SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State "T" Association has announced its 2019 Athletics Alumni Hall of Honor Class, as voted on by the "T" Association Board of Directors. This year's four-member class features the first athletics trainer inductee, Dr. Bobby Patton, track and field star Inez Turner, football standout David Vela, and head football coaching legend Jim Wacker.  Induction into the Hall of Honor is the highest athletics accolade to be bestowed upon Texas State athletics alumni.
 
The 2019 Induction Ceremony takes place on Friday, Nov. 15, in the J. Garland Warren Room at Bobcat Stadium. Each recipient will also be recognized during halftime at the Nov. 16 Bobcat football game against Troy. To purchase tickets for the Hall of Honor Banquet, please contact the Texas State Athletics Department at 512-245-2114.
 
Texas State University Athletics would like to congratulate the 2019 Hall of Honor inductees.
 
Dr. Bobby Patton
Dr. Bobby Patton has been involved in Texas State athletics since first enrolling at the university in 1960.  He is credited with starting the professional program in Athletic Training at Texas State in 1972, the longest active Athletic Training program in the state of Texas.
 
Upon his graduation from Texas State in 1962, Patton was hired by Milton Jowers as the first Bobcat head athletic trainer. He held onto that distinguished role until 1977 when he transitioned into the Director of Sports Medicine. Patton served in that role until 2008.  Dr. Patton is the first athletics trainer inducted into the Hall of Honor. In his role with Bobcat Athletics, Patton worked directly with thousands of student-athletes and their coaches. 

Patton earned his bachelor of science degree in education at Texas State in 1962 before completing his master of education degree with a concentration in administration education and physical education in 1963. He would go on to earn a Ph.D. in college teaching/physical education at North Texas in 1969.

While handling duties as the head athletic trainer from 1962-77, Patton .worked his way through the academic ranks as well. He began his career as an assistant instructor from 1962-64 before moving into a role as an instructor through 1967. Over the next six years, he would be promoted to assistant professor and associate professor. Since 1976, Patton has worked at Texas State as a Professor of Athletic Training. In August of 2013, he was named Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Athletic Training. He has also served as a program director, interim chair, and associate chair within the department.  He retired from Texas State in 2013. 

Patton has earned ample recognition and awards during his illustrious athletic training career. He was presented with a Fifty Years of Service Award from both Texas State University and the National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) in 2013. He was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame in 2012. The year prior, in 2011, Patton was named to the Alamo Area Athletic Trainer's Association Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was granted a Distinguished Alumni Award from Texas State and was named the Distinguished Athletic Trainer of the Year by NATA. His first Hall of Fame induction came in 1995 as he entered the Southwest Athletic Trainer's Association Hall of Fame.
 
Patton has stayed highly active in the San Marcos community throughout his career. He served on the Booster Club for baseball, basketball, football, and soccer at San Marcos High School during much of the 1980s. He volunteered 10 years on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association in Hays County, while also serving as the Program Director. In the '70s, Patton spent many years as a volunteer coach for baseball, football, and the Optimist Junior Olympics.  He was a President of Kiwanis in 1981-1982 and a member for 40 years.

He has served as a charter member of the Texas State University Bobcat Club since 1972. Patton was the Bobcat Club President from 1975-77, the Treasurer from '77-83, and was a member of the Board of Directors from 1975-97.  He received the first honorary membership from the "T" Association in 1977.

Patton has made many generous donations to Texas State, including the Bobby Patton Endowed Athletic Training Scholarship.
 
He and his wife Mary-Jo, who was a Strutter, have been married for 56 years.  They have two sons, Bob and Bill, and two grandchildren, Crockett and Maddison.
 
Inez Turner
Former Olympian Inez Turner was a two-year letter winner for the Bobcat cross country and track and field teams from 1993-1995. Her two seasons in the Maroon and Gold were highlighted by dominate efforts at the national level, including two NCAA back to back championships in the 800m run with a time of 2:01.50 in 1994 and a school record of 2:00.27 in 1995. She secured 13 title races at the historic Penn Relays, set two World Junior records at the Penn Relays, was named Penn Relays Athlete of the Meet three times, and was a five-time Penn Relays Wall of Famer. She also collected two Southland Conference Athlete of the Year accolades and was a team captain for the Bobcats.

She began her prestigious running career at Barton Community College. While competing for the Cougars, Turner racked up 16 National Junior College All-America honors. Turner holds several school records at Barton to this day, including the outdoor 400m dash, the indoor 800m run, the indoor 880y run, the indoor 1,000m run, and she was a member of the two fastest indoor and outdoor 4x800m relay teams. She also holds the second fastest outdoor 800m run time at Barton.

