The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Texas Athletics announces 2016 Men's and Women's Hall of Honor classes
08.26.2016 | Baseball, Football, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Basketball, Women's Swimming and Diving, Women's Tennis, T-Association, Track & Field / Cross Country
Thirteen distinguished and decorated former University of Texas student-athletes and staff are set to be inducted into the Men's and Women's Athletics Halls of Honor this October.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Thirteen distinguished and decorated former University of Texas student-athletes and staff will be inducted this October into the Men's and Women's Athletics Halls of Honor. Ticket inquiries through the T-Association from interested patrons are encouraged by calling 512-471-6864. Men's Hall of Honor tickets can be requested via email at mhoh@athletics.utexas.edu, while Women's Hall of Honor tickets can be requested via email at whoh@athletics.utexas.edu.
The 60th Men's Hall of Honor class includes: LaMarcus Aldridge (Basketball, 2004-06), third-team All-America forward and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year who led Texas to the NCAA "Elite Eight" in 2005-06 and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft; Leonard Davis (Football, 1997-00), first-team All-America offensive lineman and Outland Trophy finalist in 2000; Aaron Peirsol (Swimming, 2002-04), five-time Olympic gold medalist, nine-time World Champion, current world record holder and six-time NCAA champion; and Aaron Ross (Football, 2003-06), winner of the 2006 Thorpe Award, key contributor on Texas' 2005 National Championship who went on to win two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. Vintage selections Jimmy Blacklock (Basketball, 1971-72), Walter L. "Buddy" New, Jr. (Baseball, 1961-63) and Davis Love, Jr. (Golf, 1953-55) and special selection John Bianco (Texas Media Relations, 1992-present) round out the men's class.
The 17th Longhorn Women's Hall of Honor class includes: Edna Campbell (Basketball, 1989-91), a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection who led Texas to a NCAA "Elite Eight" appearance in 1990 and the No. 10 pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft; Michelle Carter (Track & Field, 2004-07), three-time Olympian and 2016 gold medalist at the Rio Olympics, 10-time U.S. national champion and American record holder, NCAA champion and seven-time All-American in the shot put; Andrea Hayes (Swimming, 1986-90), 1988 U.S. Olympic Team member and 16-time All-American who helped Texas win three NCAA team titles; Lucie Ludvigova Schmidhauser (Tennis, 1993-95), two-time All-American and 1994 Southwest Conference Player of the Year who helped lead the Longhorns to the 1995 NCAA Championship; and Terri Turner (Track & Field, 1983-86), two-time NCAA triple jump champion, former world record holder and 12-time All-American who helped Texas sweep the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor team titles in 1986 and still holds the indoor and outdoor school records in the triple jump.
The Men's Athletics Hall of Honor was founded in 1957. The 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 honorees receiving a majority of votes are inducted. In addition, the Council can add a limited number of vintage or special selections to that year's class.
The UT Women's Athletics Hall of Honor was created in 2000. To be eligible for nomination, a former student-athlete must have completed her collegiate eligibility five years prior to the year of election. The UT Women's Athletics Hall of Honor Selection Committee considers both a candidate's contribution to the UT Athletics program and the candidate's contributions to his/her community. A maximum of five former student-athletes and one additional non-athlete per year may be inducted into the Women's Hall of Honor.
The induction banquet for the 2016 women's class is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 14. The luncheon ceremony will start at 11:30 a.m. in the Lone Star Room of the Frank Erwin Center. Tickets to the ceremony are $35 per person, and interested patrons may also sponsor a table of 10 for $450.
The banquet for the 2016 men's class will be held later that same evening (Oct. 14). A social hour will begin at 6 p.m. with the dinner ceremony to start at 7 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel. Tickets to the ceremony are $75 per person, and interested patrons may also sponsor a table of 10 for $1,000.
The new members of the hall will receive a special salute during the Texas Football game vs. Iowa State on Saturday, Oct. 15.
