CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Four people that started their athletic adventures in the Coastal Bend will now be forever remembered here.
“Having something like this, our hope, is that they don’t forget,” Visit Corpus Christi CEO and President Brett Oetting said.
The first class of the Coastal Bend Sports Hall of Fame has now been inducted, at an event that took place at the American Bank Center.
These are the four inductees:
The winningest coach in Texas High School football, for the Calallen Wildcats, Phil Danaher.
A stunt woman and speedster that set numerous speed records on land and on water, born in Corpus Christi, Kitty O’Neil.
An NFL Hall of Famer and All-American offensive lineman in college at what is now Texas A&M Kingsville, from Robstown High School, Gene Upshaw.
A five time Olympian in track and field, Calallen Graduate, Amy Acuff
The families of O'Neil and Upshaw were in attendance to receive the honor. Danaher was unable to attend and his family accepted the honor for him.
Amy Acuff returned to the Coastal Bend for the first time in a while. She was happy for the experience, but even happier her parents could come with her.
"My parents, they love sports, they drove me around to my practices and track meets and sat in the hot stands when it was 102 degrees," Acuff said.
She hopes young athletes can look to her as an example of what you can become, especially from the coastal bend. She hopes the Hall of Fame can serve as a reminder to the young athletes.
“I'm a big fan of youth sports," Acuff said. "I think it’s great in every respect for mind, body, spirit for kids. The more we can involve the youth its going to be good for them and good for everybody.”
Area high school athletes, college athletes and sporting organizations were also honored during the event. Several awards were handed out for categories like moment of the year, high school athlete of the year and sporting event of the year.
“We hope that we can honor them here while they’re young, they grow up, they be great athletes. Maybe they make a hall of fame in their own sport, but they remember where they came from,” Oetting said.
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