023 in an induction ceremony on Friday, Sept. 15.
The ceremony will start at 7 p.m. Central in the LBJ Auditorium and Conference Center on the UT campus (2313 Red River St.). Tickets for this year’s Hall of Honor show will be general admission and are available for $25 per person.
Texas Athletics Hall of Honor Inductees
The 69th Men’s Hall of Honor class includes: Quan Cosby (Football, 2005-08), a two-time All-Big 12 selection and one of the top wideouts and kick returners in school history who was a key member of the 2005 National Championship team; David Denny (Baseball, 1982-85), UT’s career record holder in hits, doubles and runs batted in who led the Longhorns to four-straight College World Series appearances and the 1983 National Championship; Kris Kirchner (Swimming & Diving, 1980-81), the 1981 NCAA individual champion in the 50-yard free and three-time relay national champion who paced Texas to its first National Championship in program history in 1981; James H. Means, Jr. (Track & Field, 1963-64, ’66-68), the first African American student-athlete to participate in athletics as well as letter and earn a scholarship at The University of Texas and first-ever African American competitor in any sport in Southwest Conference history who helped the Longhorns to SWC titles in 1966 and 1968; Jonathan Scott (Football, 2002-05), a two-time All-American and four-time All-Big 12 selection at offensive tackle who helped pave the way for UT’s perfect 13-0 National Championship team in 2005; and Jordan Spieth (Golf, 2011-12), a consensus first-team All-American and finalist for the Ben Hogan Award as the National Player of the Year during his one full season of collegiate golf who led the Longhorns to the 2012 NCAA Championship.
The 24th Women’s Hall of Honor class includes: Beth Barr (Swimming & Diving, 1990-93), an Olympic silver medalist, the 1991 NCAA individual champion in the 200-yard backstroke and a four-time All-American who paced the Longhorns to the 1991 National Championship; Jamie Carey (Basketball, 2002-05), a two-time All-Big 12 selection and UT’s career record holder for highest three-point field goal percentage (.418) who led the Longhorns to the 2003 Final Four and later returned to the Forty Acres as an assistant and associate head coach from 2016-20; Gia Doonan (Rowing, 2013-17), a three-time first-team All-American and two-time Big 12 Conference Rower of the Year who guided Texas to three top-eight NCAA Championship finishes; Dr. Kelly McDonald Freeman (Soccer, 2001-04), a 2003 All-American and four-time NSCAA All-Region selection who led the Longhorns to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2001 and still is UT’s all-time leader in career goals (46) and ranks second in career points (110); and Susan Shurr (Track & Field, 1982-85), an 11-time All-American and key member of the program’s first national title at the 1982 AIAW Outdoor National Championship.
The newest members of the Hall will receive a special salute during the Texas Football game versus Wyoming on Saturday, Sept. 16.
2023 Hall of Honor Inductee Bios
BETH BARR
Women’s Swimming & Diving (1990-93)
An Olympic silver medalist, NCAA individual champion and four-time All-American, Beth Barr helped guide Texas to the national title in 1991. One of the premier backstrokers in the world, Barr competed as a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team, winning silver in the 4×100-meter medley relay (4:07.90) at the Olympic Games in Seoul. The Pensacola, Fla. native also placed fourth in the 200-meter back (2:13.39) and fifth in the 100-meter back. Barr missed a year after suffering a compound fracture of her right arm from a horse-riding accident in May 1989. In 1990-91, Barr captured the national title in the 200-yard backstroke and swam the opening leg of the Longhorns’ title-winning effort in the 200-yard medley relay. She added a runner-up result in the 100-yard backstroke and kicked off Texas’ second-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay. The Longhorns set a NCAA Championship meet record for most points scored (746) that still stands today. Earlier that year, Barr captured the 200-yard backstroke title at the Southwest Conference Championships to help Texas win the team title. Internationally that year, she competed as a member of the U.S. 1991 Pan Pacific team, placing third in the 100 back and fourth in the 200 back. At the FINA World Championships in Perth, Australia, Barr placed sixth in the 200 back. In 1990, she won both the 100 back and 200 back at the Len Cup Meet in Rome and took first in the 200 back and third in the 100 back at Long Course Nationals. Barr won the national title in the 100 back at the 1986 Short Course Nationals, and at the 1986 Goodwill Games, she took fifth in the 100 back and seventh in the 200 back.