2016 Longhorn Men's and Women's Hall of Honor Inductee Bios
LaMarcus Aldridge, Basketball (2004-06)
One of the top basketball players in UT history, LaMarcus Aldridge remains tied for the highest NBA Draft selection in school history. He was chosen as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Chicago Bulls, before being traded on draft night to the Portland Trail Blazers. A two-year starter in the frontcourt in 2004-05 and 2005-06, he started all 53 games while at Texas and finished his career as the school record holder in career field goal percentage (.586), while ranking 10th in career blocked shots (97). As a freshman in 2004-05, he started the first 16 games of the year before suffering a season-ending left hip injury during a game at Nebraska on Jan. 15, 2005. Aldridge recovered from the injury to earn third-team All-America honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year accolades, while leading Texas to a 30-7 mark, a Big 12 regular season championship and a trip to the NCAA "Elite Eight" as a sophomore in 2005-06. He earned spots on the All-Big 12 First Team, the Big 12 All-Defensive and All-Improved teams and the five-person Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament team. A first-team NABC All-District 9 selection, USBWA All-District VII team choice and NCAA Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team honoree, he led the team in blocks (73) and field goal percentage (.569) and ranked second in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.2 rpg). Aldridge turned professional after his sophomore season and is beginning his 11th season in the NBA in 2016-17. He spent his first nine years with the Trail Blazers, before playing with the San Antonio Spurs in 2015-16. He has earned All-NBA honors four times in his 10-year career, claiming second-team accolades in 2014 and third-team mention in 2011, 2015 and 2016. He is one of only four players in the league to be named to the All-NBA Team in each of the last three seasons, joining LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Chris Paul. Aldridge also has earned NBA All-Star honors for the last five consecutive seasons (2012-16) and is one of just three players to score 1,000 points or more in each of the last nine years, along with Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.
John Bianco, Texas Media Relations (1992-present) – Special Selection
Entering his 25th year as a member of the Longhorns Athletics staff, Bianco's tenure in sports information/media relations is the second longest of anyone in that role historically at Texas. His career at UT began in 1992 as assistant SID handling men's track & field and swimming & diving, and serving as media coordinator for the Texas Relays, but by the mid-1990s he assumed a significant role with Longhorn football. In 1998, he was promoted to media relations director, overseeing all men's sports. Four years later, Bianco was promoted to assistant athletics director during a time when UT had an unprecedented run, winning national titles in football (2005) and baseball (2002, 2005), while advancing to the Final Four in men's basketball (2003). In 2011, his responsibilities expanded as UT, in partnership with ESPN, launched the Longhorn Network. A year later, he was promoted to associate AD and helped build UT's first in-house video production team within the media relations department. During his time heading up his department, Bianco's staff has promoted numerous All-Americans, national award winners and championship teams. Personally, he managed the demands for Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer Ricky Williams, Heisman Trophy runner-ups/National Players of the Year Vince Young and Colt McCoy, as well as 15 members of the UT Hall of Honor, while working closely with head coaches John Mackovic, Mack Brown and Charlie Strong. Bianco also promoted three recipients of the Maxwell Award, three Walter Camp Football Foundation National Players of the Year and two Nagurski Trophy (national defensive player of the year) winners, as well as more than a dozen other national individual award recipients. Additionally, he spent time serving as a public relations consultant for the major motion picture My All American, the true story of Longhorn legend Freddie Steinmark that was released in theaters nationwide in the fall of 2015. A native of upstate New York, Bianco lettered in track & field and graduated from Baldwin-Wallace University (Berea, Ohio) in 1988. He came to Texas after two years at the University of Cincinnati and a year at Fresno State and the University of Arkansas. Bianco and his wife, Sonya, also a Baldwin-Wallace track & field letterman, have two daughters, Haley and Sabrina.
Special Selection Criteria: Under the Hall of Honor's constitution and by-laws, the Vintage Committee has the responsibility of recommending waiving the rules of retirement/employment to allow for immediate induction of current employees who are deemed worthy by the standards of the Hall of Honor. The Longhorn Hall of Honor Council validated the Vintage Committee's recommendation.
