If any phrase could summarize the message of former Temple Wildcats star Kenneth Davis’ speech for his induction into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night, that was it.
With his mother, Ollie, all but two of his 11 brothers and sisters and several other family members in the crowd to honor and support him, Davis made it clear that the things he learned from and shared with his relatives were crucial in shaping him into a man who achieved greatness on the field.
“I thank ya’ll,” Davis, 47, said to his large family section at Baylor University’s Ferrell Center. “To my mom and dad, ya’ll laid the trail for me. I understood what not to do and what to do. I learned wrong from right. I understood what love was and what family means.”
In rapid-fire fashion, Davis - who became the state-record ninth Temple player to enter the Hall of Fame - shared an anecdote about each of his 11 brothers and sisters.
Among them were older brother William owning a pair of sheepskin shoes while playing with the semipro Dallas Rockets; older sister Eula being homecoming queen at Bartlett; older sister Maureen swinging one-handed in softball; older brother Herbert throwing a mean stiffarm in a playoff game against Sherman; older brother Earnest playing right cornerback for Temple in 1978 while sophomore Kenneth played left corner; older sister Flo being a left-handed standout in 3-on-3 basketball; and younger sister Pam being able to outrun him until he was in seventh grade.
Asked after the ceremony if his family made him into the man he became, Davis said, “They did - every one of them. That’s what it’s all about. All you have is your memories and my family’s always been there for me.”
Davis began his speech by thanking God and then his father, Vernon, who died five years ago.
“I tell my dad, who’s looking down from up in heaven, ‘Thank you for putting your hand on my shoulder and the belt on my body,’” Davis said, drawing a chuckle from the crowd.
Davis, the first African-American Temple player to join the Hall of Fame, gained fame as a star running back while helping lead the Wildcats to a 37-2 record from 1978-80, including a 30-0 regular-season mark and the Class 4A state championship in 1979, Temple’s first state title after five losses in state finals.
He was an eight-grader in 1976 when brothers Earnest and Herbert were on coach Bob McQueen’s Wildcats squad that lost 10-0 to San Antonio Churchill in the 4A state title game.
“I watched their emotions and I said to myself, ‘I want to win a state championship,’” Davis said. “Then I remembered what my dad said - ‘Are you willing to put forth the effort?’”
After powering Temple to that elusive state championship in 1979 and finishing as the Wildcats’ all-time rushing leader, Davis went on to become an All-American at Texas Christian and play nine NFL seasons, including four consecutive Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills. He’s been the head football coach and athletic director at Dallas Bishop Dunne for 11 years.
“Our kids coming in after Kenneth knew him, and even now when he comes around they know who he is. He’s special,” McQueen, who entered the Hall of Fame in 2006, said after the ceremony. “Kenneth did a great job.”
Davis said the Hall of Fame honor is among the finest achievements in his lifetime.
“Where it ranks is up at the top,” he said. “For me to be in these walls, knowing that a lot of great players came before me and a lot more are to come, is incredible.”
During his speech, Davis pointed out McQueen in the crowd and said, “Thank you very much. It doesn’t get any better than you and Wildcat football.”
The other former high school stars entering the Hall of Fame on Saturday were: James “T” Jones of Childress (pre-1949), Corpus Christi Miller’s Johnny Roland (1950s), Dallas Wilson’s Bob Goodrich (1960s), Kirbyville’s Earnest “Bubba” Bean (1970s) and Shaud Williams of Andrews (1990s).
San Antonio Jefferson coach Pat Shannon and Austin Westlake team doctor Newt Hasson also were inducted. Katy received the Gordon Wood Award for overcoming early losses to repeat as the 5A Division II state champion, and Gregory-Portland coach George Harris received the Tom Landry Award for his contributions to coaching.