JAMIE CAREY
Women’s Basketball (2002-05)
A story of perseverance, Jamie Carey was a two-time All-Big 12 selection, and despite playing in just 96 career games during her UT career, Carey’s name is found throughout the Texas all-time record book. The 1999 Miss Colorado Basketball was the 2000 Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year at Stanford University before concussions sidelined her for the next two seasons. Carey came to Texas and achieved significant accomplishments as she helped lead Texas to the Final Four in 2003. She is a member of Texas’ 1,000-point scoring club and still ranks 43rd in program history with 1,074 career points. Carey was a finalist for numerous national awards during her time in Austin, including the Margaret Wade Trophy, the Naismith Award and the Nancy Lieberman National Point Guard of the Year. She was the recipient of the 2004 Jim Valvano Comeback Player of the Year Award, and as a senior in 2005, was named an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee and earned the Big 12’s Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship. Carey is the Longhorns’ all-time leader in three-point field goal percentage (.418) and ranks second all-time in minutes per game (31.4). Carey’s 193 made three-pointers ranks fifth all-time in school history, while her free-throw percentage of .801 is eighth all-time. She is the namesake of the Jamie Carey Comeback Award, given annually by UT Athletics to a student-athlete who has experienced and worked to overcome adversity during her intercollegiate athletics experience. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Texas in 2004 and completed her master’s of education in sport management on the Forty Acres in 2006. She was a two-time third-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-America selection and two-time first-team All-District selection. Following her collegiate career, Carey was the 31st pick in the 2005 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury and later signed with the Connecticut Sun. She played four years for the Sun, which advanced to the postseason each of those seasons, including an appearance in the 2005 WNBA Finals. Carey returned to Austin in 2016-18 as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach from 2018-20. During her time coaching, the Longhorns compiled a 95-37 record with three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a pair of trips to the Sweet 16. Prior to coming back to Texas, Carey worked with USA Basketball at all levels of the women’s national team program as the assistant women’s national team director for four years. In 2019, Carey was inducted into the Horizon (Colo.) High School Hall of Fame and in 2020 she was inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame.
QUAN COSBY
Football (2005-08)
Quan Cosby arrived on the Forty Acres as a former prep quarterback and minor league baseball player, and by the time he completed his collegiate career, he was one of the top wideouts and kick returners in UT history and a key member of the 2005 National Championship team as a freshman. A Biletnikoff Award semifinalist as a senior in 2008 and a two-time All-Big 12 selection, he joined with quarterback Colt McCoy to set a record for completions between a quarterback and a wide receiver with 191, which is still second all-time. In all, Cosby started 35 of his 52 career games and posted 212 receptions, which was second on UT’s all-time list at the time and now fourth, 2,598 receiving yards, which was third and now sixth, and 19 receiving touchdowns, which was fourth and now fifth. He caught a pass in 47 of those career games, including a streak of 44 consecutive to finish, a streak that is still the second-longest in program history and just three games shy of the record. As a returner, Cosby holds the UT career records for both kickoff returns with 73 and kickoff return yards with 1,731, including a 91-yard touchdown against Texas A&M in 2007, for a 23.7-yard average, which is eighth all-time. It was also in 2007 that Cosby set the Longhorn single-season records with 42 returns and 1,017 yards, both of which still hold significant margins over the next closest on the lists. Adding in his 33 career punt returns for 372 yards (an average of 11.3 that ranks sixth all-time) Cosby registered 4,701 all-purpose yards, which is also sixth, on 318 career plays (14.8 ypp). He notched seven career plays of 50 or more yards, including four receptions, two kickoff returns and two punt returns. A consensus second-team All-Big 12 performer as a senior in 2008, Cosby caught 92 passes, which was second on UT’s single-season list and is now fourth, for 1,123 yards, which was third and is now sixth, and 10 touchdowns, which was tied for fourth and is now tied for sixth. He and Jordan Shipley combined to become the top single-season receiving duo in UT history in both receptions (181) and receiving yards (2,183). He capped that season with one of the most memorable moments in Texas history, as he caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from McCoy with 16 seconds to play, lifting the third-ranked Longhorns to a 24-21 victory over No. 10 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl to complete a 12-1 season. On the touchdown, Cosby caught a short pass, slipped a tackle and sprinted toward the goal line before diving into the end zone to finish