Meet the 2020 RecSports Hall of Honor Inductees
Established in 2017 as part of the department’s Centennial Celebration, the RecSports Hall of Honor recognizes influential alumni, staff, supporters, and athletes who have had a significant impact on Recreational Sports throughout its long history.
The Early Birds
This group of exercise enthusiasts was formed in 1961 when State Representative Bob Armstrong was referred to UT professor Stan Burnham to seek advice on his health and fitness levels. The two began meeting at Gregory Gym three times a week to exercise and were soon joined by four other Austin attorneys. Word of the program got around, and soon, many other local professionals, including physicians, lawyers, and businessmen, joined the group, which became known as the Business-Professional Program.
By the second year, several UT professors began “coming down from their ivory towers” to join the program and soon more than 100 faculty, coaches and other University officials were skipping lunch in favor of weights, isometrics, and Professor Burnham’s exercise regime.
Fast-forward a few years, and the Early Birds had evolved into a full-fledged exercise group that offered workouts twice a day–early in the mornings and during lunchtime. Local attorneys, judges, professors, and executives participated in this daily calisthenics, followed by breakfast.
The Early Birds name came to be after the group emerged from the Old Varsity Cafeteria to find UT police officers ticketing their cars parked around Gregory Gym. As the story goes, they told officers, “We’re just a bunch of early birds working out in Gregory Gym.” With this plea, the officers backed off, and the name stuck! In 1982, Colonel Bob Higley started an alumni breakfast for members
The Early Birds were a staple in Gregory Gym for over 40 years, officially ending in 2013.
Quiet Storm
The Quiet Storm was formed in 1984 by Kirk Teal, a six-time Intramural Wall of Fame champion, and Lewis Wright IV, a 2019 Hall of Honor inductee, who met while running a 5K race on the Forty Acres. They bonded over their love of sports and decided to put that talent to work by forming an intramural team. Together, they recruited a group of unselfish athletes who were known, not for their trash-talking, but for letting their performance on the field speak for itself. Thus, the name Quiet Storm came to be and an eight-year tradition of excellence began!
The men and women of Quiet Storm became well-rounded in a wide variety of sports and proved to be formidable foes during the mid- to late 1980s, capturing two football championships, two soccer championships, one softball championship, two soccer runners-up, and one softball runner-up.
The Quiet Storm’s lasting legacy is not just their athletic prowess in whatever sport they competed in but also the bonds of friendship they formed with one another. Many of those friendships remained strong after 36 years.
Recruits
In 1962, Intramural Sports Director Sonny Rooker issued a notice that he was looking for students to sign up as free agents for a new intramural football team he was forming. The team became known as the Recruits, a fitting name for a group of athletic-minded men brought together by a recruitment call.
The new team elected Delbert Cox as captain and in later years the group’s leadership included Mike Angell and his brother John. This athletic-minded group excelled in intramurals, earning the title Team of the Decade for their numerous championships between 1962–72.
In the 1960s, the team won numerous championships in softball (six consecutive times), football, track, water basketball, and volleyball. They also captured the independent division All-Year Trophy in the independent intramural division for six consecutive years (1963–69 and 1971–72).
Additionally, the team set national intramural track records in the 440 and 880 relays, and several individual players earned the title Best All-Around Athlete in the 1960s. In all, the Recruits’ teams and individuals appear on the Intramural Wall of Fame over 60 times.
Nancy Walling (BS ’83, M.Ed. ‘86)
Multi-talented athlete Nancy Walling found her niche with RecSports. She employed her talent by joining several intramural teams, including the Bombers, Swaim’s Sixpack, Turtle Ducks, and the Trainers. Her athletic prowess contributed to many championship wins in flag football, softball, and basketball in the 1980s.
Nancy’s sport of choice, flag football, helped bring the intramural women’s team, Bombers, to victory in the National Flag Football Championships in 1982, 1983, and 1985. Throughout the several years she competed in the sport, she earned defensive All-American, offensive All-American, and offensive MVP titles. In 2009, she was inducted into the National Championship Flag Football Hall of Fame.
She credits much of her success to two mentors, fellow students Kevin McCalla and Chris Schultz, who she says “were willing to organize and coach girls who probably never played football before.” She also credits other influential mentors, Drs. Bailey and Becky (Bludau) Marshall, both 2018 Hall of Honor recipients.
After leaving UT, Nancy served as head girls’ basketball coach at Pflugerville High School for 25 years, compiling almost 650 wins and four state tournament appearances. She later served as the school’s athletic coordinator and was inducted into the Texas Girls Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2020.
