Five new members of the Gordon Wood Hall of Champions were welcomed and honored Saturday night at an induction ceremony hosted at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church’s Connection Center.
Those who have played important roles in Brownwood sports were honored including Eddie Gill, Bill Stovall, Colby Freeman, Roy Spence, and Dallas Huston.
Dr. Don Newbury introduced each inductee and outlined their contribution to the Brownwood Lions. Plaques honoring each new member of the Hall of Champions will be placed in the Gordon Wood Hall of Champions Museum located in the second floor of the Depot’s Harvey House.
The intent of the Gordon Wood Hall of Champions Museum is to honor Coach Gordon Wood for his championship service, and in addition, the winning spirit exemplified in his protegee, those young men who distinguished themselves both on and off the field, who are true champions.
Bios and videos of each inductee’s acceptance speeches are below. Pictured at top from left to right – Eddie Gill, Roy Spence, Dallas Huston, Colby Freeman, and Mitch Stovall.
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Eddie Gill
Eddie Gill was a 1978 graduate and a multisport athlete who played football, basketball and track and field. He started for Coach Wood’s ’75, ’76 and ’77 squads. In ’75, Eddie was part of Coach Wood’s 300th victory while playing defensive tackle. In ’76, Gill was an All District performer on defense on a state ranked team that lost a close second round game. In ’77, the Lions made a little BHS history by being picked fourth in an always tough district and winding up playing for a State Title versus Dickinson.
As a two-way starter, Gill helped set scoring records that stood until 2010. He also was named First Team All State and later played in the THSCA All Star Game and The Oil Bowl All Star Game. Eddie’s biggest honor that year, however, was being named as a Captain of the ’77 squad, a team that overachieved with the leadership of the coaches at BHS.
Eddie played college ball at UNM, playing as a true freshman; and then started at center as a sophomore. He then transferred to Angelo State and started for two years at defensive tackle. Gill tried the USFL, but found his calling to be coaching.
Eddie is currently in his 29th year of coaching, at schools ranging from 2A to NCAA Division 1 and everything in between. Eddie is in his 21st year of being an Athletic Director/Head Football Coach, named District Coach of the Year six different times, along with All-Texoma Coach twice and Rival.com 3A DFW Area Coach of the Year.
Eddie’s greatest joy in coaching has been the relationships developed with players and coaches; something he attributes to Coach Wood and the privilege of being a Brownwood Lion.
Eddie is married to Kay and they have two children: Jade, their daughter, who was a 2010 Whitesboro graduate and attended CFNI (Christ for Nations Institute) in Dallas; and Jordan, their son, who will graduate from Whitesboro in 2012 and will study engineering and play football in college.
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Bill Stovall
What he liked was football, especially Brownwood High School Football. The offers came from large newspapers, but he refused. Covering the teams of Gordon Wood and Morris Southall was far more exciting than the larger sports desks could offer.
In the 1960s, Bill Stovall, a college graduate with a business degree and no journalism background, began to carve his name in Texas high school sports. As Wood and Southall turned the Brownwood program into one for the record books, Bill provided the coverage with accuracy and intelligence. During the decade there were four state championships and seven district titles.
The 1980s brought only one state championship, but it brought even more as he was able to follow his son, Mitch, an offensive lineman, on the teams of ’87, ’88, and ’89. No one could have handled the intricate requirements of writing about one’s own son with more class. Bill was a proud father who knew his son’s abilities would speak for themselves.
After 38 years of travel, working six days a week, amassing an average work week of 70 hours, Bills health forced him to retire in 1996. He did, however, continue to write the Friday night games. A writer who never threw a story together because he knew he was writing about kids’ dreams, he worked every player’s name into the story, even if that young man saw only concluding minutes of a game.
Maybe he was from Brownwood, that small central Texas town, but Bill’s encyclopedia knowledge of Texas high school football resulted in him often being contacted for information by large market newspapers and national publications such as Sports Illustrated.
Bill was a great writer, remembered for his quick wit, his integrity and his fairness. His excellent work resulted in many honors over the years, some of which included Lone Star Conference Sportswriter of the year in 1967 for his outstanding coverage of Howard Payne and the Lone Star Conference; 1977 Texas High School Coaches Association Texas High School Sportswriter of the Year; 1982 Central Texas Sportswriter of the Year; and in 1990, once again, Bill was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in Waco, and in 2000 he was indicted into the Howard Payne Sports Hall of Fame.
