Texas selects 2011 Men's Hall of Honor class

Sept. 23, 2011

- Pat Fitzgerald
- Lance Gunn
- John Langerhans
- William Paulus
- Bob Brock
- Kris Kubik
- Edgar Weller
- Bill Zapalac

AUSTIN, Texas -- Eight distinguished and decorated former University of Texas student-athletes will be inducted into the Men's Athletics Hall of Honor later this fall. The 55th Men's Hall of Honor class includes Lance Gunn (Football, 1989-92), three-time all-SWC selection; William Paulus (Swimming, 1980-93), former world record holder, U.S. Olympian, and an 11-time All-American; Pat Fitzgerald (Football, 1994-96), two-time first-team Academic All-American and first-team Associated Press All-American; and John Langerhans (Baseball, 1969-72), All-American in 1971 and one of only two players in school history to lead the squad in home runs in three or more seasons.

Founded in 1957, the Longhorn Hall of Honor is one of the most cherished athletics traditions at The University of Texas. Its governing body -- the Longhorn Hall of Honor Council -- is made up exclusively of men who have lettered at UT. Each year, a selection committee nominates 16 candidates whose names are distributed to the Hall of Honor Council. To be eligible for nomination, a letterman must have completed his eligibility 10 years prior to the year of election. The four nominees receiving a majority of votes are inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor.

Vintage selections Bob Brock (Baseball, 1950-51); Kris Kubik (Special Category); the late Edgar O. Weller (Tennis, 1936-38); and Bill Zapalac (Football, 1968-70) round out the class. A vintage era candidate is any letterman who lettered 40 years or more prior to the year of election.

The new inductees will be honored at a banquet at the Four Seasons Hotel on Friday, Nov. 18, beginning at 6:15 p.m. Enshrinement ceremonies will be held during the Texas-Kansas State football game on the following day. Tickets to Friday night's banquet are $60 or $600 for a table of 10, and can be purchased through Carol Hastings with the T-Association by calling (512) 471-6864.

Gunn, who is currently a real estate executive in the Austin-Georgetown area, was an All-American safety in 1992 and one of the few three-time All-SWC selections of the modern era. As a sophomore, he was one of the leaders on the 1990 team which won the Southwest Conference and finished the regular season ranked No. 3. He led the Longhorns in interceptions (5) in 1991, and tied for the lead in blocked kicks in 1992. Gunn's four year stats are 298 total tackles (188 solo), six QB sacks, 15 QB pressures and a career-high 16 tackles vs. Texas A&M in 1992. He was a captain on the 1992 Longhorns team as a senior.

Paulus is a former world record holder, U.S. Olympian, and an 11-time All-American who helped The University of Texas to its first NCAA men's swimming and diving crown in 1981. Paulus helped the 400-yard medley relay to first place at the 1981 NCAA Championships, while also placing fourth in the 100-yard butterfly and seventh in the 200-yard butterfly at the NCAA meet. Paulus helped UT win the 400-yard medley relay three times at the NCAA Championships and led the Longhorns to new American records in the event in 1980 and 1981. Paulus helped UT to four consecutive SWC team championships and won five individual conference titles. The Fort Worth native earned a spot on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team by winning the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Trials with a time of 54.34. The U.S. Olympic Team did not compete at the 1980 Moscow Olympics (the U.S. boycotted the Games in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan), though Paulus' time easily eclipsed the winning time in the event (54.92) at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Paulus went on to set a new world record in the 100-meter butterfly with a mark of 53.81 on April 3, 1981, at UT's Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. He became the first man to break 54 seconds in the event, as he topped the previous world record of 54.15 produced by Sweden's Par Arvidsson a year earlier in Austin.

