Kliff Kingsbury to be inducted into Texas H.S. Hall of Fame
By VF Castro
Texas Tech head football coach Kliff Kingsbury to be inducted into the Texas High School Hall of Fame in May.
Kliff Kingsbury (New Braunfels H.S.) was named to the 2018 Texas High School Hall of Fame on Wednesday, by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, along with fellow Red Raider great, Bobby Cavazos (Kingville H.S.).
As a senior quarterback at New Braunfels High School, where his father, Tim Kingsbury was head coach, Kliff Kingsbury threw for 3,009 yards, 34 touchdowns to lead the Unicorns to the Class 5A Division II semifinals in 1999 with a 13-2 record–just one season removed from finishing 4-8 overall.
In his senior season, Kingsbury was an Academic All-State Selection, and graduated third in his entire class of 450 students. Kingsbury earned a scholarship from famed Texas Tech head coach Spike Dykes, where he would go on have a storied career as a Red Raider.
Kingsbury played quarterback at Texas Tech under Dykes from 1998-99, and under Mike Leach from 2000-02.
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According to the official Texas Tech press release, “Kingsbury set 39 school records as well seven NCAA FBS marks during his career leading the Red Raider passing attack as he threw for 12,429 yards and 95 touchdowns over his four-year career from 1999-2002. Kingsbury threw for 5,017 yards and 45 touchdowns during his 2002 senior year alone, earning him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors as well as the Sammy Baugh Trophy.”
Kingsbury became the fifteenth head coach in Texas Tech history in 2013, where he holds the record for the only first-year head coach to amass seven straight wins in Big 12 conference history. Kingsbury is also the only former Texas Tech player to return to Lubbock to become the head football coach.
Like Kingsbury, Cavazos was a multi-sport athlete, and named two-time All-South Texas by the Kingsville Record at Kingsville High School in the 1950s. Cavazos went to Texas Tech from 1951-53, where he rushed for 2,278 yards, and scored 35 touchdowns. His brother, Lauro Cavazos was Texas Tech’s president in the 1980s.
In the late Bobby Cavazos‘ senior season, he rushed for 898 yards and 16 touchdowns, where the Red Raiders earned an 11-1 record and a trip to the 1954 Gator Bowl, where they defeated the Auburn Tigers, 35-13. Cavazos was named the Bowl’s MVP.
2018 TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
1950’s & Before – Bobby Cavazos, Kingsville H.S. (Texas Tech)
1960’s – Brad Dusek, Temple H.S.
1970’s – Ken Washington – Port Arthur Lincoln H.S.
1980’s – Tommy Jeter, Deer Park H.S.
1990’s – Kliff Kingsbury, New Braunfels H.S. (Texas Tech)
2000’s – Johnathan Gray, Aledo H.S.
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The Texas High School Football Hall of Fame will be held at 6 p.m. on May 5, 2018 inside the Farrell Center at Baylor University in Waco. If anyone is interested in attending, contact Tiffany Wilkins at txhs.footballhof@gmail.com, or (210) 290-8570. Tickets are $45 for adults, and $15 for students.