NEWS RELEASE

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF STATE HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS

PO Box 690, Indianapolis, IN 46206

317-972-6900, FAX 317.822.5700/www.nfhs.org

Sean Elliott, Ty Detmer Headline 2005 Hall of Fame Class

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bruce Howard

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (March 24, 2005) — Sean Elliott, a high school and college star in Arizona who played 11 years with the Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Ty Detmer, a record-setting at Southwest High School in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1980s who recently completed his 13th season in the (NFL), head a list of 13 individuals selected for induction into the 2005 class of the National High School Hall of Fame July 2 in San Antonio. Other former high school athletes selected for the 2005 class are Chad Hennings, a standout football player and wrestler at Benton Community High School in Van Horne, Iowa, in the early 1980s who later played on three Super Bowl teams with the ; LaTaunya Pollard, 1979 Miss Basketball in Indiana after an outstanding four-year career at Roosevelt High School in East Chicago, Indiana; and Patty Sheehan, a three-time state golf champion at Wooster High School in Reno, , in the early 1970s who later won 35 events on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour. Sheehan is the first individual from Nevada to selected for the Hall of Fame. These former outstanding high school athletes, along with three coaches, one contest official, two administrators and two individuals in the fine arts field, will be inducted into the 23rd class of the National High School Hall of Fame July 2 at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, site of the National Federation of State High School Associations’ (NFHS) 86th annual Summer Meeting. The National High School Hall of Fame was started in 1982 by the NFHS to honor high school athletes, coaches, contest officials, administrators, fine arts coaches/directors and others for their extraordinary achievements and accomplishments in high school athletics. This year’s class increases the number in the Hall of Fame to 314. Jerry Popp, who won 15 North Dakota state boys cross country championships and 23 state girls cross country championships in 29 years at Bowman (North Dakota) High School, is one of three coaches

selected for induction this year. Other coaches chosen for the 2005 class include Bill Gentry, who won 305 games and three state championships in 38 years as football coach at Highland High School and Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Bob Wood, who won 27 state championships in 37 years as tennis coach at University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. Jerry Hall, who officiated the sports of football and basketball for almost 40 years in Arkansas, is the lone official selected for the 2005 class. Hall, who also served 25 years as associate director of the Arkansas Activities Association, is the 47th contest official to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. Two former state high school association executive directors were chosen for this year’s class, including Sandy Scott, the first female to head a state association on a full-time basis. Scott served the New York State Public High School Athletic Association for 26 years, including the last 11 (1990-2000) as executive director. Also selected in the Administrator category was Earl Gillespie, a member of the Virginia High School League staff for 34 years who served as executive director from 1986 until his retirement in 1994. Fine arts inductees for 2005 include Donus Roberts, director of the speech activities program at Watertown (South Dakota) High School for 39 years (1961-99), and Betty Whitlock, who will be retiring in June after 30 years as speech/debate/drama coach at Clinton (Mississippi) High School. Roberts and Whitlock are the third and fourth individuals, respectively, in the fine arts field to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was expanded to include fine arts in 2003. The 13 individuals were chosen for the National High School Hall of Fame after a two-level selection process involving a screening committee composed of active high school administrators, coaches and officials, and a final selection committee composed of coaches, former athletes, state association officials, media representatives and educational leaders. Nomination were made through member state high school athletic/activity associations. Following are biographical sketches on the 13 inductees in the 2005 class of the National High School Hall of Fame: ATHLETES

Ty Detmer – Texas

Ty Detmer lettered in five sports (football, basketball, baseball, golf and track) at Southwest High School in San Antonio, Texas, from 1983 to 1986, but his football performances gained him