with career highs in both receptions (14) and receiving yards (171) and his second touchdown of the night. The 14 receptions are a UT bowl record, and the 171 yards are the second most for a Longhorn in a bowl game. Along with his record-setting kick return performance as a junior in 2007, Cosby hauled in 60 receptions, which at the time was sixth all-time on UT record and is now tied for 14th, for 680 yards and five touchdowns. That season, Texas compiled a 10-3 record and defeated Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. Prior to that, he caught 45 passes for 525 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore in 2006, along with returning 13 kickoffs for 334 yards (25.7 ypr) and two punts for 64 yards (32.0 ypr), including a 55-yard touchdown. The Longhorns went 10-3 that season with a win over Iowa in the Alamo Bowl. As a freshman in 2005, Cosby posted 15 receptions for 270 yards and two touchdowns, including two catches for 16 yards in Texas’ 41-38 victory over USC in the National Championship game. One of those went for seven yards and when combined with a facemask penalty, provided just the yardage needed for a critical first down on a third-and-12 on the first series of the game-winning drive. A first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2008 and three-time member of UT’s Athletics Director’s Honor Roll, Cosby was president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and graduated with a degree in social work. Before arriving at UT, he was a two-time all-state football player at quarterback and defensive back who led Mart High School to the 2A Div. II State Championship game as a junior and senior, winning as a junior. Along with his football and baseball accomplishments, he was the 2001 2A state champion in both the 100m (10.46) and 200m (21.31) in track. He originally signed with Texas out of high school in 2001, but instead elected to play professional baseball. After being drafted by the Anaheim Angels in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball draft, he spent four years in the Angels’ farm system, before signing with the Longhorns again in 2005. After Texas, he spent four years in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars. Cosby is currently a partner at Marsh & McLennan Agency and serves The University as a liaison for external affairs in the Office of Government Affairs and Initiatives. Very active in Texas Exes events across the state and someone who regularly volunteers time in the community, he spent several years in radio and television announcing, including a seven-year stint as Texas Football’s sideline reporter on the Longhorn Radio Network and as an analyst on baseball broadcasts. In the spring of this year, Cosby was one of four Longhorn alums presented with the Presidential Citation Award for his dedication and support of The University. He was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
DAVID DENNY
Baseball (1982-85)
The Texas Baseball record holder for career hits, doubles and runs batted in, David Denny put together one of the most accomplished hitting careers in program history from 1982-85. Denny racked up hit after hit, helping lead the Longhorns to four-straight College World Series appearances and the 1983 National Championship. His 296 total hits, 78 doubles and 228 RBI have stood as Texas records for nearly 40 years while countless other All-Americans and program greats have suited up in the Burnt Orange during that time. Denny played in 244 career games and stepped into the batter’s box for 886 total at-bats, both the second-most ever at UT. He also ranks first in school history with 25 sacrifice flies, second with 451 total bases, third with 108 extra-base hits, and fourth with 205 career runs scored. Despite battling injuries through his first two seasons at Texas, Denny still played in an integral role on the 1982 team that won 59 games and finished third in the nation, and the 1983 team that won a school-record 66 games and the program’s fourth National Championship. Denny’s 1984 season was arguably his finest on the Forty Acres, when he paced the Horns in batting (.343), hits (102), doubles (29), triples (4) and runs scored (102) and led the Longhorns to a runner-up finish at the College World Series. Following that standout season in 1984, Denny was selected in the seventh round of the 1984 MLB Draft, but he opted to return for his senior season. Denny co-captained the 1985 team along with fellow senior Bill Bates and went on to lead the team with 26 doubles and a career-high 99 RBI. Texas finished as the national runner-up for the second-straight season in Denny’s senior campaign, capping an incredible four-year run of Longhorn teams finishing no worse than third place nationally. Denny was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1985 and played one season of professional baseball before embarking on another legendary career – as a high school baseball coach. Denny has led two different high school programs to Texas State Championships in a career that has spanned nearly 30 years. In 2005, Denny won his first 5A state title at Kingwood High School before moving on to Barbers Hill High School in Baytown and winning the 5A title in 2021. In his most recent season in 2023, Denny led Barbers Hill to the 5A Region 3 semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Magnolia West.