Jimmy Blacklock, Basketball (1970-72) – Vintage Class Selection
In a time when the Southwest Conference was beginning the process of integration, Jimmy Blacklock was one of the early pioneers when he arrived at The University of Texas. A former Houston Yates star, Blacklock had just finished an outstanding career as a point guard at Tyler Junior College when he became a Longhorn under head coach Leon Black. Texas had closed the decade of the 1960s with one African-American on its team, a track & field letterman named Sam Bradley who was participating in both sports. As a junior in 1970-71, Blacklock became the first African-American starter and eventually the first African-American basketball letterman for the Longhorns. He led the team in scoring with an average of 16.6 points per game and was voted the team's MVP. Leon Black always believed opposing coaches' protests to league referees cost Blacklock a banner year in his senior season of 1971-72. In the midst of one of the best seasons in recent Texas history (before injuries helped bring the year to an early end in the NCAA Midwest Regional), Blacklock gave up his starting point guard spot and wound up averaging only seven points a game. The opposing coaches argued that Blacklock's quick first step was illegal and should be called "traveling." But the class with which Blacklock handled things didn't go unnoticed, as he was named the team captain at the end of the season. The Longhorns won the Southwest Conference for the first time since 1965, beat highly-regarded Houston in the NCAA First Round and ended the season with a 19-9 record. And as far as Blacklock's quick first step? It was about to become his trademark in a phenomenal career beyond the college game. In 1974, Blacklock joined the Harlem Globetrotters, beginning a lifetime relationship with the goodwill ambassadors of the game. He played in over 2,500 games in 62 countries with the team through the 1987 season and was a player-coach in 1997. Blacklock returned to the team in 2011, and is currently in his fifth season as a full-time coach with the Globetrotters. His son, Ross, has found success on the football field and signed with TCU as a defensive tackle in 2016.
Edna Campbell, Basketball (1989-91)
A two-time All-Southwest Conference player in 1989-90 and 1990-91, Edna Campbell helped lead Texas to a NCAA "Elite Eight" appearance in 1990 and a 48-14 (.774) overall record in her two seasons in Austin. Campbell joined the Longhorns in 1989 after playing two seasons at the University of Maryland. During her junior season of 1989-90, Campbell was named the Most Valuable Player of the Southwest Conference Tournament and the SWC Newcomer of the Year. She averaged 15.7 points per game for her 55-game UT career, which ranks sixth on the school's all-time career list. Her career field-goal percentage of 56.2 ranks sixth all time in school history, while her career free-throw percentage of 77.9 is 10th all-time. Campbell graduated from UT in 1991 with a bachelor of arts degree in kinesiology. She played two seasons for the Colorado Xplosion of the American Basketball League before being selected as the 10th pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury. Campbell spent seven seasons in the WNBA with four different teams, averaging 7.1 points per game for her career. Her vast international basketball experience culminated in Team USA winning a gold medal at the 1998 FIBA World Championship. Her inspirational story of overcoming cancer has been well documented. While playing for the Seattle Monarchs in 2002, Campbell was diagnosed with breast cancer and continued to play despite her diagnosis. She was awarded the WNBA's Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2003 and was the lead spokesperson for the WNBA's partnership with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In July 2006, Campbell was the recipient of the WNBA's "Greatest Inspirational Moment" in the league's 10-year history for her return to the court after successfully battling breast cancer. Campbell, who in 2008 became a nurse, has authored The Breast Cancer Recovery Manual and is the CEO and Founder of Breathe and Stretch, a health restoration program for breast cancer survivors. Campbell has one son, David, and resides in Sacramento, Calif., where she is an author, public speaker and health advocate.
Michelle Carter, Track & Field (2004-07)
A three-time Olympian who recently won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Michelle Carter is one of the most successful track and field stars in UT history. Carter has shined in the shot put ring as a Longhorn during her career on The Forty Acres and as a professional. During her time on campus, Carter was a seven-time All-American in the shot put and won the Big 12 Conference title five times. In 2006, she won the NCAA title indoors to also help the women claim the NCAA team title. With a runner-up finish in the shot put in 2005 outdoors, Carter helped the Longhorns win the NCAA Championship. She also was runner-up at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championship in the shot put. Since her collegiate career ended, Carter has become the most successful female shot putter in American history. She has claimed 10 USATF titles in her event, six outdoors and four indoors, while also setting American indoor and outdoor records in the shot put. At the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships, Carter broke the American record en route to her first major international title as she claimed the gold medal for Team USA. Carter won her first senior international medal at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, where she won bronze in the shot put. Earlier this month, Carter competed in her third Olympic Games for Team USA. After finishing fifth at the 2012 London Games and 15th at the 2008 Beijing Games, Carter recorded a toss of 20.63 meters (67-8.25) on her final throw of the competition in Rio to win the gold medal and set an American record. The victory marked the first time an American woman had won gold in the shot put at the Olympics and the first time an American female has won any medal at the Olympics since 1960.