state and national headlines. Playing quarterback for his father, Sonny, Detmer passed for 8,005 yards, which included a one-season best of 3,551 yards as a junior. Detmer completed 506 of 910 passes, including 71 touchdowns in his high school career, and registered 557 yards passing in one game. He earned All-America and Texas Player of the Year honors in football as a senior, and he was an all-state selection in baseball. Detmer’s collegiate football career was even more phenomenal. As a quarterback at , Detmer won the in 1990 as a junior and was third in the voting in 1991. He set 59 NCAA records, including most touchdown passes (121), most yards passing (15,031), most completions (958), most attempts (1,530) and most yards total offense (14,653). In a game against San Diego State as a senior, Detmer passed for 599 yards and six touchdowns. Detmer was a two-time winner of the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback, and he was a two-time All-America selection as well. In 1990, he received the as the nation’s top college football player. At the professional level, Detmer has played for six teams during his 13-year NFL career. Currently a member of the , Detmer’s best season was with the in 1996 when he completed 238 of 401 passes for 2,911 yards and 15 touchdowns. For his career, Detmer has passed for 6,351 yards and 34 touchdowns. In addition to Philadelphia and Atlanta, Detmer has played for Green Bay, San Francisco, Cleveland and Detroit.

Sean Elliott – Arizona Long before he was helping the win the 1999 NBA championship, Sean Elliott was one of the brightest basketball stars in Arizona schoolboy history. As a senior at Cholla High School in Tucson in the 1984-85 season, Elliott scored 844 points and averaged 31.3 points per game to help his team to a 24-3 record and a semifinal berth in the state tournament. Both marks were single-season records at that time in Arizona’s Class 5A (large class). Elliott was a two-time selection to the Arizona Super All-State team and was selected Arizona’s high school player of the year in 1985. He was selected to Arizona’s 20th Century Super Seven team and made four All-America teams (McDonald’s, Converse, adidas and ). The gymnasium at Cholla High School is named after Elliott.

Elliott then played four years for at the (1986-89) and helped the Wildcats to four consecutive NCAA playoff berths, including one Final Four in 1988. He is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,555 points, good for a 19.2 points-per-game average. He left Arizona as the Pacific-10 Conference’s all-time leading scorer, though that mark has since been eclipsed. Elliott was a two-time, first-team All-America selection by the Associated Press, and he was chosen National Player of the Year for the 1988-89 season. Success continued for Elliott during his 12-year professional career. He spent 11 of his 12 NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, scoring almost 10,000 points and averaging 14.4 points per game. He is the team’s all-time leader in three- field goals made and attempted, and fourth in points. He appeared in 85 playoff games, second most to . The nation took notice of Elliott in 1999. Two months after helping the Spurs to the NBA title, Elliott underwent a successful kidney transplant in San Antonio, receiving a new kidney from his brother, Noel. Amazingly, Elliott was back on the court in March 2000 and played in 19 games that season and 52 games in 2000-01 before announcing his retirement. He was the first player in league history to return to action following a major organ transplant. Since his retirement, Elliott has been an NBA broadcaster for ESPN and ABC, and this year has been the Spurs’ television analyst. On March 6 of this year, Elliott became the fifth Spurs’ player to have his number (No. 32) retired, following David Robinson, James Silas, Johnny Moore and George Gervin.

Chad Hennings – Iowa

Chad Hennings has been an outstanding athlete at every level of sport as well as an exemplary citizen through his service in the Armed Forces, and his success began as a two-sport star at Benton Community High School in Van Horne, Iowa. In football, Hennings was a three-year starter at defensive tackle, earning all-conference honors twice and all-state honors as a senior. He was captain of his team as a senior and played in the All-Star Shrine game in 1984. In wrestling, Hennings was a two-time state meet qualifier and won the state heavyweight championship in 1984. He was 31-0 as a senior wrestler, won

five tournaments and allowed only two match points against him during the state tournament series. Hennings was a member of the National Honor Society and was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2001 for his high school accomplishments. At the college level, Hennings was a consensus first-team All-America in 1987 at the U.S. Air Force Academy and claimed the 1987 Outland Trophy. He was named Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Decade and was a two-time Academic All-American. Prior to and during his nine-year career as a defensive tackle with the Dallas Cowboys, which included three Super Bowl rings, Hennings fulfilled his military commitment. He flew 45 missions over Iraq in an A-10 Thunderbolt II in support of Operation Desert Storm/Operation Provide Comfort. He then served as a major in the Air Force Reserves and as a national spokesperson for the U.S. military. Other honors include induction into the Iowa High School Football Hall of Fame and the GTE Academic Hall of Fame. Today, Hennings devotes much of time to ministry, charity work and working with kids.

