Clark to be honored with notable coaches, Jerry Jones
John Clark, considered to be the architect of the storied Plano Wildcats football program, will be honored tonight with the Legends Award at the second annual National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas.
Plano ISD athletics director Gerald Brence is the president of the club. Plano assistant coach Steve Thomas, entering his 29th year coaching at Plano, will present the award to Clark.
The banquet takes place at 7 p.m. at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and is by reservation only. It will showcase the stories in North Texas that will inspire future student-athletes to excel in the classroom and become more involved in their communities.
Clark compiled a 107-17 record at Plano, winning a pair of state titles and nine district championships before becoming the district’s athletic director. In that position he helped inspire three more state titles and retired shortly before Plano’s then-record seventh state title. He was a coach on Plano’s first state championship team. He is a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor, the Texas High School Athletic Directors’ Hall of Honor, the Texas Sports High School Football Hall of Fame, and the first inductee in the Plano Athletics Hall of Honor.
He is among seven individuals who will be honored with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as the Distinguished Texan and 53 high school and 10 collegiate scholar-athletes
“Each of our 2010 honorees has played a major role in helping high school football in North Texas reach the stature it has today,” Brence said. “We are pleased to recognize their contributions in the development of the countless young student- athletes who play football in our region.”
Irving ISD athletics director Joe Barnett will be named the Athletics Director of the Year. In a 38-year career, Barnett coached at Valley Mills, Plano and Allen before becoming the head football coach at Coppell. He currently serves as vice president and president-elect of the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association.
Ed Ramirez, a past president of the Dallas Football Officials Association, will be named the Steve Storie Official of the Year. Ramirez has worked 30 playoff games, the Class 5A state championship game in 2007 and the 2008 Coaches All-Star Game.
Steve Lineweaver, who has the hottest Class 5A program going at Euless Trinity, will be named the large school Coach of the Year and Chris Jensen, also from Euless Trinity, will be named the Assistant Coach of the Year. Trinity has won three state championships in five seasons in the state’s largest classification. Together, they have led Trinity to a 108-17 record across the past nine seasons. They also won a state title together in 1999 at Commerce. Of note, Trinity has ended Plano’s season in each of the past three years.
Blake Feldt, the head coach at Pilot Point, and Ron Best, also from Pilot Point, will be named the small school Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year. They led Pilot Point to a 15-0 finish and the Class 2A-Division I state championship in 2009.
“The National Football Foundation is excited to recognize these leaders and coaches for helping to build leaders through football,” said NFF President & CEO Steven J. Hatchell.
SMU coach June Jones, who led the Mustangs to their first bowl game in 25 years in only his second season at the helm, will deliver the keynote speech while award-winning sportscaster Scott Murray will serve as the evening’s emcee for consecutive years.
A player from each of the Plano ISD senior high schools will be among the players honored. Those to be honored include:
College Scholar- Athletes
Lance Calloway (Midwestern State University); Quincy Daniels (University of Mary Hardin- Baylor); Scott Grantham (Tarleton State University); Clint Gresham (TCU); Ross Hasten (Austin College); Kylee Hill (University of North Texas); Chase Kennemer (SMU); Joe Pawelek (Baylor University); Kyle Pope (East Texas Baptist University); and Juan Velasco (Texas A&M University-Commerce).
High School Scholar- Athletes
Cy Wilson (Aledo); Taylor Pearson (Allen); Curt Copeland (Arlington Bowie); Blake Mayberry (Arlington Lamar); Joe Lavilla (Arlington Martin); Jose Martinez (Arlington Sam Houston); Ciante Evans (Arlington Seguin); Randall Joyner (Carrollton Newman Smith); Rickey Gonzalez (Cedar Hill); Nick Young (Colleyville Heritage); Hayden Hawk (Coppell); Corbin Boettger (Denison); Scotty Young (Denton Ryan); Zachary Orr (DeSoto); Sione Moeakiola (Euless Trinty); Casey Amick (Fort Worth Western Hills); Joe Kopidlansky (Frisco Centennial); Thomas Craig (Frisco Wakeland); Joe Wallace (Granbury); Justin Ontiveros (Grand Prairie); Steve Owens (Hebron); James Mills (Highland Park); Alex Oswald (Irving); Daniel Vinson (Irving MacArthur); Chris Bain (Justin Northwest); Dillon Farley (Keller); Matthew Gibson (Keller Central); Matthew Fudge (Keller Fossil Ridge); Ricky Zorn (Lake Highlands); Garrett Graham (Mansfield); Taylor Cockrell (Mansfield Legacy); Nate Leonard (McKinney); Derek Branson (McKinney Boyd); Josh Matthews (McKinney North); Chase Johnson (Mesquite); Landry Finch (Mesquite Poteet); Eddie Johnson (Midlothian); Michael Reed (North Mesquite); Kevin Smith (Plano); Brandon Lewis (Plano East); Richard Peabody (Plano West); William Smith (Richardson); Brennan DiChiara (Richardson Berkner); Kyle Cotner (Rockwall); Kevin Rodgers (Rockwall Heath); Thomas O’Chea (Rowlett); Austin Hayes (Sachse); Orlando Eureste (South Grand Prairie); Justin Agnew (Southlake Carroll); Shane Jones (Van Alstyne); Gabe Garner (Weatherford); Eddie Aboussie (Wichita Falls); and Chad Cole (Wylie).
Information on the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas is available here.
