Wall of Honor Overview

The Wall of Honor project recognizes former Bearkats who played football at the next level, be it college and/or professional, as well as a special tribute to the heritage of the 1st football team - three members of which played at the college level.

Due to the diligent work of past football booster club members, we started with just over 100 photos on the wall, but many more will be displayed as we identify the MIAs over the years and add successive classes in the future.

The Wall of Honor committee has worked diligently since September of 2005 to upgrade the wall. We have identified 182 former Bearkats who played college or pro football and have installed individual plaques to honor each player. It is our goal to make the Wall of Honor display the crown jewel of the recently upgraded weight room. Although we have made every effort to insure that our research is accurate, we welcome any corrections, additions, or other constructive changes. Please click here to report any corrections or MIA contact information.

This virtual Wall of Honor has been crafted to allow honorees, family and friends who live out of town to view the wall and help us locate the remaining MIAs. It also allows everyone an opportunity to browse the profiles and bios at their leisure.

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Wall of Honor History

At the completion of their first year of non-conference football, the Klein High Bearkats won 3 games and lost 4. The team scored 96 points to their opponents' 106. Out of the 22 boys who finished the year, 19 lettered and 14 returned for the 1948 season; the other five being lost to graduation. This inexperienced squad had but two casualties. The boys' loyalty and spirit of co-operation was a big help to the team in making a better showing next season.

Letterman are as follows: Edwin Theiss, James Kreger, George Kreger, Nyles Reed, Wilburn Giddings, Louis Hartman, Delbert Gerhart, J.W. Lenze, R.E. Wortham, Loyd Thornton, Frank Herzog, Charles Hebert, Lendon Richardson, Henry Hassler, Frank Robilio, Eddie Gage, Clay Godfrey, Gus Schreiber, Walter Schultz, and Roger Wunderlich, Mgr

The first football team played on a make-shift practice field and suited out in the dressing rooms of the old gym at 7200 Spring-Cypress Road, current site of the KISD administration building. The old gym is a fading memory compared to the state of the art training facilities at the current Klein High School campus. The following slide show juxtaposes the past facilities, equipment, and players with the current ones.

Bearkats Gym

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Wall of Honor Acknowledgements

The KHS Football Booster Club and Wall of Honor Committee acknowledge the following groups and individuals for their contribution to the Wall of Honor project.

Wall of Honor Committee. Since September 2005, the Wall of Honor committee has worked diligently to upgrade the wall with the goal of making the Wall of Honor display the crown jewel of the recently upgraded weight room. The committee members are as follows:

Committee Members: Ex Officio Members:
Ken Gerhart Butch Theiss, KHS 1st Football Team ('47-'48)
Scott West R.E. Wortham, past KHS Head Football Coach
Kristelle Fruge Bobby Brezina, past KHS Head Football Coach
Jeff Hawkins Randall Dorsett, past KHS Head Football Coach
Eddie Farley Burr Davis, past KHS Head Football Coach
Allen Boren, past KISD Athletic Director
Robert Grove, past KHS Principal
Mac Langston, Equipment Manager

KHS Football Booster Club. Generous funding for upgrading this project was provided by the 2005 KHS Football Booster Club. Dues, fund raisers, and other donations fund worthy projects of this nature. The Wall of Honor Committee would like to thank the booster club board for their enthusiastic support for this project. The 2005 KHS Football Booster Club Board members are as follows:

David & Jan Parsons, President
Chris & Tracy Bauman, Treasurer Steve & Kathy Randall, Tunnel Coordinators
Jim & Lee Steckel, Secretary Bret & Carla Shugarts, Tunnel Coordinators
Les & Suzy Tomlinson, Spirit Items Larry & Rhonda Vail, Membership
Jeff & Barb Hanrahan, "The Den" Brian & Helen Guzman, Awards Banquet
Matt & Lin Neef, Golf Tournament Ken Gerhart, Wall of Honor

Centerpiece Plaque. The centerpiece plaque pays special tribute to Klein's first football team and anchors the Wall of Honor heritage by identifying the three original Bearkat football players who played football at the next level:

D.L. Gerhart KHS 1948 Blinn College
Nyles Reed KHS 1950 Wharton County College
R.E. Wortham KHS 1951 Rice Institute

Master Craftsman. The centerpiece plaque was handcrafted by master cabinet maker, David Evans, Sr., KHS Class of 1952 and a former Bearkat football player. It is crafted of ¾ inch birch plywood with a 1½ inch cherry wood trim that was routed to match the individual plaques. The KHS Football Booster Club Board and Wall of Honor committee wish to thank Mr. Evans for the contribution of his time, talent, and the materials for this center piece plaque.

Mr. Evans tells the story of being an 8th grader at Klein when that first team took the field. Inspired by that first season, Evans badly wanted to play football the next year, but had no football cleats. When senior tackle, D.L. Gerhart - who was headed to Blinn College on a football scholarship, heard that Evans wanted to play but had no cleats, he gave Evans his cleats so Evans could play the following year.