Leonard Davis, Football (1997-2000)
One of the most physically imposing offensive linemen in Longhorn history, 6-6, 365-pound Leonard Davis was a consensus first-team All-America honoree, Outland Trophy finalist and Lombardi Trophy semifinalist as a senior in 2000 who went on to play 12 years in the NFL and earn three Pro Bowl berths. He played in 45 career games at Texas, starting the final 20 of his career at left tackle. Davis started 22 of his last 26 games overall, missing time as a junior due to an ankle injury. Texas won nine games in each of his last three seasons and earned final national rankings of 12th (2000), 21st (1999) and 15th (1998). After playing defense as a true freshman in 1997, Davis moved to offensive tackle as a sophomore and helped pave the way for three consecutive 1,000-yard rushers in Hodges Mitchell (1,118, 2000/1,343, 1999) and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams (UT record 2,124, 1998). Along with the ground game in 2000, Texas ranked 14th in the nation in passing and total offense, and eighth in scoring as Davis earned first-team All-America and first-team All-Big 12 accolades as a senior. Davis' junior year resulted in second-team All-Big 12 honors as he cleared the way for a 1,000-yard rusher Mitchell, while providing protection for the nation's 17th-ranked passing offense. The 1998 season produced what is currently the fourth-highest total offense per game average in UT history (second-highest at the time) with 470.6 yards per contest (No. 11 NCAA) that year. Williams won the Heisman Trophy, as the Longhorns' balanced attack ranked in the Top 25 in both passing (19th) and rushing (21st) and helped lift the team to a Cotton Bowl win over Mississippi State. Following his time at Texas, Davis went on to be selected second overall in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He was UT's fifth top-two pick in draft history and its first since Kenneth Sims went No. 1 in 1982. He played his first six seasons with the Cardinals, where he started every game of his career. Davis went on to start every game of his four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, where he earned three Pro Bowl selections following the 2007-09 seasons. He was second-team All-Pro in 2007 and finished his 171-game career (155 starts) playing in Super Bowl XLVII with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. A native of tiny Wortham, Texas, Davis was a Parade All-American and USA Today first-team All-American at Class A Wortham High School. Davis, who resides in Arizona with his wife and two daughters, for years played bass in the band Free Reign that he formed with fellow NFL lineman Marc Columbo and Cory Procter.
Andrea Hayes, Swimming (1986-90)
A 16-time All-American and a 1988 U.S. Olympian, Andrea Hayes helped the Longhorns to NCAA team titles in three of her four seasons with the Longhorns. Hayes made her presence felt right away, when she helped Texas secure its fourth consecutive NCAA championship as a freshman in 1986-87. She earned All-America honors in all three of her individual events at the 1987 NCAA Championships, placing second in the 200 backstroke, fourth in the 500 freestyle and seventh in the 400 IM. She helped the Horns win conference titles in the 400 medley relay and the 800 freestyle relay that same year. As a sophomore, Hayes was a significant contributor toward the Longhorns' run to their fifth straight NCAA title, as she helped UT to a runner-up finish in the 800 freestyle relay and placed third in the 500 freestyle, 400 IM and the 200 backstroke at the 1988 NCAA Championships. Hayes produced a strong lead-up to the national championships with her Southwest Conference titles in the 200 backstroke and 800 freestyle relay. Hayes parlayed her sterling sophomore season into a berth on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team. She placed sixth in the finals of the 200m backstroke at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. It marked her third major international meet, after she won gold in the 800m freestyle at the 1986 Goodwill Games and silver in the 200m backstroke at the 1987 Pan Pacific Championships. Hayes took on another heavy workload as a junior at the 1989 NCAA Championships, as she placed second in the 1,650 freestyle, third in the 500 freestyle and ninth in the 400 IM. She helped UT take second in the 800 freestyle relay and third in the 400 medley relay at the NCAA Championships. Hayes won the 200 backstroke and helped UT win the 800 freestyle relay at the 1989 SWC Championships. Hayes helped the Longhorns reclaim their standing atop the college swimming world as a senior, leading Texas to its sixth NCAA team title in seven seasons. She wrapped up her career with four more All-America honors, placing second in the 1,650 freestyle, fourth in the 500 freestyle and sixth in the 200 backstroke while helping UT take third in the 800 freestyle relay at the 1990 NCAA Championships. Hayes' legacy lives on nearly three decades after her final swim as a Longhorn. She remains on UT's all-time top-10 lists in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle events.