LaTaunya Pollard – Indiana

LaTaunya Pollard was one of the most dominating players in Indiana girls basketball history – perhaps in all states across the country – during her days at Roosevelt High School in East Chicago, Indiana. Pollard compiled yearly per-game scoring averages of 18, 24, 24 and 26 from 1976 to 1979 in helping her teams to a combined mark of 92-2 and two state championships. Her team’s only losses in four years were in the state tournament. In the 1977 state tournament, Pollard scored 54 points in one day – 36 in the morning game and 18 in the evening game – the second-highest one-day mark in state history. Pollard, who never missed a game in four years, was chosen Miss Basketball in Indiana after her senior season, was most valuable player in the McDonald’s all-star game and was named to the list of Indiana’s 50 greatest basketball players. She was one of only two females chosen for this prestigious honor.

At California State University, Long Beach, Pollard helped her teams to a four-year combined mark of 102-26 while compiling yearly per-game scoring averages of 21, 24, 26 and 29. She was all-conference all four years, was a three-time Kodak All-American and received the Wade Trophy. Pollard, who also never missed a game at Long Beach State, is the school’s all- time leading scorer with 3,001 points. Her 907 points as a senior in 1982-83 still ranks 10th all- time in NCAA statistical rankings. In her final college game, Pollard scored 37 points in a regional final against the University of Southern California, which had Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper, and Pam and Paula McGee and went on to win the NCAA championship. Pollard was chosen for the 1980 Olympic women’s basketball team; however, the United States boycotted the 1980 Games in Moscow. She was inducted into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. Next month, Pollard will be inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. After her collegiate career, Pollard played professionally in Italy for eight years and recorded the highest scoring average in the 73-year history of the league. She was the top scorer every year, averaging as much as 39.5 points per game in 1985, and once scored 100 points in a game. From 1990 to 1995, she averaged 36.9 points per game for Seidis Ancona.

Patty Sheehan – Nevada

As Nevada’s first inductee in the National High School Hall of Fame, Patty Sheehan was the best golfer in the state’s history and then became one of the early dominant players of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour. Sheehan won three consecutive golf titles (1972-74) at Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada, leading her team to the large-school state championship on each occasion. She followed that with four consecutive Nevada state amateur titles and two straight California state amateur crowns. In 1979, Sheehan was the runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, and the following year, she won the AIAW national championship as a member of the women’s golf

team at San Jose State University, and won all of her matches during the 1980 Curtis Cup (women’s amateur team competition). Sheehan qualified for the LPGA tour in 1980 and won her first event the following year. She has won 35 LPGA tournaments, including six majors. She won her first major tournament (LPGA Tour Championship) in 1983 and earned player-of-the-year honors. Sheehan won two U.S. Opens and one British Open title. She defended her LPGA title in 1984 with a career-best round of 63 and won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average on the tour. In 1993, Sheehan won her 30th LPGA event to qualify for the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. With her 35th tour victory in 1996, Sheehan passed the $5 million mark in career earnings After playing in four Solheim Cups (1990, 1992, 1994 and 1996), Sheehan was captain of the U.S. squad for the 2002 competition in Edina, Minnesota. Among her other honors, Sheehan has been inducted into the Wooster High School Hall of Fame; the University of Nevada, Reno, Hall of Fame; the Collegiate Golf Hall of Fame; and the Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association Hall of Fame.