GIA DOONAN
Rowing (2013-17)
The most accomplished rower in University of Texas history, Gia Doonan (2013-17) was a four-year letterwinner that helped the Longhorns achieve heights the program had not seen prior to her arrival on the Forty Acres. A three-time College Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-America first-team selection (2015-17), Doonan guided the Longhorns to three top-eight NCAA Championship results, including a then-program-best fourth-place finish in 2017. The only two-time selection as Big 12 Conference Rower of the Year (2015 and 2017), she was the first four-time All-Big 12 honoree in conference history, and from 2015-17 won three Big 12 Conference team and First Eight titles. A native of Marion, Mass., Doonan was a three-sport star at Tabor Academy, excelling in rowing, basketball and track & field. She quickly made her presence felt at Texas, earning a spot on the First Eight as a freshman in 2013-14. That season, she was named to the All-Big 12 Team after helping the Longhorns finish fourth at the Big 12 Championship. That same year, UT took fifth in the Conference USA Championships, the program’s final season in the league. In 2015, Doonan helped guide the Longhorns to the program’s first NCAA Championship berth and the fifth Big 12 title program. Texas placed seventh in the NCAA team standings, highlighted by Doonan and the First Eight’s fourth-place finish – the first Texas boat to appear in Grand Final at the national regatta. In helping lead the Horns to the national championship regatta, Doonan earned CRCA First-Team All-American accolades, was tabbed Big 12 Rower of the Year and earned a second-straight all-league honor. Doonan again claimed First-Team All-America honors and an All-Big 12 Team nod in 2015-16 after guiding Texas to a second consecutive conference crown and an eighth-place national finish. With Doonan on board the I Eight, Texas claimed a second-straight Big 12 title and took seventh in the Grand Final at the national meet. As a senior in 2016-17, she was named a first-team All-American for a third time, collected her fourth All-Big 12 Team honor and was a nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year after helping lead the Texas First Eight to an undefeated regular-season campaign, winning 11 races heading into the NCAA Championships. As a team, the Longhorns placed fourth at the national regatta, with the Texas First Eight finishing fourth in the Grand Final. UT also claimed a third-straight Big 12 Conference as Doonan led the I Eight to victory. Doonan was a member of the USRowing Senior National Team from 2017-21. She was the first UT rower to compete in the Olympic Games, earning a spot on the United States Women’s 8+ for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, helping Team USA to a fourth-place finish. She had previously competed for the United States at the 2018 and 2019 World Rowing Championships and World Rowing Cup. In 2019, Doonan rowed with the eight in their third-place finish at the World Rowing Championships. She also was a member of the four that placed second at the World Rowing Cup I, and the eight that finished second at the World Rowing Cup II. Doonan finished ninth in the pair and first in the eight at the 2018 World Championships and placed third in the eight at the 2018 World Rowing Cup III. As a member of the United States U23 team, Doonan helped the Americans win gold in the 8+ and 4- at the 2016 World Rowing Under-23 Championships. Doonan returned to Austin in fall 2021, joining the Rowing coaching staff and helping the Longhorns to the program’s second consecutive national title in 2022. She joined the staff full-time that summer as an assistant coach and helped guide UT to an eighth-consecutive conference crown and a fourth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA National Championships.
