Athletics Hall of Fame

Football:

• Tony Atchley played football for KC from 1965-66 and was a part of the 1966 National Championship team under head coach Boyd Converse.  Atchley was born in SEVERE Ville, Tenn., and graduated from SEVERE County High School in 1965.  After high school, Athchley played football at Kilgore College for the 1965-66 season and played at the University of Alabama in 1967.  While playing football at KC, he played in the 1965 Shrine Bowl.  In 2005 he was inducted into the SEVERE County Tennessee Hall of Fame, followed in 2008 with an induction into the NJCAA Hall of Fame as a member of the 1966 KC National Championship Team.
• Jorge Diaz played offensive tackle for the KC football team from 1992-93 under head coach Marion Turner.  Born in New York, he grew up in Katy, playing football for Katy High School. At KC, he was a two-time All-American selection and named All-Conference.  After KC, he played at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where he was credited with 77 knockdown blocks and helped the A&M-Kingsville offense to averages of 286-rushing yards-per-game and 5.7 yards-per-carry. He also earned All-Lone Star Conference honors as a senior.  In 1996, he was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he played until 1999. In 1999, Diaz played a key role in the most successful season in Buccaneers' history.  His play on the offensive line helped the Buccaneers win the NFC Central Division and advance to the NFC Championship Game. Diaz also played one year for the Dallas Cowboys during the 2000-01 season where he helped open holes for Emmitt Smith to get closer to the all-time leading rusher record.
• Jason Doyle was inducted posthumously.  He played offensive/defensive tackle for the KC football team from 1979-80 under head coach Jim Miller.  Doyle, from Tustin, Calif., was named an All-American football player by the NJCAA in 1980 on the Rangers team that went 10-1 and were TJCFC Champions for the seventh time in school history.  Doyle, a 6-1, 250 pound graduate of Foothill High School (Tustin, Calif.), was an all-league offensive tackle at Foothill and aided in Kilgore being ranked No. 1 at one point during the 1980 season.

Men’s Basketball:

• George Jackson was inducted posthumously. Jackson, a 6’7” center from Dayton Roth High School, played basketball at KC from 1967-69 and transferred to play at Dayton University where he still holds the school record for 25 rebounds in a game.  As a freshman at Dayton, he averaged 12.1 points per game and 14.5 rebounds. His sophomore year, Dayton finished the season 18-9 and qualified for the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).  As a sophomore, he averaged 14.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game. He was picked ninth in the 14th round of the 1971 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Women’s Basketball Player:

• Jacqueline (Hodnett) Massey was born in Madison, Ga., and played basketball for the Lady Rangers from 1995-96 under head coach Evelyn Blalock.  She was an All-American during the 1995-96 season and led the Lady Rangers to a 21-9 record.  After KC she transferred to play at the University of Auburn at Montgomery where she averaged 24.7 points per game (second-best in school history) and scored 717 points her junior year (fourth-best in school history).

Contributor:

• Raymond Muchowich was inducted posthumously.  He played football at KC from 1936-38 under coaches Clyde Lee and Red Jackson.  He was part of the Ranger teams in 1936, 1937 and 1938 that all won state championships, with a 27-4-2 record during his three year stint at KC.  In 1955, Raymond took over his father’s oil business, Muchowich Offshore Oil Services, which is run today by his granddaughter, Stacy Jo Stanley.  His daughter, Marilyn Stanley, is retired from the company but serves as the company’s Chairman of the Board.  Raymond Muchowich is probably best known recently in Kilgore as the major contributor in the founding of the KC Athletics Hall of Fame.  Muchowich’s donations before his death in 2000 were the largest donations made to KC to help launch the first KC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.  His donations were also instrumental in beginning to fund the field house project to build the beautiful new Kilgore College Field House at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium.

Spirit of Excellence Award*:

• Don “Tooter” Carroll was awarded the “Spirit of Excellence Award” which is awarded to former KC athletes or coaches who have carried on the Ranger tradition of excellence to achieve an impressive level of distinction in his or her career field.  Carroll was a member of the 1978 KC football team under head coach Jim Miller that finished the season as Texas Junior College Football Conference (TJCFC) Champions and was ranked No. 1 in the nation by the J.C. Gridwire poll.  Following the 1978 season, Carroll accepted a scholarship offer to play football at The University of Tennessee and enjoyed a successful playing career in Tennessee from 1979-81. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Education.  Carroll is a principal/partner in Landbridge Commercial Properties and draws upon more than 28 years of commercial real estate knowledge and experience in Industrial, office, retail, land and development sales.

* The Spirit of Excellence Award is for former KC athletes or coaches who have carried on the Ranger tradition of excellence to achieve an impressive level of distinction in his or her career field.

2001 Football Team:

KC finished the 2001 season with a perfect 12-0 record – the most wins for a Rangers team in program history.  The 2001 KC football team, under head coach Jimmy Rieves, was also named in 2014 to the NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Football: Darin Boone

Boone was a two-year starter at KC during the 1980 and 1981 football seasons as a defensive lineman and was named All-Conference, All-American and was named the TJCFC Defensive MVP in 1981.  He went on to play at Southern Methodist University during the “Pony Express” era with Craig James and Eric Dickerson.