G. Charles Franklin
A true behind-the-scenes hero for RecSports, G. Charles was instrumental in obtaining financial resources for weight room equipment for the newly constructed Recreational Sports Center. He also lent his support to secure funding for the renovation of Gregory Gym. While his advocacy and allegiance to RecSports helped secure UT’s national standing in collegiate recreation as one of the best, he chose to remain quiet and unseen in the background.
G. Charles began his career at UT as the business manager in 1969 and served in that capacity until 1971. He later served other UT System components for several years, including as the first vice president for business affairs at The University of Texas at San Antonio and in that same capacity at the UT Health Science Center.
In 1979, UT President Peter Flawn appointed him vice president for administrative services. In 1980, his title changed to vice president for business affairs, and in the spring of 2000, he was named senior vice president and chief financial officer. Following 22 years of service to the University, he retired in 2001.
Howard Nirken (BA ’93, MPAff ’97, JD ‘97)
During his tenure as UT student body president in 1992–93, Howard spent much of his time at RecSports, supporting initiatives to create positive change within the organization. Most notably he became a leading advocate to secure funding for a major renovation of Gregory Gym which had not received improvements since the Annex was completed in 1963.
The renovation of RecSports’ flagship facility was a major undertaking that would depend on student funding. Howard dedicated much of his time working with RecSports staff, meeting with thousands of students, and attending countless meetings to garner support for the project. His hard work and persistence paid off. In March 1993, students voted in favor of the referendum to assess a student fee to help fund the renovation. After almost two years of closure for construction and remodeling, Gregory Gym reopened on Nov. 12, 1997.
Howard’s role in the renovation cannot be understated. What drove him to dedicate so much of his time and effort to the project was the feeling of belonging that RecSports brought to his life. He felt it was important to make Gregory Gym the best it could be for future Longhorns.
After leaving UT, Howard became a successful attorney and partner at Dubois, Bryant & Campbell, practicing corporate and securities law. He also remained engaged with RecSports as a donor and member of the RecSports Leadership Team.
Fred Kelly
Firefighter turned part-time RecSports staff member Fred had a long and dedicated career with the department. In his 45 years of service, he spent most of his time as a store clerk at the Intramural Fields (now known as the Charles Alan Wright Fields at the Berry M. Whitaker Sports Complex).
His responsibilities included supervising students and staff, equipment check-out, informal recreation activities, and intramural games. Unofficially, he mentored hundreds of students, and he did it with a smile and caring attitude. In short, he was considered by many to be the overall caretaker of the facility during his 45-year career.
Fred not only worked around sports, but he also played them. He has been inducted into the Intramural Wall of Fame over 35 times for softball, table tennis, and miniature golf.
Max Smith
Max was part of a legendary intramural team that reigned supreme over the Men’s Intramural Sports program for over 15 years. While attending UT from 1950–51, he was a member of the highly regarded Oak Grove Co-op, which debuted in the 1930s. Its members excelled both on the fields and in the classroom, maintaining the highest scholastic average of any campus residence. The team was inducted into the RecSports Hall of Fame in 2017.
An athlete for most of his life, Max joined the Oak Grove team because he lived in their house and thought it might be fun to play intramural sports. Those sports included football, basketball, softball, water polo, volleyball, handball, and tennis. While on the team, the group won tennis, football, and basketball championships. During the 1953–54 school year, he earned a coveted spot on the Intramural Wall of Fame as the Best All-Around Athlete.
Max met his wife, Johnie, during his time on Forty Acres. After graduation, the couple made their home in Dallas, where they raised their two children.
Eric Stoutner
Eric began his nearly 36-year career at RecSports in 1982 after graduating from Iowa State University. He was hired as an assistant director in facilities and, in 1989, promoted to associate director, where his keen management skills and business acumen played an integral role in developing several major facility projects.
Among the facility projects he helped bring to fruition were the building of the Recreational Sports Center, the 1997 renovation of Gregory Gym, the addition of the Gregory Gym Aquatic Complex, and the renovations of Caven-Clark Field and the Charles Alan Wright Fields at the Berry M. Whitaker Sports Complex.
In the spring of 2023, Eric was bestowed with the Arno Nowotny Medal, which is presented to Division of Student Affairs staff who render meritorious service to students during their careers on campus.
Eric retired as the RecSports director of programs in 2017, leaving behind a long and distinguished legacy of leadership and mentorship to staff and students.
Tracey Kennedy (BA ’87, JD ‘90)
Tracey joined RecSports as an intramural athlete in the 1980s. Her athletic skills and competitive nature helped propel the teams she played with — the Bombers and Quiet Storm — to championships several years in a row in football and soccer. She also helped the Thumpers earn places on the Intramural Wall of Fame in soccer and softball.
Her career choice in law took her to Los Angeles, California, where she is a partner in a law firm specializing in labor and employment.
She also earned an intramural basketball championship with Zed’s Dread in 1993.
