Bonham -- The crowd attending the 17th Annual Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame February 20 learned who would be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year and they also learned that two universities are considering showcasing a college football game at Bonham Warrior Stadium in 2011.
If plans can be ironed out, the Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions and the Southeast Oklahoma State University Storm could possibly play their annual Red River Rumble in Bonham in 2011.
Texas A&M University-Commerce athletic director Carlton Cooper and Dr. Randy McBroom, a vice president at Texas A&M University-Commerce, both attended the annual banquet.
This year's inductees into the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame included a former Chicago White Sox pitcher, a former athlete, coach and career educator, a defensive coordinator that has played an important role in four state football championships and a girls track team that brought home a state championship trophy.
Theodore (Ted) Blankenship's entry into the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame was delayed because he was one of the old timers who reached the professional ranks in the early 1920s and very little information is available. However, the induction committee was able to glean enough facts to ascertain that this man is more than deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Blankenship was born in Bonham in May 1901 and later developed into an impressive right-hand pitcher that the Chicago White Sox signed in 1921. The 6' 1", 170-pound pitcher was a mainstay in the White Sox rotation. His best year was 1925 when he won 17 games. Blankenship remained in the big leagues until 1930 and later died at the young age of 43 in January 1945 in Atoka, Oklahoma.
The next inductee was Ray William Taylor, a 1929 graduate of Three P High School located just south of Bonham.
A solid high school athlete, Taylor went on to coach at several schools in Fannin County, including Gober, Honey Grove and Bonham. The last nine years of his career was as a Bonham ISD principal.
Lewis Paul Faith, better known as "Butch," was the next athlete inducted into the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame. The son of Lewis E. and Elsie Faith, Butch was born in Fort Worth and the family relocated to Bonham in the 1950s.
A 1964 Bonham High School graduate, Faith was a starter as a sophomore and earned all-district honors his junior and senior seasons. Faith and his teammates will always be remembered for their role in helping Bonham High School head coach Jack McElhannon turn the Warriors into a premier program during the late 1960s.
Greg Miller, born in 1968 in Denison, Texas to Joe David and Donna Miller and a 1987 Bonham High School graduate, earned his spot in the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame as defensive coordinator of the renowned Katy High School football team.
After graduating from Texas A&M, Miller started his coaching career at Wichita Falls High School. He would spend four years coaching in Wichita Falls and four years coaching in Kerrville before moving up to Class 5A football at Katy High School. Katy went on to win four state titles and in 10 years has never finished worse than area finalists, putting together an enviable 50-6 playoff record.
The fourth team ever to be inducted into the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame was the legendary 1989 Bonham High School girls state champion track team. Bonham only had four girls that qualified for the state meet, but those four Lady Warriors amassed 66 points to dominate Class 3A competition. The second-place team could only manage 36 points.
In addition to winning the 800-meter relay, the '89 Lady Warriors won the 400-meter relay. Michelle took first place in the 100-meter dash and placed second in the long jump and triple jump. Cortez placed in the 200-meter dash.
But Cortez Mills, Renee Cary Wiggins, Michelle Johnson Williams and Lisa Rayford Wilkerson didn't just win the 800-meter relay; they set a state record that lasted 12 years until Wilmer-Hutchins dropped down to Class 3A and finally eclipsed the mark set by the speedy quartet from Bonham.
"The handoffs weren't real pretty," former Bonham girls head track coach Karen Sleger recalled, "but those girls could fly."
And 21 years haven't dimmed Coach Sleger's memory of watching Cortez, Renee, Michelle and Lisa destroy competition at "the big house" during the state championship meet at Memorial Stadium in Austin.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about that 1989 track team," Sleger said.