Bill Stovall died much too soon, May 1, 1997. His family-wife Francis, daughter Stephanie, and son Mitch, daughter-in-law Shanna and grandchildren Abby and Si – embrace the honor of his being inducted into the Gordon Wood Hall of Champions. Bill’s son Mitch spoke on behalf of the family.
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Colby Freeman
Colby Freeman is a 1999 graduate of Brownwood High School. He was a four year Letterman for the Brownwood Lions in football and track. The Lions claimed two district titles and three playoff runs during his tenure, including two Area Round appearances in District Quarterback, being honored as the Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, the 1st Team Quarterback as a sophomore and the Most Valuable Player his junior and senior seasons. Colby was honored by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football as the Quarterback of the 1998 Super Team. He was a three time selection to the AAAA All State Teams including First Team selections in 1998 by the Associated Press and the Texas Sports Writers Association and the Top Quarterback in class AAAA. He was honored by the Fort Worth Star Telegram and the Abilene Reporter News, The San Angelo Standard Times and Regional News Station for various Player of the Year Awards.
Colby was selected to play as quarterback in the Texas High school Coaches Association All Star Game and also represented the Brownwood Lion Program in the Shriner’s California vs. Texas All Star Game hosted by the City of Los Angeles, of which Colby was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player. He was honored to be part of various high school All American Teams, including USA Today, Tom Lemmings Prep Team and was a Top 200 National Blue Chip Recruit. He was selected as the Nations Southwest Region Super Prep Offensive Player of the Year.
Colby was a four year starter to the UIL AAAA Regional Track and Field Meet, competing throughout his high school career in the 4×100 Meter Relay, the 400 Meter Dash and the 200 Meter Dash. He was a part of the 1998 Brownwood Lion District Track and Field Championship Team.
Colby was an active member and officer of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Brownwood high School, active with the BHS Choices Program, a participant in the infamous Brownwood High School musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and was a Selection to the Texas Boys State.
Colby signed a football scholarship with Texas A & M University in 1999. The Aggies were competing in the Big 12 Conference and made two bowl bids during this time. He made a move to Abilene Christian University in 2001. While at ACU, he was a two year Team Captain, two time All Lone Star Conference Quarterback Selection, Lone Star Conference South Champion and led the South Division in passing yardage in 2002. Colby was selected to the National College Division II All Star Game in 2004. Colby completed his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from ACU in 2004.
Colby and his wife, Courtney, also a graduate of Brownwood high School, have four daughters: Averie 8, Gracie 7, Kennadie 4, and Jersie 1. Colby is the son of former Brownwood Lion Head Coach and Athletic Director Steve Freeman and wife Jani. Colby’s younger sister, Kelsi, was a cheerleader for Brownwood High School and graduated in 2001. His younger brother, Kirby, was a BHS football and track athlete and graduated in 2004. Colby and his family reside in the Lantana area between Denton and Flower Mound. Colby represents Smith & Nephew Orthopedics and is the District Manager for Orthopedics, covering the North Texas and Oklahoma territories. Colby is proud to be a Brownwood Lion.
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Roy Spence
Roy Spence was a star on Coach Wood’s 1965 State Championship Team and was a captain on the outstanding 1966 Lions team that lost the district championship to Vernon in the final game of the year, after the Lions were riddled with game-ending injuries to key players. Roy was a brilliant, hard working defensive back and a talented, inspirational leader at quarterback.
Obviously, Roy was an outstanding athlete, garnering All District and All Area honors, but perhaps his greatest contribution to the success of Coach Wood’s teams was in his outstanding leadership. Roy played with intelligence, purpose and incredible intensity. He wanted to play every down with perfect concentration and execution, and he wanted to motivate his fellow players on the field to do the same. The force of his purpose and intensity made every Lion player on the field a better football player.