Fitzgerald overcame tremendous odds to become a college star. After receiving scant interest from major college recruiters, he spent a season in junior college to get noticed. After a year at Los Angeles Valley Community College, Texas took a chance on Fitzgerald, and by the end of his career at Texas, he was statistically the most productive tight end in UT history and pulled off the rare double of earning first-team Academic All-American and first-team Associated Press All-American honors in the same season (1996). As a two-year starter and three-year letterman, Fitzgerald played a key role in Texas claiming the final two SWC Championships (1994, 1995) and the first-ever Big 12 title (1996). Fitzgerald was a two-time first-team CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-American (1995-96) and two-time All-American (1995-96). He was also a two-time member of the College Football Association Scholar-Athlete team and was selected as one of eight National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes in 1996, earning an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Fitzgerald went on to be a finalist for that organization's prestigious Draddy Award (known as the "Academic Heisman") and earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship ($5,000) and was a 1996 Honda Scholar-Athlete Award winner ($3,000 to UT General Scholarship fund). He finished his career as the Longhorns' career tight end record holder for receptions (80), receiving yards (1,106) and TD receptions (12) and also set then-UT single-season tight end records for receptions (38) in 1996 and TD receptions (8) in 1995 that still stands. He earned a marketing degree from UT in 1996 and graduated from UT's law school in 2002 and is currently an attorney in the Austin area.

Langerhans, who garnered legendary status as a high school baseball coach in Central Texas after his time at Texas, earned All-America honors as a first baseman in 1971, leading the Longhorns in hitting with a .413 average. He played on squads that went to three College World Series (1969, '70, '72) and won four Southwest Conference titles. He and Jeff Ontiveros are the only two players in school history to lead the squad in home runs in three or more seasons. Langerhans' 30 career home runs rank seventh on UT's career list and is the most among players who played before 1975. In 1971, he registered one of only seven .400-plus batting average seasons in school history and his .413 average that year ranks third on UT's single-season list. He garnered second-team All-America and first-team All-SWC status as a first baseman in 1971. He also pitched in eight games out of the bullpen as a junior logging a 1-1 mark with a 2.05 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. After completing his four years with the Longhorns, Langerhans was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the second round of the 1972 MLB June Amateur Draft. He played four seasons in the Indians organization. After professional baseball, he amassed a 613-200 career record in 28 years of high school coaching, including 19 seasons at Round Rock High School. He led the Dragons to a state title in 1997, state runner-up in 2003 and six regional finals. In 2007, Langerhans was inducted into the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Brock was a three-year letterman who played center field in baseball. He became a second team All-SWC performer in 1950 and started on both the 1949 and 1950 National Championship teams. In 1950, he hit to a .347 batting average with 19 RBI. Brock has been active in UT sports, a member of the Longhorn Foundation and past president of The T-Association in the 1980s.

Kubik is a beloved All-American swimmer and is beginning his 27th season as an assistant swim coach for the legendary Eddie Reese. As part of The University of Texas coaching staff, Kubik has been involved in eight NCAA Championships.

Weller, now deceased, won the SWC doubles championship in 1936, 1938 and 1939 with partner Bob Kamrath. He reached the SWC singles finals in 1936, reached the 1936 fourth round of singles and doubles, reached the 1937 fourth round of singles and in 1938 reached the semifinals in doubles. That year he lost to Wilmar Allison in the semifinals of the Texas Sectionals. He was inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991. He was a very active supporter of UT tennis teams and established a charitable trust donating $4 million for UT's new indoor tennis facility.

Zapalac was a three year letterman at linebacker for the University of Texas football teams. He was a first team All-SWC linebacker in 1970 and was academic All-SWC in 1969 and co-captain of the squad in 1970. He was an academic All-American in 1970 and served as a member of Chi Epsilon, an honorary civil and architectural engineering fraternity at The University of Texas. He was also a member of Tau Beta Pi, which is a national engineering society that recognizes outstanding engineering students based on academics and superior character.