Davis Love, Jr., Golf (1953-55) – Vintage Class Selection
A two-year letterwinner and member of the Southwest Conference champion golf team of 1954, Davis Love, Jr. went on to a remarkable career in professional golf that included success both as a teacher and a player at the highest level of the sport. Following the style and the teaching approach of his mentor and UT golf coach, Harvey Penick, he went on to become one of the most respected teachers in the game before his untimely death in a plane crash at 53 years old in 1988. Following his time at UT, he quickly rose to success as a PGA teaching pro, becoming the head professional at Sea Island Golf Club in Georgia. At the same time, he remained extremely competitive on the golf circuit. In 1969, he finished tied for sixth with Jack Nicklaus in the British Open, which followed a remarkable performance nine years earlier where he qualified for the 1960 U.S. Open despite six stitches in his right index finger. While Penick was keeping notes in his famed "Little Red Book," Love would apply the same common-sense touch and a philosophy that took complicated things and made them simple. With those, he would fill countless legal pads. His most famous player, of course, was his son, Davis Love III, who is the current captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. After his dad's death, Davis Love III established an endowed scholarship in his father's name for Texas Golf through the Longhorn Foundation. A contemporary of the younger Love and a fellow pupil of Penick, Longhorn legend Ben Crenshaw applauded the elder Love's induction. "I was fortunate to meet Davis Love, Jr. through Harvey," Crenshaw said. "He was a disciple of Harvey's teaching principles and helped many golfers through the years. He was a very fine player in his own right and played in several Masters and on tour for a few years. When his son, Davis Love III, first came out on tour, I can remember Mr. Love following us around, and he had a wonderful, mild manner about him. He left us far too young, and the golf community still misses him. I know the Love family will be honored and proud by his induction into the Longhorn Hall of Honor."
Lucie Ludvigova Schmidhauser, Tennis (1993-95)
(Pronunciation: lewd-vih-GO-vah SHMID-how-ser)
A two-time All-American and the 1994 Southwest Conference Player of the Year, Lucie Ludvigova was among the catalysts who led the Longhorns to their second NCAA team title in 1995. Ludvigova joined the Longhorns as a junior during the 1993-94 season. She played her freshman season at Midland Junior College and her sophomore year at NCAA Division II Grand Canyon University, where she won the NCAA singles title. Ludvigova made an immediate impact upon her arrival at Texas, and commenced an impressive stretch of tennis that she carried through the end of her collegiate career. In her first semester at Texas, she became the first Longhorn to win the singles draw at the ITA All-American Championships, as she knocked off Georgia's Angela Lettiere in the final, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2. She went on to claim a second individual national title that semester, as she won the singles crown at the ITA National Indoor Championships. Ludvigova finished the 1993-94 campaign with a 34-6 overall singles record, a mark that still keeps her at No. 5 all-time at UT in single-season winning percentage (.843). League coaches selected Ludvigova as the 1994 Southwest Conference Player of the Year after she helped the Horns win the SWC regular season and tournament titles. Ludvigova helped carry Texas to the semifinals of the team competition at the 1994 NCAA Championships. As the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Championships singles draw, she automatically earned All-America honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). She also earned a berth into the NCAA doubles draw with Farley Taylor in her junior season. Ludvigova starred on the 1994-95 Texas team that saw six Longhorns earn ITA All-America honors. Once again, UT rode into the NCAA Championships on an upswing after winning the SWC regular season and tournament titles. With Ludvigova at No. 2 singles throughout the NCAA Championships, Texas advanced to the NCAA title match for the second time in three seasons. The Longhorns edged Florida, 5-4, in the final and Texas, with help from Ludvigova, won its second national team title in three seasons. Ludvigova earned All-America status once more with her 9-16 seed in the singles draw at the 1995 NCAA Championships, where she won a pair of matches and advanced to the Round of 16. Ludvigova played two years of professional tennis and returned to UT as an assistant coach from 1998-2001. Today, she is a coach at Austin Tennis Academy.
