CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — What do Eugene Upshaw, Kitty O'Neil, Phil Danaher, and Amy Acuff have in common?
They're all legends from the Coastal Bend who've done amazing things in athletics. They will be the first to be inducted into the Corpus Christi Sports Commission's "Coastal Bend Hall of Fame during a special event at the American Bank Center. The Sports Commission made the announcement during a press conference Friday morning.
The commission plans to hold their Inaugural Sports Hall of Fame and Awards Show on June 6. During the big event, they plan to commemorate the locals sports community and its significant impact on the Coastal Bend region.
During Friday's news conference, the C.C. Sports Commission Executive Director Joey Jewell announced the commission will induct four people.
These people include NFL great and Robstown native Eugene Upshaw, racecar driver and stuntwoman Kitty O'Neil, former Calallen Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Phil Danaher and track and field star Amy Acuff.
Jewell said this event gives the Sports Commission the opportunity to pay the community back.
"Corpus Christi is often times by Houston and San Antonio, Austin and Dallas and Fort Worth but we have just as many legends if not more that are specifically from our region and from our area. So, is an opportunity to really show the future generations of what they can do also," Jewell said.
The Sports Commission said an awards committee will select nominees for the following:
- High School Athlete of the Year (male and female)
- Sports Event of the Year
- Coastal Bend Athlete of the Year
- High School Athlete of the Year (per sport)
Meanwhile, the public will be able to nominate on other categories like Athlete with Heart, Moment of the Year, Coastal bend Team of the Year, Rising Star, Comeback Story of the Year, and Pride of Corpus Christi. You can nominate athletes for those categories, by clicking here.
