Dr. Tommy Davis named to Southland Hall of Honor
5/17/2010 3:48:00 PM | Football
The 34th, 35th and 36th inductees into the Hall of Honor will be enshrined as the Class of 2010 during the Southland Conference's annual Honors Ceremony and Dinner June 3 at the San Luis Resort in Galveston, Texas.
Davis is the second Sam Houston State Bearkat to be named to the Southland Hall of Honor. Former football coach and athletic director Ron Randleman was inducted in 2005.
As a former football student-athlete at Sam Houston State, Davis was a long-time faculty athletics representative for his alma mater. Hillman was a baseball student-athlete at UT Arlington and is the current manager of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals. Tubbs is currently the director of athletics at Lamar and is a former coach and student-athlete at the school.
"We are thrilled to add three more Southland legends to the Hall of Honor," league commissioner Tom Burnett said. "Trey, Billy and Tommy represent the successful student-athlete, the accomplished coach and the esteemed administrator, the three elements that have made this a great conference for nearly half a century. We are honored and excited about the Class of 2010, and look forward to a great induction ceremony on June 3."
Davis has played an integral role in the development of both academics and athletics at Sam Houston State and in the Southland Conference. He served both his university and conference with class and character, serving as president of the Southland Conference during a time he oversaw the addition of Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin and Texas State into the league. It was the largest single induction since the formation of the conference in 1964.
"This is a surprise and truly an honor," Davis said. "To be included among the names of the outstanding individuals in the Hall of Honor is remarkable. Working closely with athletics during all these years has been a privilege and joy."
A graduate of Sam Houston State, Davis received his bachelor's of science and master's of arts in Huntsville and later received his doctoral degree from the University of Texas.
In 50 years of committed service at Sam Houston State, Davis was a member of the university's athletic council for 38 years and served as its chair for nine years. Davis has served as president and vice president of the conference's advisory committee and was a member of the NCAA committee on athletic certification. He has even served as the official clock operator for football and basketball at Sam Houston State since 1965.
Davis contributed in several other notable areas including the alumni scholarship committee for fi ve years, the women's advisory committee for three years and the student service fee allocations committee for 13 years. He has been a member of the Sam Houston State faculty senate for 12 years, serving one year as its president. Davis has also served as the president of the Texas Association of College Teachers and as a member of the Mathematical Association of America.
A member of the Bearkat Hall of Honor, Davis was named to the all-Texas and NAIA All-America football teams and was listed as an Outstanding Young Man in America. Davis' commitment to excellence was evident early on as a freshman walkon in football at Sam Houston State. He was a four-year starter and played on both offense and defense helping the Bearkats to two bowl victories during his playing days.
Davis' community activities included president of the YMCA board, seven years on the State of Texas Lawyer Grievance Committee, six years on the City of Huntsville Board of Adjustments and Appeals, president of the Bearkat Club, president of the Kat Pack, 15 years as a UIL regional athletic director, 26 years as a Democratic precinct chairman and election judge, United Fund board, HEARTS Veterans Museum Board, East Texas Folk Festival board, and chair of the administrative board of the First United Methodist Church of Huntsville.
Hillman was one of the greatest players in the 41-year history of the UT Arlington baseball program. His .442 batting average in 1985 led the Southland Conference and remains the top single-season batting average in school and the second-best average in conference history.
He became the 15th manager in the history of the Royals on Oct. 19, 2007, and is in his third season as manager of the club. In his first two seasons, Hillman won 140 games, which is the most wins during the first two seasons by a Royals. He was named an assistant coach for the 2009 MLB All-Star Game.
Tubbs has been a part of Lamar athletics as a player, assistant coach, ticket manager, head coach and director of athletics, for 25 years. He was involved in the winning of eight conference championships as a coach, and since his return to the school as athletics director in 2002, Lamar teams have accounted for 20 Southland Conference championships in eight different sports.
His first stint as the head coach at Lamar was from 1976-80. Tubbs made his fi rst big national splash with Lamar in 1979, when his Cardinals upset 17th-ranked Detroit in the NCAA tournament before losing to eventual national champion Michigan State. The next season, the Cardinals upended both No. 17 Weber State and No. 5 Oregon State in the West Regional to earn Lamar's only trip to the Sweet 16, before falling to Clemson.
That success opened a door for him at Oklahoma, where he coached until 1994. He reached the pinnacle of his career in 1987-88 when he guided the Sooners to the NCAA championship game. In 1994, he became the head coach at Texas Christian where and served until 2002. Tubbs returned to Lamar in 2002 as athletic director and again served as the men'sbasketball coach from 2003-06.
The Southland Conference Hall of Honor, established to recognize individuals who have played an instrumental role in the history, growth and development of the conference, inducted its fi rst members in 1999. For more information on the Hall of Honor and its past inductees, visit www.southland.org .
