By Benny Rogers/TVCC Sports Information
Seven new members have been selected to become the 2015 class for the Cardinal Hall of Fame at Trinity Valley Community College.
The hall of fame’s eighth class is scheduled to be inducted on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m. Tickets for the induction luncheon are $15 and will be available at the door of the Student Union Building ballroom.
“First and foremost, I think it is extremely special that a small East Texas community college such as our can have such a rich tradition of successful athletic programs and athletes,” said TVCC athletic director Brad Smiley, who also serves on the selection committee. “Trinity Valley is the premier junior college athletics program in the nation today, and this year’s hall of fame inductees, as well as their predecessors who have already been inducted, are some of the greatest in their respective sports that have ever participated at this level.
“This is another class of greats that former players, former coaches and past and present fans loved being around and watching compete at the very highest level. I commend the hall of fame selection committee for another great job. I cannot wait for the hall of fame/homecoming weekend!”
Inductees this year are:
Ron Baugh – Special Contributor (1983-2008)
When Baugh began his 25-year tenure at the college (the last 21 as president), the athletic program was without a national championship. Upon his retirement in 2008, the total was 13.
He oversaw the most successful era of the college’s athletic program, which produced eight national championships in cheerleading, five in women’s basketball and two in football.
Baugh approved the hiring of six national championship coaches –Kurt Budke, Michael Landers, Randy Pippin, Scotty Conley, Shannon Davidson and Lucy Strom. He joins Budke, Pippin and Conley in the Cardinal Hall of Fame.
During his tenure, numerous construction and renovation projects were completed in 10 buildings, including the football field house. The last building to be completed was named in his honor – Ronald C. Baugh Technology Center.
Shannon Bobbitt – Women’s Basketball (2004-06)
Though she stood just 5-2, Bobbitt authored a storied career that included big numbers and accomplishments.
In her two years as the floor leader for the Lady Cardinal basketball team, she put together an impressive resume, at the top of which is having been selected the WBCA Junior/Community College Player of the year as a sophomore in 2006.
When she left the college, she had established a school record for career assists with 372. She averaged 16.4 points, 7.53 assists and hit 82.5 percent of her free throws as a sophomore.
The Lady Cardinals also did a lot of winning in the Bobbitt years. They were 60-6 during that time, including a pair of conference championships, a regional title and sixth-place finish at the national tournament in 2006.
Winning didn’t stop for Bobbitt after her TVCC career. She went on to star at the University of Tennessee, where she was the shortest player ever signed by the Lady Vols and helped hall of fame and legendary coach Pat Summitt to a 70-5 record and back-to-back national championships.
She was the 15th overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She also played for the Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics and has played in professional leagues the past several years.
Neil Derrick – Men’s Basketball (1988-90)
After a freshman year in which he averaged 15.0 points per game for the Cardinals, Derrick burst onto the scene in a big-time way the following year. As a sophomore, he average 27.0 points per game and was an All-American.
He was also an all-region and all-conference performer for NJCAA Hall of Fame and Cardinal Hall of Fame coach Leon Spencer.
Derrick continued his playing career at Washington State University, where he continued to score in bunches. As a junior he was the team’s second-leading scorer, having been the top scorer in 14 games with 20 points or more. He also had the second-most steals on the team that season.
As a senior at WSU, he led the team with 55 steals and was the second-leading scorer with 501. He had a career-high 32 points against Loyola Marymount his senior season.
Also as a senior, was named MVP of the Los Angeles Classic and was once named Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week.
Erik Flowers – Football (1996-97)
As the anchor of the Cardinals’ defensive line at end as a sophomore in 1997, Flowers helped produce the college’s second national championship.
Winning and lofty national rankings were the name of the game when he played for the Cardinals, coached by Cardinal Hall of Famer Scotty Conley. During his two years, the Cardinals posted an 18-4 mark.
In the Cardinals’ national title run, Flowers and the defensive unit allowed just 163 points in 12 games (13.6 average). He was named first-team NJCAA All-American that season.
Flowers played two seasons at Arizona State University, where he started in all 11 games as a senior and eight as a junior. As a senior, he recorded 68 tackles (18 for losses) a team-leading 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception and seven passes defended.
He was named to the All-Pac 10 Conference as a senior and was elected a team captain.
Flowers was the 26th pick in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills. In his six-year NFL career, he also played with the Houston Texans and St. Louis Rams.
Yolanda Jones – Women’s Basketball (2002-04)
It was all about winning in Jones’ two years as a Lady Cardinal. During that time, she helped the Lady Cardinals to a 66-1 record, including the second 36-0 season in school history in 2004, which culminated with a national championship in Salina, KS.
As a non-starter as a sophomore in the national championship season, she averaged 17.4 points and 6.8 rebounds. She was named first-team Kodak All-American as a sophomore and also named MVP of the 2004 NJCAA Tournament.
She also received first-team all-region and all-conference honors as a sophomore.
Jones continued her playing career at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, where she averaged 17.9 points and 10.5 rebounds in two seasons. She scored 1,090 points in her two years there, which remains sixth on the college’s all-time career scoring list.
At Louisiana-Lafayette, she still ranks in the Top 10 in seven all-time career categories and in the Top 10 in six all-time single-game categories. She is tied for the second-most rebounds in a single game with 20.
She signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and has played in a professional league in Puerto Rico the last eight years and has also played on the Puerto Rico national team.
Chavis McCollister – Football (1999-2000)
McCollister was the ultimate playmaker. When he touched the ball, chances were very good it was going to result in a touchdown, if not then, at some point.
He was named first-team NJCAA All-American and the Southwest Junior College Football Conference Offensive MVP as a sophomore. That followed a freshman season in which he helped the Cardinals to a conference title and win in the Red River Bowl.
McCollister rushed for 2,712 career yards, which was third all-time in the SWJCFC. He also scored 24 rushing touchdowns, including 17 as a sophomore. He ranks sixth all-time in the SWJCFC rushing touchdowns and established the conference’s record for longest rushing touchdown with an 85-yarder against Cisco as a sophomore.
He played on the Cardinal basketball team as a freshman, resulting in a 23-9 record.
Moving on to Tarleton State University, McCollister played both football and basketball for two years. Though injuries limited playing time in football, he averaged 7.7 yards every time he touched the ball as a junior and 6.0 as a senior. Tarleton State won a conference title his junior year.
In basketball at Tarleton State, he started 23 games as a junior, averaging 9.8 points, 4.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds, which earned him all-conference honors.
McCollister played professionally for several arena football teams after Tarleton State, once returning three straight kickoffs for touchdowns.
Shauna Tubbs – Women’s Basketball (1991-93)
In the history of women’s basketball players at the college, Tubbs stands among the greats and becomes the first from the Joe Curl coaching era to be inducted into the Cardinal Hall of Fame.
Tubbs was twice named All-American and MVP of the Texas Eastern Conference, having helped lead the Lady Cardinals to back-to-back conference championships and two Region XIV Tournament title game appearances.
She averaged 26.0 points, 16.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game as a freshman and 22.9 points, 14.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals as a sophomore.
Tubbs led the conference in scoring, rebound and steals both seasons and was named the MVP in every tournament the Lady Cardinals played during her career, which resulted in a 55-9 record.
She was the only junior college played selected to the USA Women’s Junior National Team in 1992, helping Team USA to a silver medal finish with an 11.6 scoring and 5.2 rebounding average.
Tubbs played one season at the University of Central Oklahoma, where she averaged 20.4 points and 13.0 rebounds in her brief career.
She also played several seasons for the club teams Houston Flight and Houston Jaguars.