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2015 SAISD Athletic Hall of Fame Honorees

Clyde Pearson Glosson
Clyde Pearson Glosson, Class of 1965 from Wheatley HS, was a seven-time state champion in sprint track events, a two-time national record holder in track and was named to the All-State (All-Star) football team. In his senior year, Glosson set the national record in the 220-yard dash with a blazing 20.6 seconds.

Glosson was a track and football star at Trinity University and the University of Texas at El Paso. He was an alternate on the 1968 USA Olympic Team in the 4x400 relay. While at UTEP, Glosson anchored the 4x400 relay in 39.4 seconds, the fastest time in the world in 1970.

Glosson played in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills (1970-1972). Glosson returned to SAISD and was a teacher at Fox Tech HS, and Page and Davis middle schools for 27 years. He retired in 2000.

Gary Green
Gary Green, Class of 1973 from Sam Houston HS, set school records in rushing as a running back in football and was a three-time state qualifier in track. Green played college football for Baylor University (1973-1976). Green became a true “shutdown cornerback” for Baylor. In his senior year, Green was named a Consensus Collegiate All American.

Green was drafted in the first round of the 1977 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Green went on to become a four-time All Pro cornerback for Kansas City (1977-1983) and Los Angeles Rams (1984-1985). Green had 33 interceptions in his pro career.

Green returned to SAISD and became the head football coach at his alma mater Sam Houston in 2004.

Raymond “R.A.” Johnson
Raymond “R.A.” Johnson, Class of 1961 from Jefferson HS, was a long-time coach and educator for San Antonio ISD. At Sam Houston HS, Johnson was the head football coach for 14 years (1983-1997), where he turned the team into a consistent winner.

Coach Johnson’s teams advanced to the UIL state playoffs eight consecutive seasons (1986-1993), claimed eight 5A district championships and won 33 straight league games. Sam Houston made the state playoffs 11 of 14 seasons under him. Johnson’s two biggest playoff wins came against then state-ranked Holmes HS (1987) and Churchill HS (1988).

Perhaps Coach Johnson’s greatest gift was inspiring many. He mentored numerous area coaches and motivated thousands of young people to overcome hardships and become proven winners on and off the field.

Claud H. Kellam
Claud H. Kellam is regarded as the dean of athletic directors for San Antonio ISD. Kellam served as the District’s athletic director for 26 years from 1934-1963 (excluding three years when serving in World War II), the longest tenure as athletic director in the history of SAISD.

Kellam was the mastermind in the building of two of San Antonio’s most historic sports landmarks, Alamo Stadium (1940) and Alamo Stadium Gym (1950), which now is known as the Alamo Convocation Center.

Kellam was affectionately nicknamed the “gray ghost,” because he always wore gray suits and you never knew when he was watching teams practice. He began his career in SAISD as the head football coach at Brackenridge HS in 1929. Kellam coached his Brackenridge squad to the state championship game in 1933. The San Marcos native retired as the District’s assistant superintendent for personnel services in 1974.

Paul G. Martin
Paul Martin was an SAISD educator for 36 years, including 20 years (1969-1988) as head football coach for Highlands HS, where his teams compiled 16 winning seasons, won 129 games, captured seven District and co-District championships and made the state regional finals twice.

Coach Martin said in his career there were many big games but points to 1977 as the biggest win of them all. Martin’s Highlands Owls upset the then-defending state champion Churchill Chargers 12-8 in a non-district game. The Owls went on to an undefeated regular season.

Coach Martin emphasized discipline with his student athletes and pushed for team above personal recognition. His philosophy was simple. “Work hard. Play hard. Execute. And you will win.”

Victor Rodriguez
Dr. Victor Rodriguez was a former San Antonio ISD superintendent. During his 36-year tenure, he also served as a teacher, coach and administrator (1957-1982). Dr. Rodriguez was the cross country, track and football coach at the former Cooper JHS and at Lanier and Highlands high schools. His cross country teams won three city championships in four years and his 1967 Highlands track team was runner-up at the UIL state track meet.

During his 12-year tenure as superintendent (1982-1994), Dr. Rodriguez guided the District in significantly reducing the dropout rate to less than 10 percent. Under Dr. Rodriguez’s watch, every SAISD school was air-conditioned for the first time in 1986.

Dr. Rodriguez was the first Hispanic superintendent for SAISD and chairman for the Texas University Interscholastic League.

Upon retiring in 1994, Dr. Rodriguez wrote a highly emotional autobiography “The Bell Ringer.” In the book, he chronicled his childhood in Edna, Texas, where at the age of 9 and until graduating from high school, he woke up at 4 each morning and ran two miles from his home to ring the bell at St. Agnes Catholic Church to start mass.

Kyle Rote
Kyle Rote, Class of 1947 from Jefferson HS, was an All-State football and basketball player for the Mustangs. He also was considered one of the region’s top pro baseball prospects. He was a running back in football, a guard in basketball, an outfielder in baseball and a member of the track team.

Rote was a consensus All-American running back at Southern Methodist University (Class of 1951). He still holds the National Collegiate record for the longest punt. In the SMU vs. Oregon 1949 Cotton Bowl, Rote, kicking out of his own end zone, had a punt land 84 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Rote was an All-Pro running back and wide receiver in the National Football League for the New York Giants (1951-1961). In 1995, Rote was named as wide receiver on the All-Time NY Giants Team.

Tommy Nobis
Tommy Nobis, Class of 1962 from Jefferson HS, was an All-State football player for the Mustangs. He played offensive end and defensive middle linebacker.

Nobis was an All-American (1964) and a consensus All-American linebacker (1965) at the University of Texas at Austin. He was an iron man, playing (and starting) on both defense and offense his entire college career. The late famed Texas coach Darrell Royal called him "the finest two-way player I have ever seen."

Nobis, nicknamed Mr. Falcon, became the first player ever drafted by the then-expansion Atlanta Falcons (1966-1976) with the #1 pick in the 1966 National Football League Draft. In his rookie season, Nobis amassed an unprecedented 294 combined tackles which still stands today as the team's all-time single-season record, and is unofficially the most tackles ever credited to one player, in a season, in NFL history.

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