INDUCTEES
$Pat Fitzgerald$	PAT FITZGERALD (Football, 1994-96) Pat Fitzgerald is a terrific story of a guy who overcame odds to become a college star. As a high school player, he received little interest from major college recruiters and wound up spending a season in junior college to get noticed. After a year at Los Angeles Valley Community College, Texas took a chance on him, and it paid off for both. By the end of his career at Texas, he was statistically the most productive tight end in UT history and pulled off the rare double of earning first-team Academic All-American and first-team Associated Press All-American honors in the same season (1996). As a two-year starter and three-year letterman, Fitzgerald played a key role in Texas claiming the final two SWC Championships (1994, 1995) and the first-ever Big 12 title (1996). Fitzgerald was a two-time first-team CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-American (1995-96) and two-time All-American (1995-96). Fitzgerald was also a two-time member of the College Football Association Scholar-Athlete team and was selected as one of eight National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes in 1996, earning an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Fitzgerald went on to be a finalist for that organization's prestigious Draddy Award (known as the "Academic Heisman") that year and earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship ($5,000) and was a 1996 Honda Scholar-Athlete Award winner ($3,000 to UT General Scholarship fund). Fitzgerald was a first-team All-SWC pick, second-team All-American (Sporting News) and third-team AP All-American in 1995. He finished his career as the Longhorns career tight end record holder for receptions (80), receiving yards (1,106) and TD receptions (12) and also set then-UT single-season tight end records for receptions (38) in 1996 and his mark for TD receptions (8) in 1995 still stands. Fitzgerald also claimed Playboy's prestigious Anson-Mount Scholar-Athlete award in 1996. His 70-yard TD catch from Richard Walton was a key play in Texas' 21-13 victory over Baylor in 1995 that helped the Longhorns secure the SWC Championship. Fitzgerald was a seventh-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1997 but spent that season on injured reserve. He earned a marketing degree from UT in 1996 and graduated from UT's law school in 2002 and is currently an attorney in the Austin area.
$Lance Gunn$	LANCE GUNN (Football, 1989-92) Lance Gunn was an All-American safety in 1992 and one of the few three-time All-SWC selections of the modern era. Gunn was a captain on the 1992 Longhorns team as a senior. As a sophomore in 1990, he was one of the leaders on a team which won the Southwest Conference and finished the regular season ranked No. 3. He led the Longhorns in interceptions (5) in 1991 and tied for the lead in blocked kicks in 1992. Gunn's four-year stats are 298 total tackles (188 solo), six QB sacks, 15 quarterback pressures and a career-high 16 tackles vs. Texas A&M in 1992. Gunn was picked in the seventh round by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1993. He played a season with the Bengals, and was with the New Orleans Saints and Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe before his football career ended when he elected to have surgery to give up a kidney to his father in the mid-1990s. Gunn is currently a real estate executive in the Austin-Georgetown area.
$John Langerhans$	JOHN LANGERHANS (Baseball, 1969-72) John Langerhans earned All-America status as a first baseman in 1971, leading the Longhorns in hitting with a .413 average. He played on squads that went to three College World Series (1969, '70, '72) and won four Southwest Conference titles. He and Jeff Ontiveros are the only two players in school history to lead the squad in home runs in three or more seasons. Langerhans' 30 career home runs rank seventh on UT's career list and is the most among players who played before 1975. He led the team in both doubles and RBI in 1970 and 1971. In 1971, he registered one of only seven .400-plus batting average seasons in school history and his .413 average that year ranks third on UT's single-season list. That year, he registered 41 runs, 62 hits, 15 doubles, 12 home runs and 60 RBI as a junior. His .743 slugging percentage in 1971 ranks fourth in school annals and his .508 batting average ranks ninth. He garnered second-team All-America and first-team All-SWC status as a first baseman in 1971. He also pitched in eight games out of the bullpen as a junior logging a 1-1 mark with a 2.05 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. As a sophomore, Langerhans batted .335 with 37 runs, 56 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 47 RBI to earn first-team All-SWC recognition. In his senior season, he hit .278 with 37 runs, 49 hits, six doubles, five triples, nine home runs and 42 RBI in 49 games and registered a 3-2 record with a 3.90 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. In addition to his 30 home runs, Langerhans ended his career with 35 doubles, seven triples, 151 RBI, a .325 batting average and a .589 slugging percentage which ranks 12th on the Longhorns career list. He made his way to Texas after being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 1968 MLB June Amateur Draft as a high school senior. After completing his four years with the Longhorns, Langerhans was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the second round of the 1972 MLB June Amateur Draft. He played four seasons in the Indians organization, reaching Double A where he played for the San Antonio Brewers in 1975. After professional baseball, Langerhans garnered legendary status as a high school baseball coach in Central Texas. He amassed a 613-200 career record in 28 years of coaching, including 19 seasons at Round Rock. He led the Dragons to a state title in 1997, state runner-up in 2003 and six regional finals. Prior to arriving at Round Rock, Langerhans coached at Rosenberg Lamar, San Antonio Madison and Uvalde high schools. In 2007, Langerhans was inducted into the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