Mr. Bearkat. A very special thanks also goes to Mr. Edwin G. "Butch" Theiss - a co-captain of the first football team - who assisted in conceptualizing, researching, identifying, and contacting members of the first football team as well as arranging for Mr. Evans' help. His assistance was invaluable in making this part of the project happen.

Stan Labay, KHS Head Football Coach & Campus Athletic Director
Robert Young, KISD Athletic Director
Pat Huff, KHS Principal

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Bearkats in College Football - View a Slideshow of all College Players

Click on the link where indicated to see a slide show of the wall of honor or mouse over the individual name and click to see the full bio of each player.

Year ^Last NameCollege
1948D.L. GerhartBlinn College
1950Nyles ReedWharton County Junior College
1951R.E. "Shorty" WorthamRice Institute
1959Bruce EvansNavarro College
1961Jerald TheissSam Houston State University
1966Phelan "Al" Allee, Jr.Texas A&I University
1966Charles "Sweet Pea" SmithNorth Texas State University
1966Louis GonzalesNavarro College
1967Robert YoungTexas A&I University
1968Roy AlleeTexas A&I University
1969Ed KerstenRice University
1970Don AlewineUniversity of Houston
1970George SmithRice University
1970Harold BridgesUniversity of Colorado
1970Tommy KaiserUniversity of Houston
1972Rex DoerreTexas Christian University
1974Kent AlleeTexas A&I University
1975Dale ReedU.S. Air Force Academy
1975Greg JohnsonU.S. Military Academy at West Point
1975Ken GerhartTexas A&I University
1975Mark OltermannTexas A&I University
1976Gary HopperU.S. Military Academy at West Point
1976Melvin JonesUniversity of Houston
1976Kyle DavisSouthern Arkansas University
1977David DykhuizenSouthern Methodist University
1977Gary SillsBaylor University
1978Earnest JohnsonCisco Jr. College
1979Jeff ShafferUniversity of Houston
1979Raymond BoudreauxCisco Jr. College
1980Bo MontgomeryTarleton State University
1980Dan BenditzBaylor University
1980Don MillerNew Mexico State University
1980Keith JohnsonTarleton State University
1980Mark ClineTarleton State University
1980Kevin BrownWest Texas State University
1980Allen RiceBaylor University
1981Bill LampkinAbilene Christian University
1981Matt DarwinTexas A&M University
1981Mike KleinWest Texas State University
1981Rusty NettlesTexas A&M University
1982Ken RoseNew Mexico State University
1982Russ CarolUniversity of Texas at Arlington
1983Carl HolderBlinn College
1983Greg DillonTexas A&M University
1983James McGuaneMcNeese State University
1983Jeff BorenUniversity of Texas
1983Rusty AtwoodUniversity of Southwestern Louisiana
1984Randy KirkTexas Tech University
1984Ross KleinSam Houston State University
1984Wade GuinnSouthwest Texas State University
1984Kevin ElliottU.S. Air Force Academy
1984Brian LetbetterSouthwest Texas State University
1984Paul SalnasTexas Lutheran University
1984Randy StanfieldSam Houston State University
1984Dean WittholzUniversity of Texas at El Paso
1984Jack CurtisAbilene Christian University
1985Byron ForsytheUniversity of Houston
1985Jake GuarinoAbilene Christian University
1985Joey BanesUniversity of Houston
1985Max MossRice University
1985Mike HolleyUniversity of Houston
1985Stan GustasRice University
1985Steve ThompsonRice University
1985Terry WoodsSouthwest Texas State University
1986Brian WrightSouthwest Texas State University
1986Craig DeCarloAbilene Christian University
1986Eddie EnriquezRice University
1986Gary HaysBaylor University
1986Jerry RaymondTrinity Valley Community College
1986Olivier ParchoisSouthwest Texas State University
1986Tony WilliamsUniversity of Houston
1986Mark McDonaldSyracuse University
1987Frank FrankouskyBlinn College
1987Steve JeterSam Houston State University
1987Lee BrudererBaylor University
1988Jack WebbSam Houston State University
1988Reggie LedayBlinn College
1988Steve BlanchardNicholls State University
1988Sean PettigrewAbilene Christian University
1988Mark EnriquezTexas Tech University
1988Sean GlascowBaylor University
1989Todd DavidsonSam Houston State University
1989Shane StarkeyUniversity of New Mexico
1990Christopher CokerOccidental College
1990Shawn ThomasSam Houston State University
1990Weyland HardingIowa State University
1990Brian GarrisonSouthwest Baptist University
1991Calvin BranchIowa State University
1991Kevin MassieU.S. Air Force Academy
1992Brandon BlackBrigham Young University
1992Reed LivesayBaylor University
