Tom Tellez to be Inducted into Southwest Conference Hall of Fame Monday

Tellez is one of nine inductees included in first class since 1995



Houston's legendary coach Tom Tellez will be inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame Monday.
Oct. 24, 2013

HOUSTON - Just a few days after his 80th birthday celebration, Tom Tellez will join the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame Monday as a member of the first induction class since 1995.

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame (TSHOF) will honor the former University of Houston track and field head coach at an induction ceremony and luncheon Monday at the Double Tree Hotel, Campbell Center, in Dallas.

"It kind of shocked me at first because it's been a while [since the SWC]," Tellez said. "But, it's really a nice feeling for people to recognize me and I appreciate it very much."

Tellez joins Jay Arnette (Texas), Bob Brock (Texas A&M), Frank Broyles (Arkansas), Rick Bullock (Texas Tech), Trevor Cobb (Rice), Jerry Mallett (Baylor), Gene Phillips (SMU) and Frank Windegger (TCU) in the first induction class since 1995.

Cougar great Carl Lewis was one of the first successful athletes from Houston to be coached by Tellez. He agrees no one is more deserving of this award than Coach Tellez.

"[Coach Tellez] was the greatest track and field coach of the 20th century - bar none - and he was mine," Carl Lewis said.

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ABOUT COACH TELLEZ
Coach Tellez served as Houston's track and field head coach for 23 seasons. He led Houston to many conference championships, and national championships while producing high quality athletes.

During his tenure, Tellez led the Houston track and field program to 36 individual NCAA Championships, six men's team conference championships, seven women's team conference championships, and five top ten team finishes at NCAA Championships. He has also led the Cougar athletes to 226 individual conference championships and produced 81 All-Americans.






His former Cougars include four-time NCAA champion and nine-time Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis, former NCAA and Olympic 200-meter Gold Medalist Joe DeLoach, two-time NCAA champion and Olympic Silver medalist Kirk Baptiste and three-time NCAA champion, Olympic Bronze Medalist Frank Rutherford and Olympic Gold Medal winner and three-time NCAA champion and former world 100-meter record holder Leroy Burrell.
Tellez played an integral role in creating the women's track and field team. He coached three-time NCAA heptathlon champion Jolanda Jones, three-time NCAA long jump champion and USA Olympic team member Carol Lewis, USA Olympic sprinter Jackie Washington and NCAA 200-meter champion Michelle Collins.

Along with producing many Olympians, Tellez served as a coach for team USA during the 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics working with the jumps and throws athletes.

ABOUT THE SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE HALL OF FAME
The TSHOF recently reinitiated the SWC Hall of Honor and renamed it the SWC Hall of Fame. After the disbandment of the SWC, the TSHOF was handed over legal rights. Going forward, each school will have its own selection committee to select the individuals to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Those who were inducted into the SWC Hall of Honor will be "grandfathered" into the recreated SWC Hall of Fame.

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Courtesy Houston