COACHES

Bill Gentry – New Mexico

Bill Gentry’s success in football is unmatched in the state of New Mexico, and he is one about 70 individuals nationally to surpass 300 coaching victories in high school football. Gentry’s success was spread over five decades, beginning in 1958 at Highland High School in Albuquerque. He coached at Highland for 31 years, compiling a 245-81-5 mark and state championships in 1963, 1965 and 1986. His Highland teams finished second in the state playoffs on three other occasions (1964, 1966 and 1970), and he qualified for the state playoffs 19 of 31 years. He had only two losing seasons at Highland, and his best stretch was 1963 to 1966, when his teams were 42-2. After his remarkable run at Highland, Gentry moved to Eldorado High School, also in Albuquerque, in 1989 and had six winning seasons before retiring after the 1995 campaign. His teams were 60-20 at Eldorado, and his teams qualified for the playoffs in six of the seven years,

finishing as state runners-up in 1990 and 1991. Overall, Gentry compiled a 305-102-5 record in 38 seasons – best in the state’s history. Highly respected by coaches, athletes and fans throughout the state of New Mexico, Gentry is considered a nationally known expert on the Delaware Wing-T offense, and he has published a book sharing some of his ideas and teaching practices. In appreciation for Gentry’s contributions, the Albuquerque Football Coaches Association annually awards its top prep player the “Bill Gentry Player of the Year Award.” Gentry was named coach of the year four times (1976, 1979, 1992, 1994) by the New Mexico High School Coaches Association (NMHSCA). He was also elected to the NMHSCA Hall of Honor in 1988. Other honors include the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. In addition, he coached in the North/South All-Star Game on three occasions, and he served on the NMHSCA Board of Directors from 1978 to 1980.

Jerry Popp – North Dakota

Success as a high school cross country coach will always be measured against the standards of Jerry Popp. In 29 years as girls and boys cross country coach at Bowman (North Dakota) High School, Popp set marks that may never be touched. From 1975 until his retirement in 2003, Popp’s girls cross country teams won the North Dakota High School Activities Association state championship an amazing 23 times, which stands as the national record in the National High School Sports Record Book published by the NFHS. The Bowman girls were runners-up two other times, which means Popp’s squads placed either first or second 25 of his 29 years. While not quite as dominant, his boys cross country teams enjoyed remarkable success as well, winning 15 state championships and finishing second on eight other occasions. They placed first or second 23 of his 29 years. Popp’s girls cross country teams won 12 consecutive state titles from 1979 to 1990, good for third all-time in the National High School Sports Record Book. After finishing second in 1991,

his girls teams then won 10 straight state championships from 1992 to 2001, good for fifth nationally all-time. From 1979 to 1984, Popp’s teams won consecutive boys and girls state cross country championships, and overall he won both titles in the same year on 13 occasions. In addition to cross country, Popp also coached girls track and field and, as one might guess, he enjoyed tremendous success at that endeavor as well. His girls track teams won 22 conference championships, 18 region titles, six state championships and five state runner-up finishes. In cross country, Popp coached 20 individual state champions and 27 individual state runners-up, as well as more than 300 all-state runners. In track, he coached 35 individual state champions, who set a total of 11 state records. Popp also started the speech program at Bowman High School in 1975 and, amazingly, he coached his speech teams to 23 regional championships and 19 state titles, and he had 55 individual state champions. Among his many honors, Popp was named NFHS National Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2002 and was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) Hall of Fame in 2001. He was NHSACA National Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1993, and was inducted into the North Dakota High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1999. Popp retired following the 2003 season and moved to Minnesota to be closer to family. He currently teaches in the Wilmar, Minnesota, schools.

Bob Wood – Michigan

Bob Wood becomes the first tennis coach to be inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame for his unprecedented success at his alma mater, University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. As the boys tennis coach at University Liggett School (ULS) from 1966 to his retirement in 2002, Wood’s teams won 27 state championships and finished second eight other times in his 37-year career. His teams won 51 invitational tournaments, 30 regional championships and

