The Ouachita Baptist University Athletic Hall of Fame will enshrine five new members when the class of 2008 is inducted during weekend festivities Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
The class will be introduced at the 2008 Ouachita Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Banquet Friday, Oct. 31 in the Walker Conference Center on the Ouachita Baptist University campus.
The 2008 class features Ouachita greats from football, baseball and swimming & diving.
Those who will be honored as part of the 2008 class include: Doug Freeze (football and track, 1967-70), W.I. “Bill” Walton (football, 1921-24), Travis Jackson (baseball, 1925), John Floyd (football and track, 1931-34) and Jim Dann (men’s and women’s swimming & diving head coach 1981-2008.
A reception will be 5:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31 in the lobby of the Walker Conference Center and will be followed by the induction ceremony and banquet at 7. Jim Rasco of Conway, Ark., and Board Member of Hendrix College and of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame will emcee the event. Tables and individual tickets can be purchased by calling the Ouachita athletic department at (870) 245-5181.
The class of 2008 will be recognized at halftime of the Ouachita football game, Saturday, Nov. 1 against West Alabama. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
2008 Ouachita Baptist Hall of Fame Inductee Bios
Jim Dann – Dann came to Ouachita from Leesburg High School in Florida in 1981. He produced 17 individual National Champions and three Olympians – two went on to win gold. Not only that, he has coached more than 100 Individual All-Americans. He was a four-time recipient of the National Coach of the Year Award and was selected into a pair of Hall of Fames – NAIA in 1998 and Arkansas Swimming in 2001. As head coach of both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs, he guided the men to 18 top-10 finishes, including three top-four finishes. On the women’s side, he directed the squad to four top-10 finishes.
John Floyd – Floyd was a two-sport athlete in the 1930s, playing on the Ouachita football and track & field teams. The Nashville, Ark., native was named captain at the start of the 1934 season and played left tackle. He was tabbed the “War Horse” of the offensive line in 1932 and a four-team member of the All-State team. He was a four-year letterman and starter at Ouachita, while playing under head coaches J.H. “Bo” Rowland, Otis Galloway and W.I. “Bill” Walton. In track and field, did shot and discus. Floyd helped guide Ouachita to second place at state meet, including taking first in the shot put and discus. He also earned a state record of 144 feet in the discus.
Doug Freeze – Freeze was a four-year letterman of the Ouachita football teams from 1967-70. He was named All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference Honorable Mention his first season and was named to the first team the next two seasons (1968-70). He was First-Team All-AIC Team of the 60s as a wide receiver. He was the all-time leading receiving in yards, 2,353 and catches, 149 for 38 years. He was also a two-year track letterman.
Travis Jackson – Jackson was the hustling captain and clutch-hitting shortstop on John McGraw’s Giants teams of the 1920s, playing through the mid-1930s. His outstanding arm, exceptional range and quick release earned him great respect in the field. Nicknamed Stonewall, after the Civil War general and for the wall of defense he supplied at shortstop, he also hit 135 home runs and compiled six .300-plus seasons at the plate. Jackson was enshrined in 1982 in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He finished his career batting .292 with 1,768 hits, 929 RBIs, 833 runs scored and 71 stolen bases. He played in four World Series’ – 1923, 24, 33, 36.
Bill Walton – Walton was the Ouachita coach for nine years. He was born in Benton in 1900 and played end on the Benton State Championship team of 1918. He spent one year at Hendrix and later played halfback for head coach Morley Jennings at Ouachita from 1921-24. He coached at Bauxite, and then produced a four-year record of 46-8-2 at Fordyce and a six-year record of 51-9-4 at El Dorado. Walton turned out championship teams through 1942. During his eight years as coach at Ouachita, he compiled a 49-30-3 record and outscored opponents, 1,279-596. He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1973.