Walter L. "Buddy" New, Jr., Baseball (1961-63) – Vintage Class Selection
If ever there were a perfect example of the standards required for admission into the Longhorn Hall of Honor, it would be Buddy New. When the Hall was founded in 1957, it was intended to recognize not only what an athlete did in the arena, but in his life beyond the game. Such was the case of Buddy New. New came to Texas after an outstanding career as a three-sport high school athlete in Odessa. He arrived at Texas on a full baseball scholarship in the autumn of 1959, as a left-handed hitting first baseman for legendary coach Bibb Falk. He came, however, at a time when the Longhorns (and all Southwest Conference teams) played a very limited schedule of games. So limited in fact, that the 1961 team went 20-5-2, the 1962 team was 22-7 and the 1963 team was 21-7-1. That's fewer than half the games played on most schedules today. All three years, the Longhorns won a Southwest Conference race that included a maximum of only 15 games, so it was hard to get statistics, and for that matter, playing time. That, however, is where the story of Buddy New begins. In the final regular season game in his junior season of 1962, the Longhorns faced rival Texas A&M in a contest at old Clark Field in Austin that would decide the SWC winner, and the team that would advance into the NCAA playoffs. Texas had trailed, 9-2, entering the seventh inning. In the bottom of the eighth, it was 9-3. Buddy New was a substitute first baseman whom Falk had put in the game "to give him a chance to letter." But when he drove a ball off the cliff in centerfield with a runner on and roared home (sliding in with an inside the park home run), he inserted himself smack in the middle of one of the greatest comebacks in Longhorn history. Texas battled on to tie the game, 10-10, going into the 10th inning. There were two outs in the bottom of the inning and nobody was on base when New ripped a ground rule double that bounced over the right field wall, and then scored the winning run on a double, sending Texas into the NCAA playoffs. It turned out to be the second of three teams on which New would play that would carry the Longhorn banner to the College World Series in Omaha. Realizing that professional baseball was not in his future, New earned his Texas degree and went into the manufacturing of cans, and later became a thoroughbred racehorse owner who took three horses to the Kentucky Derby. Despite all his financial success, he never forgot his Texas roots, devoting his time to his family and philanthropic causes and splitting time between Austin, La Jolla, Calif., and Kentucky. Buddy and his wife, Sandy, were significant donors to the remodeling project of UFCU-Disch-Falk field prior to his death due to a brain hemorrhage in 2012. His fame on the playing field was brief, but extremely significant, and his life left a legacy of what it means to be a Texas Longhorn.
Aaron Peirsol, Swimming (2002-04)
(Pronunciation: PEER-saul)
A five-time Olympic gold medalist, nine-time world champion, six-time NCAA champion and still the current world record holder in the 200-meter backstroke, Aaron Peirsol set a standard in the backstroke that continues even five years after his retirement. One of five Texas swimmers to compete for the United States in the Olympics three times, Peirsol first became an Olympian at age 17, two years before becoming a Longhorn. The Irvine, Calif. native won silver in the 200m backstroke at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He won his first international gold medal a year later when he claimed the 200m backstroke at the 2001 FINA World Championships. In March of 2002, at just 18 years of age, he set his first world record in the 200m backstroke (1:55.15). Peirsol enrolled at Texas in the fall of 2002 and made his presence felt right away. He was selected as the 2003 NCAA Swimmer of the Year after delivering a freshman campaign in which he helped Texas to three NCAA relay titles – two of which set NCAA and American records – and produced an NCAA title-winning swim in the 200-yard backstroke that yielded NCAA and American records. Peirsol defended his 200-yard backstroke title at the 2004 NCAA Championships and helped the Longhorns win back-to-back titles in the 400-yard medley relay. He elected to turn professional following his sophomore season in advance of the 2004 Athens Olympics. He won gold in all three of his events at his second Olympics, claiming the world record on his way to gold in the 100m backstroke, and swept both backstroke events with his gold medal swim in the 200m. He capped the meet by joining Texas teammates Brendan Hansen and Ian Crocker on the 4x100m medley relay that set a world record and won gold. Peirsol maintained his elite form going into the 2008 Olympics, as he lowered his world record in the 200m backstroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials. In Beijing, Peirsol won his second straight gold medal in the 100m backstroke and added a silver medal in the 200m backstroke. He joined Hansen on the 4x100m medley relay and helped the Americans to gold once more. Peirsol competed in his last major world meet in 2009 at the FINA World Championships in Rome. He reclaimed the world record en route to gold in the 200m backstroke and joined former Longhorn Dave Walters and Longhorn Aquatics teammate Eric Shanteau to set a world record and win gold in the 4x100m medley relay. He won gold in the 100m backstroke and 4x100m medley relay at the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships before retiring in 2011. His world record in the 200m backstroke remains five years after his retirement. Peirsol earned his bachelor's degree from UT in 2007. Today, he is a swimming coach at Newport Harbor High School, his alma mater in Newport Beach, Calif. He also serves as a color analyst for Longhorn Network swimming telecasts.