1992Ritchie CrowellSFA State University
1992Dan BabyakUniversity of Wyoming
1993Jeff CobbNorthwestern State University
1993Tracy WilliamsIowa State University
1993John BeckwithTrinity University
1994Chad HakemackUniversity of Southwestern Louisiana
1994Charles BowmanLouisiana Tech University
1994James DummerSam Houston State University
1995Joel ReichlingTrinity University
1995Joel MarshSoutheastern State University
1996Brad McFarlandTulane University
1996Jonathan HebertUniversity of Notre Dame
1996Justin JacobsYale University
1996Mike GreenUniversity of Houston
1996Nick GattoArkansas State University
1996Troy AndrewDuke University
1996Scott LanningTrinity University
1996Chris MillweeRanger College
1996Steve SandersNaval Academy - Annapolis
1996Clark ScharmanNaval Academy - Annapolis
1996Goldy JacksonTexas Southern University
1997Jason HebertRice University
1997Marcus CosseyBlinn College
1997Ryan CarverOklahoma State University
1997Keith CarpenterSouthwest Baptist University
1997Ryan StirpeTrinity University
1997Anthony DozierBaylor Univeristy
1998Charles HallBaylor University
1998Gordy QuistDartmouth College
1998Kyle JacobsThe College of William & Mary
1998Lawrence FlugenceTexas Tech University
1999A.J. RickerUniversity of Missouri
1999Chris GatlinMiddle Tennessee State University
1999Jordan HaseCornell University
1999Justin HebertAuburn University
1999Kris BowenUniversity of Southwestern Louisiana
1999Ryan VorhiesU.S. Air Force Academy
2000Adam CaridiSouthwest Texas State University
2000Ed BaileyRice University
2000Jess DemarestMcNeese State University
2000Mark FarringtonUniversity of Virginia
2000Sloan ThomasUniversity of Texas
2000Brandon LathanTexas Tech University
2001Ben ChildsUtah State University
2001Bryan JonesTexas A&M-Commerce
2001Earl MorrisSouthern Methodist University
2001Jeff HebertTexas A&M University
2001Steve BurkeMiami of Ohio University
2001Ryan FrazierBaylor University
2002Bobby LuytiesTexas Lutheran University
2002Chris KindredUniversity of Tulsa
2002Clayton BarhorstDartmouth College
2002Jason KnussmannU.S. Air Force Academy
2002Marcus JonesUniversity of Colarado
2003Ashton YoubotyOhio State University
2003Josh HebertAuburn University
2003Matt ShaversTrinity University
2003Matt WeldonTrinity University
2003Nick ReasonsNicholls State University
2003Robert KillebrewUniversity of Texas
2003Treeo GibsonTarleton State University
2004Caleb MorrisU.S. Air Force Academy
2004Elen ThompsonOccidental College
2004Noah Barboza IIIWashington University St. Louis
2004Wesley BeckUniversity of New Mexico
2005Courtland MarshallPrairie View A&M University
2005Daniel WestHarvard University
2005Jared HawkinsVanderbilt University
2005Mark OrtmannUniversity of Michigan
2005Matt PharisWheaton College
2005Adrian ThomasTexas State University
2005Steve FirminNavarro College
2006Chris StewartUniversity of Notre Dame
2006Karl ZippsTexas Lutheran University
2006Douglas WinfieldUniversity of Houston
2006Derek McDonoughBlinn College
2006Brett DewhurstTexas Tech University
2007Aaron YatesTexas State University
2007Matt TomlinsonUniversity of North Texas
2007Jake EannarelliAngelo State University
2008J.B. ShugartsOhio State University
2008Henry KaetzerColorado School of Mines
2008C. J. PalmerMontana State University
2008Randy BullockTexas A&M University
2008John YoubotyMarshall University
2008Brian MooreUniversity of Tulsa
2008Kyle NicholsSoutheastern Louisiana University
2008Clay HebertRice University

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Bearkats in Professional Football - View a Slideshow of all Professional Players

Click on the link where indicated to see a slide show of the wall of honor or mouse over the individual name and click to see the full bio of each player.

Year ^Last NameTeam
1967Robert YoungBritish Columbia Lions
1970Harold BridgesTampa Bay Buccaneers
1974Kent AlleeHouston Gunners
1976Melvin JonesWashington Redskins
1980Allen RiceMinnesota Vikings
1981Matt DarwinPhiladelphia Eagles
1985Byron ForsytheSacramento Surge
1985Joey BanesHouston Oilers
1990Weyland HardingIowa Barnstormers
1991Calvin BranchOakland Raiders
1996Chris MillweeShreveport-Bossier Bombers
1996Mike GreenTennessee Titans
1996Nick GattoGrand Rapids Rampage
1996Troy AndrewMiami Dolphins
1997Jason HebertSan Diego Chargers
1998Lawrence FlugenceBerlin Thunder
1999A.J. RickerRhein Fire
2000Sloan ThomasTennessee Titans
2003Ashton YoubotyBuffalo Bills

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