Turner won the 1993 Division I NJCAA Championship in the 800m run with a time of 2:04.88, a time that remains the fastest time ever run in the event at the championship level. She also was a vital member of the 4x800m relay team that secured an NJCAA national championship with a record time of 8:39.27.

At Texas State, Turner delivered school-record performances in both the outdoor 400m dash (52.57) and the outdoor 800m run (2:00.27). She stands second in the indoor 800m run (2:05.51) and third in the indoor 400m dash (54.25). She ran the opening leg, the 1,200m split, of the Distance Medley Relay in 1995, a squad that produced the sixth fastest time in the event in school history at 12:00.24. The time held as the school record until being topped in 2007.

Turner was named the 1994 Southland Conference Outstanding Track Performer and Athlete of the Year before being tabbed the co-athlete of the year in the 1995 season. During the indoor portion of the season, Turner claimed the 1995 open 400m Southland Conference championship and was a member of the 4x400m relay squad. Turner would go on to capture gold medals at the Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 1994 in the open 400m dash, the 800m run, and the 4x400m relay. She would repeat as conference champion in the 800m race and the 4x400m relay in 1995.

Upon graduating from Texas State, Turner competed in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta for Jamaica. She was a member of the fourth-place 4x400m relay team and competed in the 800m run as an individual, earning a gold medal in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in the 800 meters with a time of 2:01.74. Turner also won a bronze medal as a member of the 4x400m relay team at the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece. She competed in the CARIFTA (Caribbean Free Trade Association) Games from 1988-91 and won seven gold medals and two silver medals in the 400m dash, 800m run, and 4x400m relay between the Junior and Youth Divisions.  She was also the first athlete from an English-speaking Caribbean country to run a sub 2 minutes in the 800m. 

Turner has been enshrined into both the Penn Relays and National Junior College Halls of Fame and was named ISA Athlete of the Decade for the 1980s.

She graduated from Texas State with a bachelor of science degree in exercise and sports science in 1995. She has been coaching track and field since 2004 with stops at New York Elite Track Club, North Carolina A&T, and head coaching jobs at both Winston Salem State University and Fayetteville State University. In 2018 Turner was named the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Collegiate Cross Country Coach of the Year.  While at Winston Salem State University, she won eight CIAA Conference Championships and was named Coach of the Year eight times.

In 2012, Turner established the Inez Turner Foundation to raise funds for Vere Technical High School to assist disadvantaged students. She has been the keynote speaker at the US-JA International College Fair, an organization that aids third world countries, three times. She has also been active with community outreach with both the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and at Winston Salem State University.
 
Inez and her husband, Mark Adams, have six children, Dwight Gray, Jr., Dwight Gray II, Tayanna Turner Gray, Kemora Turner Gray, Mark Anthony II, and Hannah Faith Adams
 
David Vela
David Vela was a four-year football letter winner for the Bobcats from 1979-82. A two-time All-Lone Star Conference wide receiver, Vela helped the Bobcats win three-straight Lone Star Conference Championships and back-to-back NCAA Division II National Championships. The Bobcats compiled a record of 42-8 during his playing career, the third-winningest class in program history. During his four-year career under the guidance of Head Coach Jim Wacker, Vela set the school record for yards per catch with an average of 20.89 yards.

Vela sits third in program history with 2,110 receiving yards, ranks No. 10 in receptions with 101, and third in career touchdown receptions with 17. He continues to hold the school record in yards per reception. He also ranks top ten in several all-time season records, including third all-time in touchdowns with 11 and receiving yards with 971. 

During his sophomore season, Vela and the Bobcats amassed a record of 8-3 and won the Lone Star Conference on the strength of a 6-1 league record. That season Vela was selected to the All-Lone Star Conference second team.

His junior season was one for the record books. The Bobcats finished the season with a 13-1 record, a Lone Star Conference Championship, and the first of two back-to-back Division II National Championships. Vela needed only 44 receptions to set the school single-season records for receiving yards with 971 and touchdown receptions with 11. Both of his records held up until the 2007 season. Vela was rewarded with Second-Team All-Lone Star distinctions.

The Bobcats claimed a second NCAA Division II National Championship in his senior season. The Bobcats dominated the '82 campaign and finished with a perfect 14-0 record and a third-straight Lone Star Conference title. Vela was named to the All-Lone Star Conference First Team after recording a team-high 34 receptions for 580 yards and one score. He also was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention Little All-American in 1982.

