The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hometown Horns: Katy, Texas
10.13.2006 | Texas Athletics
Just saying you are from Katy, Texas, can be ambiguous. As locals will tell you, there is 'Old Katy' and 'Katy Area'. Old Katy is the original city incorporated in 1945. Katy Area refers to the expansion that occurred, as Houston became one of the places to be in the 1970s, and the town's proximity to the Bayou City along Interstate 10 made it a popular suburb.
The three Texas athletes who list Katy as home are all from Katy Area. Football's and men's cross country/track and field's attended Cinco Ranch High School and football's attended Taylor High School.
Gerland, a punter and placekicker, has appeared in two games this season as a redshirt freshman. In relief duties this season, he owns a 44.5-yard average on two punts, both pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line
Griffin, a junior, has appeared in 19 games for his career, including five games as the Longhorns' second-string center in 2006.
Miller, a sophomore in cross country and junior in track and field, has already enjoyed a successful career at UT. Last season, he earned All-Big 12 honors, placing 14th at the conference cross country championships. In track and field, he earned All-America honors, running the third leg of the distance medley relay squad that finished seventh at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
As with any town which boasts more than one high school, a fierce intracity rivalry has emerged between the schools.
"If a friend was in town and Taylor and Katy (High School) were playing in football, I would definitely take him there," Griffin said. "It's a rivalry that goes way back and the whole community gets excited about it. We give them our best game and they give us their best game."
While Griffin would take a friend to the Taylor-Katy game, Gerland and Miller both boasted about Katy Mills Mall, which features over 200 specialty stores.
"The coolest thing in Katy would have to be Katy Mills Mall," Miller said.
Legend has it Katy was named a railroad line that ran through the town in the late 1800s. The town was originally dubbed Cane Island in honor of the creek (Cane Island Creek) that passes west of the town, but after the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (commonly called the "Katy Railroad") was completed, the moniker was changed to Katy.
Katy has gone through many changes since it was rebuilt following a hurricane on September 8, 1900. Only two buildings withstood the storm, the homes of J.H. Wright and Mr. Featherston -- which both exist today. Things have come full circle for Katy, as the town recovered from it's own hurricane and absorbed anywhere between 3,000 to 4,000 evacuees from Hurricane Katrina.
Katy is becoming a hotbed of talent on the track and field circuit, producing athletes that have gained national prominence. Standouts from the area include Scott Sellers (national prep record holder in the high jump), Queito Teasley and Brenda Faluade (North America, Central America, and Caribbean Under-23 Bronze Medalist in the long jump), so it is no surprise that all three Katy natives participated in track and field.
Gerland helped Cinco Ranch to back-to-back Texas 5A state championships, earning all-state honors in the 110-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash and long jump.
"Coach (Gary) Derks and I were very close," Gerland said. "Growing up with track just helped me develop as an athlete. I was around with Queito and Scott -- some of the greatest athletes in the nation. Just being with them since eighth grade made me work harder."
Griffin was the 2003 Texas 5A Champion in the shot put and won the discus title in 2002.
"I spent countless hours with Coach Lemon," Griffin said. "Every time I go back to Katy, I try to see Coach Lemon and Coach Lane."
Miller was a Junior Olympics National Champion in the 1,500-meter run and 3,200 run in 2001 and the 2003 Texas 5A 3,200-meter run Champion.
"People in Katy are really starting to get into track and field," Miller said. "I think a lot of that has to do with the local coverage it gets. The newspaper, the Katy Times, does a good job of spreading the word."
As well as producing track and field standouts, Katy is apparently a breeding ground for actresses named Renee. Katy has produced Renee Zellweger and the lesser-known Renee O'Connor (Gabriella in Xena: Warrior Princess). Actress Janeane Garofalo spent her high school years in Katy. The town is also the home of transplants musician Clint Black, Longhorns' legendary pitcher Roger Clemens and basketball star Yao Ming.
With all of that said, Gerland summed up what all three athletes thought about Katy.
"Katy is just an awesome place," he stated emphatically.