Aaron Ross, Football (2003-06)
One of only two Thorpe Award winners as the nation's top defensive back in UT history, Aaron Ross earned the award and was first-team All-America in 2006. He also was a key member of the 2005 National Championship team that defeated No. 1 USC, 41-38. Ross, a two-time Super Bowl Champion with the New York Giants, is one of only a handful of Longhorns to win both a National and NFL Championship. Playing in 51 career collegiate games, he helped Texas to 44 wins in that span, including three bowl wins (two Rose Bowls), and three Top-15 rankings (two Top-Five), while totaling 205 tackles, 33 PBU, 10 INTs, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was also the Longhorns' top punt returner for his last three seasons, returning 76 career punts (No. 6 on UT's all-time list) for 893 yards (No. 5 on UT's all-time list) and three TDs (T-No. 1 on UT's all-time list). As a senior in 2006, Ross was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year by multiple outlets and was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 performer. He started all 13 games and finished third on the team in tackles with 80, to go along with six interceptions, 19 PBU (T-No. 7 on UT's single-season list), three TFL, one sack, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He also returned 23 punts for 240 yards and a TD. That year, Ross had two interceptions and returned a fumble for a TD to seal a victory over Oklahoma, while his forced fumble late at Nebraska set up the game-winning score. He also tallied six PBU against Iowa State that still stand as the single-game record at Texas. He finished the season pulling down a key interception in the Longhorns' 26-24 Alamo Bowl win over Iowa, leading to Defensive MVP honors. He was also one of two team MVPs for the season with Colt McCoy and was chosen as a team captain. During the undefeated National Championship season of 2005, Ross posted 500 punt return yards, which are the third-most in a season on UT record, including two touchdowns. His 14.7 yards per return average is tied for fourth on the single-season list. He also tied for the team lead with three interceptions, while ranking third in PBU (nine) and seventh in tackles (62). Ross played in all 12 games of his sophomore season, which featured an 11-1 record, a Top-Five final ranking and Texas' first BCS Bowl win in the Rose Bowl over Michigan. Following his collegiate career, Ross was selected 20th overall by the New York Giants in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was a member of two Super Bowl Champion teams with the Giants in the 2007 and 2011 seasons, while also playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens before his career was cut short by injuries. Prior to that, he played in 83 career games with 52 starts, including 24 in the Giants' Super Bowl seasons (15, 2011/9, 2007), while posting seven of his 11 career interceptions those years (4, 2011/3, 2007). Ross was an all-state selection out of John Tyler High School in Tyler, Texas, after originally attending Fox Tech High School in San Antonio. He is married to former Longhorn track & field star and four-time Olympic gold medalist, Sanya Richards-Ross.
Terri Turner, Track & Field (1983-86)
Terri Turner is one of the best jumpers to ever compete for the Longhorns and her school records in the triple jump still stand 30 years following the conclusion of her collegiate career. During her time with the Longhorns, Turner was a two-time NCAA individual champion, a 12-time All-American and won a total of 15 Southwest Conference titles combined among the triple jump, 400 meters, 600 yards and the relay events. As a sophomore at the 1984 NCAA Outdoor Championships, she won her first NCAA individual title in the triple jump. During her sophomore season, Turner set the world record in the triple jump on March 24, 1984 in Austin at the Texas Relays and broke her own mark again on April 13, 1984 during a meet in Baton Rouge, La. The Longhorns posted runner-up finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 1985 with Turner scoring points in the triple jump and relays. Turner helped the Longhorns sweep the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor team titles in 1986, as she claimed her second individual national title at the outdoor meet after placing second at the indoor championship. In addition, she ran on the runner-up 4x400 relay indoors and the third-place 4x100 relay team outdoors at the national meets in 1986. Turner also played a role in the team sweeping SWC team titles in 1985 and 1986. In recognition of her collegiate career, Turner was named to the SWC All-Decade First Team both indoors and out. She still holds the school records in the indoor triple jump (44-2.50) and the outdoor triple jump (44-9.75).
