Meet the 2023 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.
This year, a new class of inductees joins a distinguished group of individuals who have made a lasting contribution to the department.
Mark Baletka, BS ‘75
Mark first stumbled upon RecSports during his freshman year. Playing intramurals with friends served as his initial introduction to the program and a way to find his niche on campus. By his second year, he ventured into officiating using it, as he put it, “as a means to stay involved in the game.”
As a student employee, Mark earned the Berry M. Whitaker Leadership Award, the Rooker Special Merit Award, and the Outstanding Official Award. Mark graduated in fall 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. After spending some time teaching, Mark went on to pursue a Master’s degree at The Ohio State University and start a 20-year career in campus recreation at various institutions including the University of Illinois, University of California, Los Angeles, and Tulane University. In 1992, Mark returned to the Forty Acres to serve as facility manager of the newly constructed Recreational Sports Center and later went on to serve as director of the Outdoor Recreation program. Mark also had an impressive sports officiating career officiating basketball for 15 years and umpiring baseball and softball for 35 years.
In 2018, Mark and his wife, Susan, established the Susan and Mark Baletka Endowed Scholarship, dedicated to supporting student employees in the Outdoor Recreation program.
Pat Goodson, BA ’84, and Jill Harding Goodson, BS ’84
For almost 50 years, the RecSports Outdoor Recreation program staff and participants have been venturing West near Big Bend National Park to the Rio Grande Lower Canyons. Guides Pat Goodson and Jill Harding Goodson are the only constants on these annual expeditions. The combined experiences of this husband-and-wife team and their love for nature have kept students safe and informed for almost three decades.
Pat and Jill met as undergraduate students in the Jackson School of Geosciences. Jill’s first trip to the Lower Canyons her sophomore year led her to start guiding a variety of trips for the program. Eventually, she convinced Pat to come along on one of the Lower Canyons trips. Since then, the couple has led or assisted the Lower Canyons Spring Break adventure trip every year since 1989.
Pat currently serves as a professional geologist and president of his own water drilling company, Geoprojects International, Inc. Jill worked as a science teacher in the Austin Independent School District for 33 years, the last 29 at Bowie High School.
Jackie Boston, BS ‘60
A member of the Oak Grove Co-Op, Jackie appears 13 times on the Intramural Sports Wall of Fame. Jackie participated in a wide array of sports including touch football, basketball, softball, volleyball, horseshoes, and tennis. Jackie’s all-around prowess earned him the rare distinction of being named Intramural Best All-Around Athlete during three different academic years. His accomplishments place him among an elite group of 22 men named to three different All-Intramural Teams in the same year. He ranks #9 on the list of top 200 UT intramural athletes of all time. Jackie also worked as an intramural supervisor and sports official. In 1963–64, he served as assistant director under Sonny Rooker.
Celeste Hamman, M.Ed. ‘85
Celeste’s contributions at RecSports started during her graduate years while pursuing a Master of Education in Kinesiology. Celeste joined the student staff at RecSports in 1984, teaching running and aerobics classes. By 1988, her dedication to the field earned her a contract for faculty and staff aerobics at RecSports with her own company, Celeste Hamman Fitness Consultants. In 1990, Celeste was hired as a RecSports full-time employee to expand fitness and wellness programming for the campus community.
During her tenure as Director of the Fitness and Wellness program from 1990–97, Celeste championed a broader definition of wellness that encompassed mind, body, and spirit, and partnered with the Department of Kinesiology to create a first-of-its-kind personal fitness trainer track to give students practical experience in the field. Celeste also introduced group exercise pass sales, developed a comprehensive fitness instructor training program, and started the famous Poker Walk event for faculty and staff. Many of the components Celeste helped establish are the foundation of today’s Fitness + Wellness program.
Celeste went on to pursue a career as a business and life coach and personal fitness trainer. She is now semi-retired, coaching masters swimming classes and occasionally works with new life coaching clients.
Tommy Upchurch, MArch ‘81
Tommy first arrived at UT in the fall of 1979 to pursue a Master’s in Architecture and it wasn’t long until he formed the famous Thumpers intramural teams. Tommy also earned championships with Triumph in softball and coached several of the Thumpers women’s teams. He appears on the Intramural Wall of Fame 18 times. His teammates reflected that “Tommy was the heart and soul of the group. He organized it all and made us feel we were part of something special.” Tommy appears on the Intramural Sports Wall of Fame 18 times. Thumpers fielded teams throughout the 1980s winning nine intramural championships and finishing second four times.