Roy could establish the momentum of a game with that purpose and intensity. A perfect example of Roy’s leadership and ability to influence a game is reflected in Coach Wood’s account of the 1965 State Championship game against Bridge City. Bridge City’s biggest weapon was Steve Worster, their 6’1”, 210 pound running back, who was a 10.5 sprinter. In his book, Coach Wood describes the action this way: “On the first play from scrimmage, Worster took the handoff from Redbird quarterback Joe Langston and started around the right end. As Worster turned to cut upfield, Lion cornerback Roy Spence, who didn’t weight more than 155 pounds, came flying in to tackle Worster. Spence delivered a crushing blow right at the knees and the hard impact echoed all across the playing field. Our cornerback’s punishing blow set the tone for Brownwood’s game. On 24 carries, the heralded Worster gained only 87 yards. Brownwood 14, Bridge City 0.
Roy’s intelligence, passion, and purpose served him well after his days on the football field. After graduation from the University of Texas, Roy and his partners founded GSD&M and took their start-up company to a national and leading marketing, communications and advertising company. Under Roy’s leadership, his agency has helped grow some of the world’s most successful brands: Southwest Airlines, Wal-Mart, John Deere, Kohler, Hallmark, Lennox, AT&T, DreamWorks, the PGA Tour, BMW, the U.S. AirForce and LLBean-just to name a few. The words “Don’t Mess With Texas” and “You are now free to move about the country” now have a special meaning because of Roy’s creativity.
Perhaps most important to citizens of Brownwood is Roy Spence’s gift to this community: “Brownwood, it feels like home.” The Brownwood Reunion was conceived by Roy and his GSD&M colleagues, and implemented with the help of Brownwood’s hometown leaders. Roy’s friends/clients over the years comprise and impressive list: Ann Richards, George H. W. Bush, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Sam Walton, Herb Kelleher, just to name a very few. Roy’s work has been honored over the years by being named Ad Man of the Year, Idea Man of the Century and University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus, among many other honors. Roy is now in great demand as a keynote speaker, and his books (2006) The Amazing Faith of Texas, and new book It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For are inspirational and entertaining must-reads.
Roy and his wife, Mary, have been married 33 years and have three children-Courtney, Ashley and Shay.
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Dallas Huston
When you hear Dallas Huston’s voice, that great, recognizable voice, you think Brownwood sports. The passion and professionalism of Dallas Huston announced sporting event has been a gift to Brownwood sports fans since the early 1960’s. Dallas has had offers to move to bigger markets, and with his talent there’s no telling where his career would have taken him, but his love of the Brownwood Lions and Howard Payne Yellow Jackets made him realize that his true happiness in life lay in remaining here in Brownwood and working with Gordon Wood, Morris Southall and the other outstanding Brownwood High School and Howard Payne coaches.
Coach Bob Shipley says of Dallas: “I’ve been all over this state, from Class 1A to 5A, and Dallas is the most professional and the number one guy in the state of Texas for doing high school football. He’s just a legend and it’s been an incredible experience for me to be able to work with him. Dallas is not a small-market guy. I’d put him up against anybody, because he calls the game as he sees it – good, bad or ugly. He relates what he sees over the radio in a way that people feel like they’re watching the game. He’s one of a kind.”
Former Lion Coach Steve Freeman said it very well: “The Brownwood Lions with Dallas Huston as opposed to without Dallas Huston would be two completely different scenarios. Dallas is that special to the program and he’s that special to the entire town.”
In 2005, the “Walk of Champions” at Gordon Wood Stadium was conceived, designed and constructed by Coach Steve Freeman, with help from coaches, players, family and friends and was dedicated in honor of Dallas Huston.
Dallas has received many honors for his work over the years. He was named Best High School Sportscaster in Texas in 1999 by Texas Monthly Magazine; named “Sportscaster of the Year” four times by the Lone Star Conference, once by the American Southwest Conference and twice honored by the Texas High School Coaches Association.
Dallas was inducted into the Howard Payne University Sports Hall of Fame in 1998; awarded 2004 “Extra Inning” award by the Texas Teenage Baseball Association; featured on “Texas Country Reporter” in 2006; inducted into Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007; received Howard Payne University 2008 Alumni Medal of Service Award, presented Honorary Doctorate of Humanities Degree from Howard Payne in 2008; and with the only play-by-play voice used in the Texas Museum of History 2001 Exhibit on The History of Texas High School Football.
Dallas is currently Pastor of Center City Baptist Church, hosts a weekly Christian sports show on KOXE radio and also conducts a weekly men’s Bible Study in Brownwood.
Dallas is married to wife Linda and they have four children and 10 grandchildren.