compiled a 328-206 dual-match record. Wood’s teams posted 13 consecutive state titles from 1972 to 1984, good for fourth all-time nationally in the National High School Sports Record Book. In addition to seven titles won before Wood’s arrival, ULS ranks second all-time nationally with 34 state championships. Wood also coached girls tennis for two different time periods (1987-91 and 1994-2001), and in those 13 years, his teams won 12 state championships and 13 regional titles. His girls teams compiled a 131-32 dual-match record and won 22 invitational tournaments. His 1989, 1990 and 1991 teams were undefeated. Overall, Wood’s boys and girls teams won 73 invitational tournaments, 43 regional titles and 39 state championships and had a combined dual-match record of 460-238. Beyond the wins and losses and state championships, Wood did much to promote the sport of tennis in Michigan. In 1977, he founded the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association (MHSTeCA), which has a current membership of more than 320 coaches, and was instrumental in changing the Michigan high school tennis state tournament format from individual to team concept. Also in the 1970s, Wood started the annual MHSTeCA clinic, which has become one of the largest and most successful tennis clinics in the nation. Wood also served as University Liggett’s athletic director for 38 years and increased the number of sport offerings from 13 to 22 and the number of teams from 21 to 37. Wood is past president of the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) and also served on the boards of the Michigan High School Coaches Association and Michigan High School Athletic Administrators Association. He received numerous coach- of-the-year awards and was inducted into the NHSACA Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1989. He received the Allen Bush Award from the Michigan High School Athletic Association in 1993.

CONTEST OFFICIAL

Jerry Hall – Arkansas

Without a doubt, Jerry Hall has contributed more to the avocation of officiating in Arkansas than any other individual. Whether from his days as an official on the field, to the hours and hours of rules interpreters meeting or his years in the office of the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA), Hall has covered every angle of officiating. Hall began officiating football, basketball and track events in 1952 and continued those efforts for almost 40 years. He also umpired baseball in Babe Ruth and American Legion leagues. He also was a Missouri Valley Conference football official for 10 years and worked two years of basketball in the Southwest Conference. For 22 years, Hall officiated football and basketball in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. After graduating from the University of Arkansas (bachelor’s degree) and East Texas State University (master’s), Hall was an athletic director and head coach in football, basketball and track at Arkansas high schools in Fayetteville, McGehee, Malvern, Benton and Pulaski County, all while continuing officiating duties. Hall joined the AAA in 1970 as an associate director and made an immediate impact in bringing the Arkansas Officials Association (AOA) under the supervision of the AAA. Through Hall’s leadership, the AOA has grown from a few hundred members to more than 3,000. Hall was associate director of the AAA for 25 years and was involved with practically every sport sponsored by the association. For 26 years, Hall was the state rules interpreter in football, basketball, track, golf and tennis. In addition to working with the AOA throughout his career at the AAA, Hall also coordinated activities of the Arkansas High School Coaches Association. At the national level, Hall was extremely involved with NFHS rules committees. He served on the NFHS Football Rules Committee for 24 years and six years on the Football Editorial Committee. He also helped with a football rules film in 1974 and was vice chair of the Football Safety subcommittee. In addition, Hall served two terms on the NFHS Track and Field Rules Committee. Hall was a charter member of the NFHS Coaches and Officials Association and was instrumental in bringing the first NFHS national coaches and officials conference to Little Rock. He was inducted into the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Arkansas Officials Association Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the NFHS Citation in 1999.

ADMINISTRATORS

Sandy Scott – New York

Dr. Sandra Scott was at the forefront of the growth of girls athletics in New York and nationally in the 1970s, and then became the first female in the nation to lead a state athletic/activity association on a full-time basis when she became executive director of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) in 1990. Scott joined the NYSPHSAA as assistant executive secretary in 1975, moved to associate director in 1977 and served as executive director from 1990 to 2000. Prior to her full-time employment with the New York association, Scott was parliamentarian of the State Committee for Girls Athletics, then served as research chair in 1972. A 1963 graduate of Bowling Green State University, Scott received her master’s from Ohio State University in 1969 and her doctorate from Ohio State in 1971. She was a teacher in high schools in Willoughby and Columbus in Ohio and also taught at Bowling Green before moving to New York. Scott orchestrated the growth of athletics for high school boys and girls in New York, including increasing the fiscal control of state tournaments and the number of state championships that the NYSPHSAA offered. Scott also focused on safety issues as she was the founder and chair of the state’s Safety and Research Committee. She initiated the Female Athlete Triad and Wrestling Minimum Weight Certification programs. During her tenure as executive director, Scott founded the Scholar-Athlete Team Award Program, and created and edited Scholastic Athletics, a tri-annual newsletter to member schools. She also contributed 24 years to the New York State Federation of Secondary School Athletic Associations, which included a term as president. At the national level, Scott served on the NFHS Field Hockey Rules Committee, including a term as chair; the NFHS Awards Committee from 1993 to 1996; and the NFHS Equity Committee, including a term as chair in 1994-95. Among her honors, Scott was the Section 1 recipient of the NFHS Citation in 2001.

