Garland Sports Hall of Fame

04/12/2026

At the event, the City will commemorate the 42-year history of the Lou Huff Recreation Center. A piece of the gym floor will be available for attendees to sign. The signed piece of Lou Huff Recreation Center history will become a fixture in the new iteration of the park. The Lou Huff center was decomissioned by the City in 2001 and its long-time director, Gale Fields, became the namesake of the rec center that opened in its place.

Join us this Saturday, April 18 at 9 a.m. for the Lou Huff Park renovations groundbreaking! 🌳

Planned improvements to the park include:
•New multipurpose courts
•A permanent restroom facility
•A pedestrian bridge
•Expanded parking
•A large covered pavilion
•And more!

We hope to see you there!

📍 515 E. Avenue B

03/27/2026

The Garland Sports Hall of Fame proudly announces that Lisa Dalton will be the recipient of its Homer B. Johnson Legacy Award. A North Garland High graduate and captain of the Mam'selles drill team, Dalton served the Kilgore College Rangerettes as Sergeant and Swingster and then established a legacy program at South Garland High School, where she served 28 years as Director of the Southern Belles drill team. Her squads set standards not only for Garland ISD, but for the region and the state. Dalton will receive the honor at the Garland Sports Hall of Fame's annual induction banquet, 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, at The Atrium in Downtown Garland. Tickets available at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/garland-sports-hall-of-fame-banquet

03/26/2026

A legacy program? How about one which many remember as unbeaten on Friday nights in Garland? That's the kind of impact the Garland Sports Hall of Fame was looking for when it created the Homer B. Johnson Legacy Award in 2022. The award honors an individual or organization for a contribution to the ongoing legacy of sports in Garland. Tomorrow, we announce our winner for 2026, to be celebrated at our May 27 banquet. And to the tens, hundreds of thousands, who witnessed the performances on the field, the director behind the legacy will be as obvious a choice for this honor as it was to our Board. Tickets here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/garland-sports-hall-of-fame-banquet

03/25/2026

Hall of Famers as athletes at their respective colleges, Mark Behrens and Greg Harvey became even more accomplished as coaches. Wednesday, May 27, at the Atrium in Downtown Garland, they’ll be inducted as the Garland Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. We hope Sachse High and Rockwall Heath fans have taken advantage of their head start to purchase tickets and support the coaches who built their programs. Because on Friday, we’re going to unveil a third honoree, the Homer B. Johnson Legacy Award winner. And we believe she’ll be a tremendously popular choice. Tickets are reasonable at $40 … and we'd love a donation if you’re able. Know that it'll go toward the dinners and scholarships for the 14 graduating high school athletes who will also be honored. https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/garland-sports-hall-of-fame-banquet

03/06/2026

We proudly announce that Greg Harvey, a Garland High pitcher and 1986 grad, will be inducted into the Garland Sports Hall of Fame on May 27 at The Atrium in Downtown Garland. After leading the nation in strikeouts in junior college, Harvey was a pro pitcher for five years and then went into coaching. He has amassed 500 victories and the 2012 (4A) and 2021 (6A) state baseball championships at Rockwall-Heath. Better get your tickets soon. Together with yesterday's announcement of Mark Behrens' induction, seats and tables will go fast. https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/garland-sports-hall-of-fame-banquet ... or email [email protected] for ticket and sponsorship information.

03/05/2026

We proudly announce that Sachse High School head football coach and athletics coordinator Mark Behrens will be inducted into the Garland Sports Hall of Fame May 27 at The Atrium in Downtown Garland. Behrens is the winningest coach in Garland ISD football history and also has deep ties to the football programs at South Garland and Naaman Forest. https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/garland-sports-hall-of-fame-banquet or email [email protected] for ticket and sponsorship information. Stay tuned ... more news and another inductee soon to post!

02/27/2026

Over the past month, we've focused on our nominees for induction. We're also proud of the work we do to support current athletes. Our Gale Fields Award comes with financial aid to graduating male and female athletes from all seven Garland ISD schools. Pictured are 2025 and 2024 recipients. Each and their plus-two parents/coaches are guests at our banquet. Your $100 donation could buy their dinner, support the cause and support these worthy recipients. Email [email protected]

02/25/2026

If you didn't catch them all in our day-to-day listings over the last couple of weeks, here are the 8 finalists for the Garland Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2026.

Mark Behrens
Deba Douglas
Greg Harvey
Keelan Jackson
Milton Mallard
Jamie Miller
Rusty Roberts
Alan Winn

We'll announce the winners in the coming days. Email [email protected] to receive ticket information for the May 27 induction banquet at The Atrium in Downtown Garland.

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02/24/2026

Here is the last of our bios of the 25 nominations to the Garland Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Hope you enjoyed the series of posts and maybe learned a little something about our community's athletic history. We'll list the eight finalists one more time, then move on early next week to announce the two inductees.

Slade Young: Guard for the 1985-86 South Garland basketball team that rose to a No. 1 state ranking. Led the team in assists and was all-district as a senior in 1986-87. All-time leading scorer (1,154 points) and most career three-point baskets (238) at Eastfield College. Oklahoma Collegiate Conference Player of the Year and second-team NAIA all-American with 18.2 ppg and 116 assists in 1991-92 at Northwestern (Okla.) State, inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 2012.

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02/23/2026

Day 12, which means were posting short bio 23 and 24 of our 25 current nominations to the Garland Sports Hall of Fame.

Terry Walker: Wide receiver and free safety at Lakeview Centennial HS, earning all-city honors and graduating in 1985. Free safety at the University of Texas at El Paso, earning second team all-conference in 1987, first team all-conference in 1988 and captain of the school’s best-ever 10-3 team and a 2023 inductee into the UTEP Hall of Fame. U.S. Probation Officer and Fi****ms lead instructor, Western District of Texas. Longtime coach in youth sports.

Alan Winn (FINALIST, Garland Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026): U-17 US National Team soccer and a 2014 graduate of Naaman Forest HS. First-team Atlantic Coast Conference and second team all-America midfielder at North Carolina in 2017 when he led the Tarheels in scoring. Played in two college soccer final fours and scored a penalty kick in the 2016 NCAA championship game. Twice second team ACC, finishing college with 23 goals, 14 assists. MLS Colorado Rapids first round draftee in 2018, logging 4,000 pro minutes, mostly with Nashville FC.

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02/22/2026

Here's two more of our 25 nominations to the Garland Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026. We can tell you that one of today's nominees, Terrance Smith, will DEFINITELY play a meaningful role the May 27 induction banquet. He's the namesake of Downtown Garland's Smith Spot BBQ, which is providing the meal!

Billy Smith: Four-years on varsity, three at starting center for South Garland HS basketball, earning Newcomer of the Year, two all-district selections and district MVP and all-state honors as a senior when South rose to a #1 state ranking in 1985-86. Two years all-region at Midland JC where his teams went 62-7. Two NCAA tournament appearances and 28 starts at Kansas State University. K-State football defensive end 1990, walking on after not having played football since middle school.

Terrance Smith: Defensive tackle at Garland HS, graduating in 2001. Twice all-district and a member of the 1999 state championship team. Homecoming king and Texas Scholar honors. Nose guard, Texas A&M Commerce, graduating in 2005, earning all-conference honors and serving as captain and earning school’s Dr. Jesse Hawthorne Award for top male athlete as a senior. Three-seasons of Arena Football, 2007 Tulsa Talons, 2008 Frisco Thunder, 2009 San Angelo Stampede, serving as captain.

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