The Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019 will be celebrated at the induction ceremony Friday, April 26 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.
The induction list comprises five legendary former student-athletes, a prominent pair of girls’ basketball coaches, a former Major League Baseball hitting instructor and a longtime announcer.
The nine inductees tapped for this year’s Hall of Fame are: Gary Blair, Doug English, Michael Ensley, Rudy Jaramillo, Harvey Martin, Roy “Robot” Martin, J.D. Mayo, Barbara Brown-McCoy and John Pritchett.
For the second year, Dallas ISD is celebrating stellar individuals who have accomplished significant milestones in sports and in life. Often nominated by their peers and athletes they have mentored, these greats have been selected following a rigorous vetting process that considered their accomplishments, impact on Dallas school athletics, and career contributions. Hall of Fame honorees must exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and moral character.
The goal of the Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame is to acknowledge athletes, coaches and supporters who have raised the level of public awareness and appreciation for high school athletics through their distinguished achievement and excellence, both on and off the field of competition. While virtually all have created a lasting legacy in the district’s sports community, the inductees’ successes have often garnered recognition at state, national and international levels.
Gary Blair began his journey as a standout all-city baseball player at Bryan Adams High School. Blair came back to Dallas ISD and coached basketball at Bryan Adams and South Oak Cliff High School, where he won a girls state basketball championship. He currently serves as head coach for the women’s basketball team at Texas A&M University, where he led A&M to the 2011 NCAA Championship. Since his appointment in 2003, he has transformed the program into a national powerhouse, which now holds the school record for most wins in Aggie history.
Doug English was a two-sport letterman at Bryan Adams High School in football and track & field. In 1975 English was drafted by the Detroit Lions and embarked on a 10-year professional career, which was highlighted by 59 quarterback sacks.
Michael Ensley’s arrival at Lincoln High School in 1998 quickly set high standards for future teams as he led the Lady Tigers to three state titles in 1999, 2004 and 2008, establishing the Lady Tigers as among the all-time best in Texas girls basketball history.
Rudolpho “Rudy” Jaramillo, a graduate of Sunset High School, has played a major role behind the scenes in the development and success for some of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars throughout his career as a hitting coach for teams such as the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs.
Harvey Martin’s path to NFL stardom began at South Oak Cliff High School where his talents scored him a place with the Dallas Cowboys in 1973. Martin went to four Pro Bowls and was named Co-MVP of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl XII victory. He passed away in 2001 after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer, but his legacy lives on.
Roy “Robot” Martin is regarded as one of the greatest high school sprinters of all-time, an accomplishment that earned him the nickname, “Robot.” His record-breaking speed at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School propelled him to a spot on the U.S. track team at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
J.D. Mayo’s impact on the game of basketball has spanned nearly five decades in North Texas. During his 33-year career at Skyline High School, Mayo made a massive difference in the lives of student-athletes as the head coach. He still holds the record for most wins in district history.
Barbara Brown-McCoy is considered a trailblazer in Dallas ISD athletics for her accomplishments as a student-athlete, head coach and administrator at South Oak Cliff High School. Following her stellar career, Brown-McCoy continued to blaze new paths in her appointment as Dallas ISD’s first-ever female campus athletic director in 2001.
John Pritchett is a graduate of W.H. Adamson High School whose tenure in athletics spans 50-plus years as announcer for Dallas ISD athletic events and 30-plus years as an announcer for UIL State Track & Field Meets. He is known as the best announcer across the state.