Earl Gillespie – Virginia

Perhaps no one is more responsible for the growth and success of high school sports in the state of Virginia than Earl Gillespie for his remarkable 33-year career with the Virginia High School League (VHSL). Certainly with regard to his efforts in the areas of officiating and athletic administrators, his contributions are unmatched. After serving as a coach and athletic director at Coeburn (Virginia) High School, Gillespie joined the VHSL staff in 1961 as assistant executive secretary. He served in that position for 24 years before becoming executive director in 1986 until his retirement in 1994. When Gillespie joined the VHSL staff in 1961, the league was responsible for approving about 500 officials in two sports. Gillespie developed a comprehensive recruitment and training program for officials that encompassed nine sports and nearly 5,500 officials by his retirement in 1994, meriting him the title of “Father of High School Officiating” in Virginia. Gillespie served as a basketball and football official himself during this time – 27 years as a high school basketball official and 15 years as a college basketball official. In football, he worked at the high school level for 25 years and college for 20 years. For the past 22 years, he has been a basketball officials observer for the Atlantic Coast Conference. In the area of athletic administration, Gillespie helped to create a state organization for high school athletic directors. He organized and administered workshops for Virginia athletic directors from 1968 to 1972, which led to the creation of the Virginia State High School Athletic Directors Association the following year. During Gillespie’s four decades with the VHSL, the number of state championships increased from 12 in six sports for boys only to 54 team championships in 10 sports for boys and nine sports for girls. He also secured the first catastrophic insurance coverage for student participants, oversaw construction of the first VHSL headquarters building, led an effort with the state coaches association to create the Virginia High School Hall of Fame, and initiated the league’s first corporate sponsorship program. At the national level, Gillespie served on the NFHS Football Rules Committee for 33 years, and also was a member of the Basketball Rules Committee and Baseball Rules Committee.

Gillespie served on the NFHS Executive Committee (now Board of Directors) from 1987 to 1990 and was vice president in 1989. Among his awards, Gillespie received the NFHS Award of Merit in 1995 and was honored with Distinguished Service Awards from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) and the NFHS Coaches Association. He was inducted into the Virginia High School Hall of Fame in 1994. FINE ARTS Donus Roberts – South Dakota Easily the best speech and debate coach in the history of South Dakota during his 39 years at Watertown High School, Donus Roberts’ contributions to the speech and debate world go far beyond the borders of South Dakota and the United States. During his highly successful career as debate and speech activities coach at Watertown (1961-99), Roberts’ policy debate teams won 14 state debate championships and were runners- up nine times. His students won 22 state championships in the two South Dakota extemporaneous speaking contest events. His original orators won 10 state titles. The forensics department at Watertown was ranked first in South Dakota by the National Forensic League (NFL) all 39 years of Roberts’ tenure, and the school ranked in the top five nationally for 31 consecutive years. Watertown qualified 175 students to the national tournament under Roberts’ guidance. At the state level, Roberts was a longtime member of the South Dakota High School Activities Association Speech Advisory Committee. He played a key role in writing the competition rules governing debate, speech and one-act play competition. Roberts also was a key figure in creating the Speech Communication Association of South Dakota and the South Dakota Forensic Coaches Association, and he served terms as president of both organizations. Roberts was involved extensively with the National Forensic League (NFL) throughout his career. He has been a member of the NFL’s Executive Council since 1980 and was a member of the National Debate Topic Selection Committee from 1964 to 1976. He was co-chair of the first NFL conference on the state of high school debate in 1985, and was chair of three subsequent NFL conferences in 1988, 1992 and 1996. In the 1980s, Roberts initiated a series of constitutional