Football: Mark Crites

Crites was a two-year starter for KC during the 1980 and 1981 football seasons as a fullback and was named All-Conference, All-American and TJCFC Offensive MVP in 1981. He went on to play in the backfield at Southern Methodist University during the “Pony Express” era with Craig James and Eric Dickerson.

Men’s Basketball: Benny Johnson

Johnson played basketball for KC from 1959-61 and was named as an All-American both seasons.

Men’s Basketball: Marcus Thornton

Thornton played at KC from 2006-07 under head coach Scott Schumacher and has played in the NBA since 2009.  He was named All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2006 at KC and was named First Team All-American, First Team All-Conference and Conference MVP his sophomore season.  Thornton played for Louisiana State University from 2007-09 where he was named SEC Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC in 2009.  He was signed in the second round of the NBA draft in 2009 and currently plays for the Houston Rockets. 

Women’s Basketball: Aja Anderson

Aja Anderson played basketball for the Lady Rangers from 1996-98 under head coach Evelyn Blalock.  Her freshman season, the Lady Rangers were Co-Champions with Trinity Valley with a 13-1 conference record.  She was named All-Conference and Freshman of the Year.  Her sophomore season, Aja led the Lady Rangers to the playoffs and was once again named to the All-Conference team.

Contributors:  Mike and Amy Clements

The Clements are owners of Energy Weldfab, Inc. in White Oak, alumni of KC and longtime supporters of the college and its athletic programs.

MORE INFO

Football player: Kyle Cunningham (1978-79)
Football player: C.G. Mata (1961-62)
Football player: Leonard Carey (1969)
Men's Basketball player: Tom Farrell (1966)
Women’s Basketball player: Cheron Wells (1989)
Team: 1993-94 Men’s Basketball Team
Contributor: David Castles: longtime KC teacher, coach and athletic director

• Football player: Bob Laird (1977-78)
• Football player: Randy Lemons (1965-66)
• Football player: Glenn Ingram (1964-65)
• Football coach: Jimmy Parks (1942 and 1946)
• Athletic Trainer: Red McKeller (1966-67)
• Men's Basketball player: Clifton Harris (1970-71)
• Women’s Basketball player: Linda Watson (1992-93)
• Teams: 1977 and 1978 football teams
• Contributors: Cecelia Sanders (secretary to the director of athletics and student activities for more than 20 years)

Men's Football: Steve Atchley (1966-67), Pat Murphy (1967-68), George Riley (1950-51) and Ray Woodard (1980-81)
Men's Basketball: Wilmer Cox (1956-58)
Women’s Basketball: Tina Malone (1991-92)
Team: 1975 KC Football Team
Contributor: Wayne Fortson (team doctor for several years at KC)

• Basketball Team: 1964-65 Men’s Basketball Team
• Men's Basketball player: Sammy Hervey (1970-72)
• Women's Basketball player: ShaRhonda Reynolds (1991-93)
• Football player: Victor Jordan (1940-41)
• Football Coach: Charlie Simmons (1967-75)
• Contributors: Clyde Lee Players Association and Latane Speer, KC government instructor since 1971

Team: 1990 Women's Basketball Team

Women's Basketball Player: Kim Spencer (1989 - 1990)

Men's Basketball Players: Don Stanley (1958 - 1959); Pat Stanley (1958 - 1959)

Football Players: Roger Ellis (1961 - 1962); Bobby Dill (1946 - 1947); Roger Adams (1977 - 1978)

Contributor: Hershell Curtis (1940 - 1941)

• Football Players: Gean B. Hale (1938-39-40); Raymond Stone (1946); Harold Mayo 1959; and Eddie Rogers (1964-65)
• Men's Basketball Player: Steve Bracey 1968-69 1969-70
• Women's Basketball Player: Pam Hudson
• Contributor: Rudy Thrower
• Football Team: 1966 National Championship Football Team:
• Steve Atchley
• Tony Atchley
• Sid Bailey
• Jim (Stoney) Bannister
• Andy Boland
• Roger Braker
• Dwayne Brewer
• Bill Brousseau
• ​Fred Carrington
• Mike Coleman
• Boyd Converse
• Steve Copeland
• Bill Dietz
• Andy Durrett
• Ronnie Freestone
• John Gregory
• Jerry Gulledge
• Bobby Hawthorne
• Robbie Huckaby
• Johnny Johnson
• Randy Lemons
• Darnell Losak
• Red McKeller
• Orie McKenzie
• Tommy Merritt
• Bob Peterson
• Danny Pidcock
• Ron Regan
• Clyde Reid
• Terry Reisig
• Rudy Sabatinelli
• Sandy Sands
• Mike Sargent
• Joe Silker
• Terry Stembridge
• Ronny Tuttle
• Jeff Walker
• James Waltmon
• Terry Warren
• Harry Watson