The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Hall of Honor announces seven new inductees
09.16.2004 | Texas Athletics
AUSTIN, Texas - Golfer Justin Leonard and Olympic swimmer Josh Davis will headline the newest inductees into the Longhorn Men's Hall of Honor at ceremonies surrounding The University of Texas football game with Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 6, the UT Athletics department announced today.
Leonard and Davis will join long-time Longhorn trainer Michael "Spanky" Stephens and football All-America defensive back Stanley Richard as new members from the modern era. Three "vintage era" stars from the early 1960s - football quarterback John Genung, basketball Olympian Albert Almanza and Major League baseball star Charles "Chuck" Hartenstein - round out the new class.
The Longhorn Men's Hall of Honor, which was started in 1957, is one of the nation's oldest post-graduate recognition groups in collegiate athletics. Four inductees are selected by a 51-member committee composed of former athletes representing all eras and all sports. Vintage inductees are selected by a committee which considers those who finished their eligibility at least 40 years ago.
Leonard, who was named the nation's outstanding collegiate golfer in 1994, has gone on to become one of the nation's top professional golfers, winning eight times on the PGA Tour, highlighted by his victory at the 1997 British Open.
Davis won three gold medals at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and captained the 2000 United States Olympic men's swimming team in Sydney. A four-time NCAA Champion and 23-time All-American in his four years at Texas (1991-94), he also has won seven U. S. Swimming National Championships.
Richard was voted the Most Valuable Player on the 1990 Longhorn team which finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the nation. An All-American and All-Southwest Conference selection as a safety, he went on to an eight-year professional career.
Stephens was associated with UT athletics for over 30 years until his retirement in January of 2000. He joined the UT staff as assistant trainer in 1970 and became head trainer in 1978. He helped establish the strong student program that sent numerous qualified trainers into high school and college positions.
Almanza was a three-year letterman (1959-61) who helped the Longhorns to a SWC championship in 1960. He was a two-time member of the Mexican Olympic team, leading his team in scoring in both the Rome Olympics in 1960 and the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. Following his college days, Almanza entered the insurance business in Austin and has been heavily involved in youth and civic endeavors.
Genung was a quarterback in one of the most successful eras of Texas football, capping his career with a 9-1-1 season in 1962. Following his college career, Genung went to medical school and served as the team doctor for the U. S. Naval Academy while in the service. He later became a successful orthopedic surgeon in Austin.
Hartenstein was the last full-fledged major leaguer for the legendary Longhorn coach Bibb Falk. He accounted for 18 of the 49 Longhorn victories during his three-year career, helping lead the Longhorns to three Southwest Conference titles and two College World Series appearances. He followed his six-year major league career with an extended stint as a pitching coach in professional baseball and later served as a volunteer coach for the Longhorns.
The seven new inductees will be honored at a banquet Friday night (Nov. 5) prior to the Texas-Oklahoma State game and officially enshrined during ceremonies at the game.
2004 Longhorn Hall of Honor Inductees
ALBERT ALMANZA (Basketball 1959-61)
A three-year letterwinner at Texas, Albert Almanza was a two-time member of the Mexican Olympic team. In both the Rome Olympics in 1960 and the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, he led his team in scoring (19.8 ppg in 1960, 14.7 ppg in 1964). At Texas, he was a major part of a turnaround in Longhorn basketball. After a 4-20 record his sophomore year, the Longhorns, under new coach Harold Bradley, rebounded with an 18-8 record and a SWC Championship in 1960. He twice led the Longhorns in rebounding (1959 and 1961) and was in the top three in scoring (behind Jay Arnette and Donnie Lassiter) in both 1960 and 1961. Following his college days, Almanza entered the insurance business in Austin and has given countless hours to working with youth and civic endeavors.
JOSH DAVIS (Swimming 1991-94)
Captain of the 2000 U.S. Olympic men's swim team in Sydney, Davis won three gold medals at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. In all, he was part of Olympic relay teams which earned five medals (three gold, two silver) over those two Olympic Games. In NCAA competition, he won the 200 freestyle in 1993 and was a part of two winning relay teams in 1991 and another in 1994. Tremendously successful on the international swimming circuit, he captured seven medals (five gold, one silver, one bronze) at the World University Games and claimed three gold and one bronze medal at the Pan American Games in 1995. He has won seven U.S. Swimming National Championships. His 1993 NCAA Finals winning time of 1:34.25 in the 200 freestyle ranks as the second-best ever by a Longhorn. He was a four-time NCAA Champion and was selected as an All-American 23 times at Texas. Following his years at Texas, he has continued to be a goodwill ambassador for Texas Swimming and is a popular speaker at numerous faith-based events. At 32, his swimming career continues at the professional level. He is married with three children and recently had a $7 million swim center named for him. Davis, who serves as a member of a committee that has sought the Pan Am Games for his native San Antonio, narrowly missed out on making his third Olympics team at the U.S. Swimming Trials this summer.