Tommy is the founder and principal architect for Upchurch Architects, Inc. in Brenham, Texas.
Daniel Rincones, BS ‘06
Daniel and his intramural teams dominated the early 2000s, capturing nine flag football championships, two soccer championships, and one softball title. His flag football teams also earned back-to-back All-University Flag Football Trophies and defeated both of Texas A&M University’s teams in the Lone Star intramural showdown. Daniel also volunteered his time to serve on the Intramural Sports Council.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Fitness in 2006 and embarked on a career in healthcare. He went on to obtain a Master’s in Health Administration in 2015, paving the way for his career as a hospital administrator. Daniel is currently a project manager at Centene Corporation, where he directs a cost-savings portfolio.
Meta Talley, BS ‘57
During her time at UT, Meta was an outstanding all-around athlete representing Delta Zeta and Scottish Rite Dormitory.
She became the Delta Zeta’s intramural team manager in 1954, leading her sorority to championships in touch football, softball, basketball, and swimming. Under her leadership, the group also earned the 1955–56 first-place traveling trophy. Meta also excelled as an individual participant, winning championships in badminton singles, and deck tennis. She also worked as an intramural official. Among her cherished memories, she fondly recalled the famous T-Night Banquet, where each organization decorated their tables competing for the coveted best table award.
Meta graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in Education, embarking on a career in coaching and teaching spanning over three decades.
Cande Mejia
Following five dedicated years of active duty service in the United States Air Force, Cande joined UT in 1980 as a communications technician for Texas Athletics . From wired headsets and phones to invisible wireless frequencies, Cande was a constant presence on the sidelines, ensuring that players and staff could connect when it mattered most.
Cande’s intramural career extended over an impressive 25-year span. His basketball teams earned a spot on the Intramural Sports Wall of Fame 14 consecutive years from 1984–97. Simultaneously, Cande managed to appear on the Wall of Fame an additional 10 times for his softball career. After a short break, Cande earned six additional championships in the early 2000s, with the final one coming in 2009.
His remarkable career adds up to 36 appearances on the Intramural Wall of Fame, making him one of the most decorated staff participants in the history of the program. Cande is now retired and lives in Austin, where he still golfs three-four times a week and plays in adult basketball leagues.
Thumpers
Thumpers was formed in 1979 soon after Tommy Upchurch arrived at UT, following his undergraduate career at Texas A&M University, to pursue graduate studies in architecture. He soon began efforts to put together an all-sports coed team. Tommy’s sisters, Laura, a resident assistant in Kinsolving, and Susan, who lived in Blanton, searched the halls to find players. By coincidence, Tommy also bumped into Bill Banowsky, a good friend from his undergraduate days at Texas A&M, who had transferred to UT. Bill also began to recruit players to the cause.
This core group started an intramural legacy that fielded coed and women’s teams throughout the 1980s, winning nine championships and finishing second four times.
Pelicans
Pelicans was one of the first women’s independent teams to compete after after the 1972 merger of men’s and women’s intramurals into the Division of Recreational Sports. Led by Scotty Govaars and Candi Cowden, the team was composed primarily of UT women’s tennis players, at a time when women’s tennis was not yet sanctioned by the NCAA. The team initially reported through Betty Thompson, who went on to become RecSports’ first director. To foster comradery and inject a sense of fun, the athletes formed an intramural team, and Pelicans were born. The legend behind the name goes back to the team’s coach, John Brown, who worked at the Pelican’s Wharf restaurant on Lady Bird Lake and somehow got the restaurant to sponsor the group and provide them with free t-shirts featuring a pelican on the front.
Pelicans won championships in football and track and members excelled in table tennis, squash, badminton, and racquetball. Furthermore, they received the award for Best Manager (Scotty Govaars), Best Athlete (Candi Cowden), and the All-Year Trophy for participation. When interviewed, members reflected on how they met their goal of having a Pelican participate in every intramural sport offered and how playing intramurals made them closer as a tennis team, which helped them to capture a fifth-place national finish in 1975.
Event Photos
Check out photos from the RecSports Hall of Honor Awards Cocktail. You are welcome to download and share your favorites.