DR. KELLY MCDONALD FREEMAN
Soccer (2001-04)
A 2003 United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-American, four-time NSCAA All-Region selection, USC Scholar All-American Third Team selection and a United States Youth National Team member, the name Kelly McDonald can be found on countless pages throughout Texas women’s soccer program record book. Now Dr. Kelly McDonald Freeman, she not only helped lead the Longhorns to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001, but also helped spark a program-best eight consecutive postseason berths. As a senior during the 2004 campaign, McDonald Freeman and her teammates not only earned the program’s first postseason win with a 3-0 win over North Texas in Austin, but also guided the Longhorns to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, the furthest any Texas women’s soccer team has advanced in the postseason. McDonald Freeman, who was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team in 2002, still holds the program record for career goals in the Big 12 Conference postseason tournament with six, while no other student-athlete in program history has more than four. She is also still tied for the most career points credited in the Big 12 Conference postseason tournament with 12. McDonald Freeman scored five game-winning goals during the 2003 season before adding four more game-winners a season later in 2004. In four seasons on the pitch for the Longhorns, McDonald Freeman accumulated 110 career points, which remain the second most in program history, and she is one of only two student-athletes to surpass the 100-career point mark in UT history. In 83 career starts, which is tied for the 10th-most in program history, McDonald Freeman became the program’s all-time goal leader with 46, while also being credited with 18 assists, tied for the ninth-most by in program history. Her 37 points during the 2002 season and 32 points the following season are the fourth and seventh most, respectively, in the Longhorns’ single-season history. On Oct. 10, 2003, McDonald Freeman became just the third student-athlete in program history to equal the single-match record of four goals when she accomplished the feat against Baylor. She remains the only Longhorn to score four goals against a Big 12 Conference opponent. McDonald Freeman is tied for a program best with three Golden Goals, including a pair against nationally-ranked opponents No. 22 Nebraska on Oct. 26, 2003, and No. 7 Kansas on Nov. 5, 2004, both occurring well after the 100th minute of play in each match. After graduating from the Forty Acres, McDonald Freeman was accepted into dental school, which she finished in four years. She since opened a private practice dental office in Lone Tree, Colo., while passing along her love for the sport of soccer down to her children.
KRIS KIRCHNER
Men’s Swimming & Diving (1980-81)
A key member of Texas Swimming & Diving’s first national championship team, Kris Kirchner was an NCAA individual champion and three-time relay national champion with the Longhorns. He spent his freshman and sophomore years swimming at Cleveland State from 1977-79 before transferring to Texas. Once on the Forty Acres, he became part of the core crew that helped launch the Longhorn Swimming & Diving dynasty, leading Texas to a Southwest Conference Championship (SWC) and NCAA runner-up finish in 1980, before guiding UT to its first-ever Swimming & Diving National Championship in 1981. During his first year at UT, Kirchner helped Texas capture the first relay national championship in program history in 1980, anchoring the 400-yard medley relay that set a then-American record of 3:14.59. A team captain in 1981, he became the first Longhorn to win the 50-yard freestyle national title with a swim of 19.66. He then added national crowns in the 400-medley relay, again anchoring an American record swim with a time of 3:12.93, and then opening the championship-winning 400-yard free relay. At the conference level, he won back-to-back SWC titles in 1980-81 in both the 50 free and 100 free, making him the second Longhorn to accomplish consecutive doubles in the events and first since Lon P. Watkins in 1933-34. Internationally, Kirchner won gold in the 4x200m free relay at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. That same year, he anchored the United States national champions in the 400-meter medley relay and 400-yard medley relay. Kirchner earned a spot on the United States Olympic Team in 1980 as a member of the 100m and 400m free relays, but was unable to compete due to the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Kirchner added a third career United States championship in 1981, when he anchored the title-winning 400-meter medley relay. Following his swimming career, Kirchner served as an assistant coach at Texas under legendary head coach Eddie Reese. He then took over the program at the University of South Carolina in 1985, serving as the Gamecocks men’s head coach from 1985-90 and women’s head coach from 1985-87. While in Columbia, he guided South Carolina to five Metro Conference men’s championships and one women’s title. He later moved to the University of Indiana, where he was the men’s head swimming and diving head coach from 1990 to 2002, winning Big 10 Men’s Swimming Co-Coach of the Year honors in 1991. A Solon, Ohio native, he was a 1992 inductee into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.
JAMES H. MEANS, JR.