$bob-brock-hoh-092311$	WILLIAM PAULUS (Swimming, 1980-83) Dr. William Paulus, a former world record holder, U.S. Olympian and 11-time All-American, helped The University of Texas to its first NCAA men's swimming and diving crown in 1981. Paulus helped the 400-yard medley relay to first place at the 1981 NCAA Championships, while also placing fourth in the 100-yard butterfly and seventh in the 200-yard butterfly at the NCAA meet. Paulus helped UT win the 400-yard medley relay three times at the NCAA Championships and led the Longhorns to new American records in the event in 1980 and 1981. Texas finished no worse than third place at the NCAA Championships in Paulus' four seasons on the Forty Acres. William helped UT to four consecutive SWC team championships and won five individual conference titles. Paulus also excelled in the sport at the national and international levels. The Fort Worth native earned a spot on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team by winning the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Trials with a time of 54.34. The U.S. Olympic Team did not compete at the 1980 Moscow Olympics (as ordered by President Jimmy Carter in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan), though Paulus' time easily eclipsed the winning time in the event (54.92) at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Paulus went on to set a new world record in the 100-meter butterfly with a mark of 53.81 on April 3, 1981, at UT's Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. He became the first man to break 54 seconds in the event, as he topped the previous world record of 54.15 produced by Sweden's Par Arvidsson a year earlier in Austin. Paulus' record would stand until August 6, 1983, when it was broken by American Matt Gribble. Paulus won a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1981 World University Games in Bucharest, Romania. He earned his bachelor's degree in business from The University of Texas and later received a dental degree from the Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas. He performed his residency in orthodontics at the Saint Louis University Medical Center and joined his father's orthodontics practice in Fort Worth in 1994. He assumed control of the practice upon his father's retirement.
VINTAGE INDUCTEES
$bob-brock-hoh-092311$	BOB BROCK (Baseball, 1950-511) Bob Brock was a three-year letterman and played centerfield in baseball. He became a second team All-SWC selection in 1950 and started on both the 1949 and 1950 National Championship teams. In 1950 his stats consisted of a .347 batting average with 19 RBI. Brock has been active in UT sports, a member of the Longhorn Foundation and past president of the T-Association in the 1980s.
	Kris Kubik (Special Category) Kris Kubik is a beloved All-American swimmer from North Carolina State. He is beginning his 27th season as an assistant swim coach for the legendary Eddie Reese. As part of The University of Texas coaching staff, Kris has been involved in eight NCAA Championships at The University of Texas. He is married to April Russell, daughter of David Russell (Football, 1959-61).
$Edgar Weller$	EDGAR O. WELLER (Deceased) (Tennis, 1936-38) Early on, Edgar Weller was a state singles champion at Austin High School as well as a National Junior Doubles champion in high school. He won the SWC doubles championships in 1936, 1938 and 1939 with partner Bob Kamrath. He reached the SWC singles finals in 1936, reached the 1936 fourth round of singles and doubles, reached the 1937 fourth round of singles and in 1938 reached the semifinals in doubles. That year he lost to Wilmar Allison in the semifinals of the Texas Sectionals. He served as president of Frozen Foods Express, the largest refrigerated trucking company in America, and was inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991. He was a very active supporter of UT Tennis teams and established a charitable trust donating $4 million for UT's new indoor tennis facility.
$Bill Zapalac$	BILL ZAPALAC (Football, 1968-70) Bill Zapalac was a three-year letterman at linebacker for The University of Texas football teams. He was academic All-SWC in 1969 and co-captain of the squad in 1970. He was an academic All-American in 1970 and served as a member of Chi Epsilon, an honorary civil and architectural engineering fraternity at The University of Texas. He was also a member of Tau Beta Pi, which is a national engineering society that recognizes outstanding engineering students based on academics and superior character. He was a first team All-SWC linebacker in 1970 and today is a very active supporter of all UT Athletics programs.

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics

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