After helping the Bobcats win back-to-back national championships, Vela competed in the 1983 NFL Draft Combine before beginning his career with the Oakland Raiders. His professional career lasted three seasons and ended with the San Antonio Gunslingers of the USFL.

Following his playing career, Vela began an extensive teaching and coaching career. His teams won seven district titles and two state championships. From 1999-2005 he served as a wide receivers coach for the San Antonio East/West High School All-Star Football Game. He parlayed that success into a stint with the US Army All-American Bowl in '05 as a wide receivers coach.

Vela earned the 1998 All-San Antonio Hispanic Player Sports Award before being inducted into the National Hispanic Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. In '18, Vela was inducted into the San Antonio Independent School District Hall of Fame.

An active member in the community, Vela has spent years as a volunteer coach for several Boys and Girls Club sports, coached a handful of CYO basketball and track teams, worked with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, served as a coach for several college football team camps, worked with Habitat for Humanity, and helped train prospective NFL players for the combine.

Vela is the son of Ramiro and Yolanda Vela. He and his wife, Irene, have been married for 37 years and have two children, David, Jr., and Analisa Vela.
 
Jim Wacker
Jim Wacker was the head football coach for the Bobcats from 1979-82 and led the Bobcats to the 1981 and 1982 NCAA Division II national championships, and three consecutive Lone Star Conference titles in 1980-82. Coach Wacker was named the 1982 College Division II Coach of the Year before departing SWT with a 42-8 record and the highest winning percentage in program history.

Wacker was tabbed the ninth coach in Bobcat football history ahead of the 1979 season after a successful three-year stint at North Dakota State. The Bobcats finished the 1979 campaign with a 7-4 record and a 3-4 mark in the Lone Star Conference.
 
Eleven Bobcats earned All-Lone Star Conference accolades, including First-Team honors for defensive linemen Mark Mattingly and Elvis Shaw. Linebacker Norris Powell was named the Lone Star's Freshman of the Year.

In 1980, Wacker led the Bobcats to a Lone Star Conference championship with an 8-3 overall record and a 6-1 league mark. Southwest Texas State won six of the final seven games to claim the conference crown. Wacker produced 14 All-Lone Star Conference selections following the season, including three offensive linemen in David Bailiff, Kelly Monk, and Paul Thornton. Wide receiver Billy Dunk was also named to the first team.

In 1981, the Bobcats won their first NCAA Division II national championship with a 13-1 record and a 6-1 conference mark. SWT racked up 10-straight victories to open the season before a setback in the final week of the regular season. Wacker refocused the Bobcats for a run in the Division II Playoffs. They defeated Jacksonville State, 38-22, in the opening round before overwhelming Northern Michigan, 62-0, in the semifinals. The championship game's opponent was North Dakota State, Wacker's former team. The Bobcats won the contest 42-13. The Bobcats outscored opponents 554-128 throughout the season, including 142-35 in three playoff games. Eleven players earned First-Team All-LSC honors following the banner season. Quarterback Mike Miller was named Most Valuable Player of the league after passing for 1,800 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Wacker finished his Bobcat coaching tenure in 1982 with a perfect 14-0 season, a second-straight NCAA Division II national championship, and a 7-0 Lone Star Conference record. The Bobcats knocked off Ft. Valley State, 27-6, in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. They also won a rematch with Jacksonville State, 19-14, before beating UC-Davis, 34-9, in the 1982 championship game. Seven Bobcats were named First-Team All-Lone Star Conference. Linebackers Tim Staskus and Cyril Friday were selected Little All-Americans by the Associated Press.

Following a coaching career at SWT, Wacker patrolled the sidelines for TCU from 1983-91 and Minnesota from 1992-96. In 1984, TCU earned a No. 12 national ranking, the highest ranking for the Horned Frogs since 1960. TCU was invited to the Bluebonnet Bowl after an 8–3 record in the regular season. After the season, Wacker was named as National Coach of the Year by ESPN, the UPI, and The Sporting News. He also received the 1984 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

After his coaching career concluded, Wacker served as an announcer on CBS Radio for two years. He served as the athletic director at Southwest Texas State from 1998-01.

Wacker played football and earned his bachelor's degree at Valparaiso University in 1960 before earning a master's degree in geography at Wayne State University in 1966.  He also received his doctorate in education at the University of Nebraska in 1970.
 
He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Lil.  The couple has three sons, Mike and his wife Susie, Steve and his wife Kyrrha, and Tom and his wife Nikki.  They also have seven grandchildren, Chris, Karl, David, Jaslyn, Jaryn, Genna, and Luke.