Men’s Track & Field (1963-64; ’66-68)
An Austin native and Austin High School graduate, James Means, Jr., was a pioneer and trailblazer in Texas Athletics. A three-year letterwinner from 1966-68 and scorer on two Southwest Conference Championship Track & Field squads, Means enrolled at UT in the fall of 1963 and began his collegiate career competing as a walk-on with the Longhorns’ freshman track & field squad during the 1963-64 academic year (freshmen were not yet eligible for the varsity at that time), becoming the first African American student-athlete to participate in athletics at The University of Texas Athletics. On February 29, 1964, in the Fort Worth Recreation Meet at Amon Carter Stadium, Means competed in the 100 and 220-yard dashes, as well as the first leg of the freshman 440-yard relay, establishing himself as the first-ever African American competitor in any sport in Southwest Conference history. He went on to run legs on the second-place 440 relay (41.3) and fourth-place mile relay (3:20.3), as well as finishing fifth in the 220 (22.4) at the SWC Freshman Meet later that year. Means took the 1965 season off before returning as UT’s first African American student-athlete to earn a scholarship in the 1965-66 academic year. He would go on to earn a varsity letter in the spring of 1966, becoming Texas’ first African American letterwinner. As a sophomore that year, he helped the Longhorns snap a four-year conference title drought, providing points as the lead leg on the fifth-place 440 relay that aided UT’s efforts in edging Rice, 58-55, for the SWC Championship. The 5-10, 150-pound sprinter steadily improved his 100 time from 10.2-seconds to a blistering 9.5 in his final season of competition in 1968. His 9.5 clocking in the 100 finals at the 1968 SWC Championships was good for second place, where he was just edged at the tape by Jimmy Jasper of Baylor who also ran 9.5. His 100 dash runner-up finish in addition to running the opening leg on the fifth-place 440 relay provided key points in Texas winning its second SWC team title in three years that year. He won the 100 (9.7) and ran the opening leg on the victorious 440 relay at the Texas Triangular meet with Baylor and Texas Tech earlier in his senior season. As a junior in 1967, his 9.6-second 100 was tops on the team, while his 220 best that year (22.3) ranked second. A member of the Longhorns’ 440 and 880-yard relays throughout his career, he ran the opening leg on the 440 relay that finished fifth at the 1967 SWC Championship. As a sophomore, he posted a season-best time of 9.8 in the 100 and career-best 22.2 in the 220, making the finals of the 100 at the prestigious Drake Relays. Means’ parents were impactful figures in the city of Austin and pioneers themselves. The Means family acquired and operated a prominent taxi company, Austin Cab (Harlem Cab), for decades with James, Jr., his mother, and brother Ron managing daily operations. Bertha Sadler Means, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 100, was well known for her work as a businesswoman, educator, and civil rights activist. She was a 1945 graduate of Tillotson College (now Huston-Tillotson University) and earned a master’s degree in education (educational psychology) from UT. She held several positions with Austin Independent School District over the course of her career in both elementary and secondary education, and she was a pioneer in reading education. She taught for 10 years at Prairie View A&M College and at UT (spring and summers, 1972-73), as well as delivering workshops in teacher education at Huston Tillotson. The Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy, formerly Pearce Middle School, was renamed in her honor in 2014, while The Bertha Sadler Means African American Resource Center at Huston-Tillotson was named in her honor in 2012. His father, James H. Means, Sr., who passed away in 2008 at the age of 98, was an educator, business leader and active part of the Austin community, as well. He spent many years as a distinguished professor of mathematics at what is now Huston-Tillotson. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Arkansas A&M (now Arkansas at Pine Bluff) in 1933 and earned a degree in mathematics from the University of Iowa in 1937. In 1958, he was awarded a doctorate of education in mathematics by Oklahoma State University. Before Samuel Huston College and Tillotson College merged, Means, Sr., coached football, basketball, and track. He was elected president of the Gulf States Athletic Conference and vice president of the Big States Athletic Conference. In 1991, Means was inducted into Huston-Tillotson University’s Hall of Fame. He became the first African American precinct chairman in Travis County in 1946, chairing precinct 125. Huston-Tillotson’s Alumni Association honored him for Outstanding Achievements in Mathematics in 1998. In the fall of 2006, the College of Education at Oklahoma State honored Means, Sr., with the Distinguished Alumnus Award as one of the first African Americans to earn a doctorate there. Means, Jr.’s wife, Carol Adams-Means, earned her master’s and Ph.D. in journalism from UT, and has a post-doctorate in business from the University of Florida. Before entering education, she worked in broadcasting. A retired educator, she began her teaching career in 1981 at Prairie View A&M in communication. In 2009, she was recruited by Huston-Tillotson as an associate professor to reestablish and coordinate their communication degree program. In 2023, she was selected as an honorary board member of the Austin History Center Association and works with various historic preservation projects. James and Carol are the proud parents of Alyssa Anne and James III. They currently reside in Austin.