amendments, personnel changes and fiscal reforms to restore the NFL to solvency and credibility. But perhaps his final contribution was his best. In 2001, Roberts was chair of the NFL committee that invented Controversy, now renamed Public Forum Debate, sponsored by Ted Turner. With support for policy debate slipping nationwide, Roberts led the charge for this new form of debate which addresses controversial topics from the headlines; attracts community audiences; stresses clear, real-world argumentation; and demands communicative speaking. This new form of debate has become popular throughout the country. Beyond all of this, Roberts could be viewed as “Mr. International Debate.” Through Roberts’ efforts, the United States Congress, the NFL, the International Debate Education Association and the U.S. Department of State established and funded a landmark exchange program enabling debate teams from Russia, China, South Africa and other nations to compete with Americans in debate and South Congress at the NFL National Tournament. Among his countless awards, Roberts was inducted into the National Forensic League’s Hall of Fame in 1987 and received the Outstanding Speech Educator Award from the NFHS Speech, Debate and Theatre Association.

Betty Whitlock – Mississippi

Betty Whitlock will be retiring this summer after an outstanding 30-year career as speech/debate/drama coach at Clinton (Mississippi) High School. A graduate of Georgetown (Kentucky) College, Whitlock was a speech coach at Mississippi Baptist High School for two years before moving to Clinton. Whitlock, who started a National Forensic League (NFL) chapter at Clinton and brought to the state its own NFL district and two Catholic Forensic League (CFL) dioceses, filled about every position available during her 30 years at Clinton, including teacher, honors English chair, creative writing sponsor, club sponsor, tutor, ACT review teacher, decathlon coach and mock trial coach. Throughout her career, Whitlock’s students have regularly qualified for the Barkley Forum, the NFL national tournament and the CFL national tournament. Her teams have won numerous

state championships and several national awards. One of Whitlock’s students was national champion in the Senate and two top presiding officers at the NFL tournament. Whitlock is a Double Diamond coach in the NFL and is close to a third Diamond. Whitlock developed a speech and debate program for the state of Mississippi by hosting four tournaments at Clinton High School in 1984. She has been a consultant for the Mississippi High School Activities Association since 1992. Whitlock has hosted two national debate workshops for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and served on the NFHS Speech Committee for four years. Ten years ago, Whitlock founded and has since directed the Stennis Novice Debate Tournament, sponsored by the Stennis Center for Public Service. For the past 19 years, she has been the primary director of the Mississippi Youth Congress sponsored by the Mississippi Speech Communication Association. Whitlock has hosted more than 100 tournaments, has directed approximately 75 plays of literary merit and spends about 20 weekends a year at invitational tournaments working with her students. Whitlock authored a textbook on dramatic interpretation that has had multiple printings. At the NFL National Congress, Whitlock has served as parliamentarian and director of the House of Representatives. In 1995, Whitlock received the Outstanding Speech Educator Award from the NFHS. In 1997, she received the Teacher of Excellence Award from the American Council of Teachers, and, in 1998, she was the outstanding NFL coach in the Mississippi Senate.

2005 National High School Hall of Fame Class

Athletes

Ty Detmer Football Southwest High School San Antonio, Texas Sean Elliott Basketball Cholla High School Tucson, Arizona Chad Hennings Football, Benton Community Van Horne, Iowa Wrestling High School LaTaunya Pollard Basketball Roosevelt High School East Chicago, Indiana Patty Sheehan Golf Wooster High School Reno, Nevada

Coaches

Bill Gentry Football Highland High School Albuquerque, New Mexico Eldorado High School

Jerry Popp Cross Country, Bowman High School Bowman, North Dakota Track Bob Wood Tennis University Liggett School Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan

Contest Official

Jerry Hall Football, North Little Rock, Arkansas Basketball

Administrators

Sandy Scott Delanson, New York Earl Gillespie Charlottesville , Virginia

Fine Arts

Donus Roberts Watertown, South Dakota Betty Whitlock Clinton, Mississippi

MEDIA CONTACT: Bruce Howard or John Gillis, 317-972-6900.