JOHN GENUNG (Football 1960-62)
Steady signal-caller who played a key role in the Longhorns' success in the early 1960s. Used primarily as a back-up to Mike Cotten during the 1961 season, Genung led the Longhorns to an unbeaten regular season and a SWC Championship in 1962. In a year when three players, Genung, Duke Carlisle and Tommy Wade all saw duty at quarterback, it was Genung who engineered the most famous drive of the year, and perhaps of the era. With No. 1 Texas trailing Arkansas 3-0, the Longhorns drove 90 yards in the final eight minutes of the game to beat the Razorbacks. Carlisle had started the drive, but Genung came in for the bulk of the 20-play drive, which ended with a touchdown with only 36 seconds remaining. Following his college career, Genung went to medical school and served as the team doctor for the U. S. Naval Academy while in the service in the late 1960s. He later settled in Austin, where he is a successful orthopedic surgeon.
CHARLES "CHUCK" HARTENSTEIN (Baseball 1962-64)
The last full-fledged major leaguer for legendary Longhorn coach Bibb Falk, Hartenstein parlayed a wicked curve ball and penchant for clutch performances into three fine seasons at Texas. He pitched brilliantly in the 1962 College World Series, and in an era where the regular season was only 24 games in length, he accounted for 18 of UT's 49 victories over his three-year span. Steady and consistent with records of 6-2, 6-3 and 6-3 and an ERA of 2.86 in 226 innings pitched, he helped lead the Longhorns to Southwest Conference titles and CWS appearances in 1962 and 1963. Baseball and his family would be his life over the next 30 years. In his six years in the major leagues (1967-71, 1977), he had a solid career as a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs (he was 9-5 with 10 saves and appeared in 45 games in 1967), Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. He appeared in a total of 187 games (all in relief) and recorded 23 career saves. He followed his playing days with an extended stint as a pitching coach, both in the majors and the minors, and retired to Austin in the early 1990s. He wasn't through with baseball, though, or with his beloved Longhorns, as he served as a volunteer coach on Cliff Gustafson's last CWS squad in 1993, concluding a career that began, and ended, in Omaha.
JUSTIN LEONARD (Golf 1991-94)
Winner of the 1994 Fred Haskins Trophy as the nation's outstanding collegiate golfer, Leonard climaxed his senior season with a second-place finish at the NCAA Championship. He helped lead the Longhorns to four straight Southwest Conference titles, claiming medalist honors in all four league tournaments. In doing so, he became the only player in SWC history to win four consecutive conference individual titles. He earned first-team All-America honors three times (1992-94) and served as a member of the winning 1993 U.S. Walker Cup team. Leonard won the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1992 and played in eight PGA Tour events as an amateur, making the cut five times. As a professional golfer, he is an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, highlighted by his victory at the 1997 British Open. He was the hero of the 1999 U.S. victory in the Ryder Cup, sinking a long putt to earn a tie in a match that gave the United States team the overall championship. He has competed on two Ryder Cup teams and three President's Cup teams and is one of the top money winners on the PGA Tour over the past five years. Leonard annually hosts a junior golf tournament benefiting the Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation.
STANLEY RICHARD (Football 1987-90)
Most Valuable Player on the 1990 Longhorn team which finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the country. Earned All-America and All-Southwest Conference honors that season, when he became the self-proclaimed "sheriff" of the Longhorn secondary. Was a major factor in the Longhorns' critical 45-24 victory over nationally-ranked Houston in a game that effectively ended the domination of the Cougars' "Run and Shoot" offensive attack. Finished his career with 13 pass interceptions, which ranks tied for fifth all-time at Texas. Six interceptions as a sophomore in 1988 is one shy of the UT single-season mark of seven held by several players. Led the team in passes broken up in 1989 (12) and tied for the lead in 1990 (14). Significant leader in a turnaround season that took the Longhorns from two straight losing years back into the nation's top 10. Was a first-round draft choice of the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League in 1991 (the ninth overall pick). Played eight years in the NFL, including four with San Diego and four with the Washington Redskins. Member of the San Diego team which played in the Super Bowl in 1995.
SPANKY STEPHENS (Athletics Trainer 1970-1999)
Associated with University of Texas athletic teams for over 30 years, Stephens began his career as a student trainer in 1967. In 1970 he assumed full-time duties as assistant to then-head trainer Frank Medina. After Medina suffered a stroke in 1978, Stephens took over duties of head trainer and continued in that role until he retired in January 2000. While at Texas, he supervised or worked directly with all sports, working with hundreds of athletes, five head football coaches, five head basketball coaches and other sports coaches. He worked with nine Longhorn teams that won national championships and was responsible for a strong student program that sent numerous qualified trainers into high school and college positions. Stephens has received numerous national and regional honors, including being selected to the All-American Football Foundation Hall of Honor, the Southwest Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame and induction into the 2002 Bellville High School Hall of Fame. Stephens currently serves as Executive Director of the Texas State Athletic Trainers Association.