JONATHAN SCOTT
Football (2002-05)
A National Champion, two-time All-American and four-time All-Big 12 selection, Jonathan Scott started 45 career games at offensive tackle for Texas. He joined an elite group of Longhorns by earning unanimous first-team All-American honors and did that while paving the way for the UT’s perfect 13-0 National Championship team in 2005. That year, Scott anchored a line that helped Texas rank first in the nation in scoring offense (50.2 ppg), second in rushing offense (274.9 ypg) and third in total offense (512.1 ypg), while setting school single-season records in both points scored (652) and total yards (6,657). The 652 points broke a 22-year-old NCAA record of 624 points set by Nebraska in 1983, while the 50.2 points per game average marked only the fifth time in NCAA history a team finished the year averaging over 50 points per game up until that time. During Scott’s four years at UT, the Longhorns won 11 games three times, at least 10 games all four years, were victorious in three bowl games, posted an overall record of 45-6 (28-4 in Big 12) and finished in the Top 11 nationally all four years with three in the Top Six. In 2004, Scott allowed just one sack all season and earned second-team All-America honors. He was a key part of a line that cleared the way for Texas to rank second in the nation in rushing (299.2 ypg), seventh in total offense (464.4 ypg) and 12th in scoring (35.3 ppg) that year. UT registered six 300-yard rushing games, the most since 1977. The season saw the Longhorns earn a Top-Five ranking, finish 11-1 and win the first of back-to-back Rose Bowls. As a sophomore, Scott started all 13 games, with the Longhorns winning 10 of them, as he earned third-team All-Big 12 honors. He helped the line rank sixth in the nation in scoring offense (41.0 ppg) and eighth in rushing offense (232.5 ypg). In 2002, he started seven games as a freshman, including the last six, as Texas finished 11-2 and in the Top 10 following a win over LSU in the Cotton Bowl. He was selected honorable mention All-Big 12 and made the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. A fixture on the Athletics Director’s Honor Roll at UT, Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in radio/television/film in May 2005. After being selected in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, he played a total of nine years in the NFL with the Lions, Buffalo Bills (2008-09), Pittsburgh Steelers (2010-11), Chicago Bears (2012-13) and Atlanta Falcons (2014). He played in 71 NFL games, starting 35. A native of Dallas who played at Dallas Carter High School, Scott was a member of the Steelers team that played in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium, the first to be played in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Following his career, he has gone into business and is a brand ambassador for the National Psoriasis Foundation, helping to bring awareness to psoriasis and speaking as a health advocate. He was a featured patient panelist at the National Psoriasis Foundation Skin of Color Congressional Briefing in 2015. He spent 2018 as a coaching intern with the San Francisco 49ers. He has excelled in diverse fields, including being recognized as an Amazon No. 1 bestselling author, making his mark in finance, real estate, education, coaching, executive leadership, and the music industry, culminated by his ownership of a private equity and finance group.
SUSAN SHURR
Women’s Track & Field (1982-85)
An 11-time All-American and member of the first Texas Women’s Track & Field national title team at the 1982 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Outdoor National Championships, Susan Shurr was a true competitor for the Longhorns from 1982-85. She was also on the 1985 Southwest Indoor and Outdoor Conference Champion teams. Shurr began her career as a Longhorn with a staggering freshman season, helping Texas to a fifth-place finish at the AIAW Indoor Championships and the team’s first national title outdoor, finishing second in the 100-meter dash with her time of 11.833 and fourth in the 200-meter with a time of 23.79 seconds. She also was part of the winning sprint medley relay and the 4x100m relay that same season. In 1984, Shurr was part of the 4x100m relay that finished fourth at the NCAA Championships with their time of 44.62. She continued her success with the track and field program helping Texas transition to the NCAA and post another top-10 finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a seventh-place finish. Her final season with the Longhorns in 1985 saw the women finish as the runner-up during the indoor championships with Shurr winning the bronze medal in the 400-meter dash and helping Texas to a sixth-place finish on the 4×400-meter relay with April Cook, Florence Walker and Juliet Cuthbert. She closed out her noteworthy collegiate career helping the Longhorns finish fourth at home at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Shurr ran the second leg of the runner-up 4×100 relay and posted two fourth-place finishes in the 400m (52.80) and the 4×400 relay. She also was part of six Southwest Conference relay titles – 1983’s 4×100, 1984’s indoor and outdoor 4×400, and 1985’s sweep of the 4×400 and the 4×100 outdoor. To date, Shurr still holds the fifth-fastest 60-yard dash time in Texas history at 6.89 seconds and was part of the fifth-fastest distance medley relay team in 1985 that finished in 11:15.50. Shurr was previously a producer for KUSI News in San Diego, Calif., and now lives in Encinitas, Calif., with her family.
JORDAN SPIETH
Men’s Golf (2011-12)
A consensus first-team All-American and finalist for the Ben Hogan Award as the National Player of the Year during his one full season of collegiate golf in Austin, Jordan Spieth helped lead the Longhorns to the 2012 NCAA Championship. A native Texan from Dallas, Spieth came to The University of Texas after establishing himself as one of the top junior golfers in the history of the sport. He joined Tiger Woods as the only player at that time in history to win multiple U.S. Junior Amateur titles, as Spieth claimed the crowns in 2009 and 2011. A three-time American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) first-team All-American in 2008, 2009 and 2010, he was a three-time Texas UIL Class 5A high school state champion (2009, 2010 and 2011) at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. He attained the No. 1 spot in the AJGA rankings in 2011. Spieth also compiled a 2-0-1 individual record while competing for Team USA at the 2011 Walker Cup. At the age of 16, he tied for 16th place in his PGA TOUR debut at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship. During his freshman season at Texas in 2011-12, Spieth posted a team-best 70.92 stroke average while claiming both Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year accolades. One of three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award, he earned three individual medalist titles at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational in the fall and the Amer Ari Invitational and Morris Williams Intercollegiate in the spring. Spieth paced the Longhorns to a total of eight team titles during the 2011-12 season. At the 2012 NCAA Championship, Spieth and the Longhorns advanced to the Match Play portion and earned wins over Washington (5-0) in the quarterfinals and Oregon (3-2) in the semifinals. In the championship match against Alabama, Spieth recorded a 3 & 2 win in his match against All-American and current PGA star Justin Thomas to help the Longhorns post a thrilling 3-2 victory and secure the third NCAA title in program history and first since back-to-back wins in 1971-72. He reached No. 1 in the World Amateur Ranking in June 2012 and tied for 21st place and was the low amateur at the 2012 U.S. Open Championship. Spieth elected to turn professional after the fall semester of his sophomore year in 2012. Following his time on the Forty Acres, it didn’t take long for Spieth to turn heads at the professional level. He played his way onto the PGA TOUR and won his first professional title at the 2013 John Deere Classic, becoming the youngest PGA TOUR winner in 82 years. Spieth concluded the year ranked No. 7 in the FedEx Cup and earned a Captain’s Selection to the U.S. President’s Cup team, becoming the youngest to ever play in that prestigious event. He was unanimously named the 2013 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. In his second year on the PGA TOUR as a 20-year-old, he registered eight top-10 finishes including a runner-up effort in his debut at the Masters Tournament and earned a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. His year in 2015 was arguably one of the most historic golf seasons ever played, featuring five wins and 15 top-10 performances. Spieth claimed his first major victory at the Masters Tournament while tying the 72-hole scoring record (18-under par) and became the second-youngest player to earn a green jacket behind Woods. He followed with a victory at the U.S. Open Championship at Chambers Bay, becoming the youngest golfer to ever hold the first two legs of golf’s majors at just 21-years-old. Spieth went on to finish tied for fourth at The Open Championship and second at the PGA Championship. He concluded the year with a win at the TOUR Championship and became the FedEx Cup champion, finishing the season at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings and was unanimously named the 2015 PGA TOUR Player of the Year. Spieth added his third career major victory with a win at The Open Championship in 2017. In his first decade of professional golf, he has posted 13 career PGA TOUR victories and two international wins in addition to 18 runner-up finishes while claiming nearly $60 million in official money earnings. In addition to his success on the course, the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation offers a platform for Jordan to lend time, help grow awareness and offer financial support for four philanthropic areas: individuals with special needs, junior golf, military families and veterans, and pediatric cancer. He and his wife, Annie, reside with their son, Sammy, in Dallas.