Current Members of the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame
Class of 2016
1989 Cole HS Basketball Members
Class of 2016
1989 Cole HS Basketball Members
The 1989 San Antonio Cole High School, led by Shaquille O’Neal, was one of the most dominant teams Texas basketball has ever seen. They finished the year undefeated, going 36-0.
O’Neal was the team’s powerhouse, averaging an outstanding 36 points, 26 rebounds, and eight blocks. The Cole team swept through the UIL 3A State playoffs, beating Hearne handily, 69-56. They then capped off the season in a big way, beating Clarksville 66-60 behind O’Neal’s 26 points. O’Neal attributes this state championship as the real kickstart for his hoop dreams.
The team was coached by Dave Madura and Herb Moore. The members of the team were Darren Mathey, Dan Sandburg, Rob Dunn, Sean Jackson, Joe Cauallero, John Sherner, Kyle Henson, Mike Mennito, Chris Jennings, Tre Halliburton, Eric Baker, Tony Richardson, Andy Armando, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwayne Cyrus, Jeff Petress, Doug Sandburg
Class of 2016
George Block
Class of 2016
George Block
George Block served the Northside Independent School District (NISD) as a swim coach and athletic administrator for 35 years, during which time he developed swimmers who excelled at the high school, collegiate, Olympic and world levels.
Block became Director of Aquatics for NISD in 1977 and Assistant Director of Athletics in 1993. He retired in 2009 and the district honored him by re-naming its pool the George Block Aquatics Center. During his tenure at Northside, Block also served as head swim coach of the U.S. Modern Pentathlon team and served USA Swimming in many official roles. He developed eight Olympians from four countries in three different sports; swimming, triathlon and pentathlon. His elite swimmers qualified for Olympic Trials from 1984 through 2000 and his high school swimmers earned 52 UIL State gold medals, more than 285 All-American designations, and numerous national and junior championship victories.
Block is a founder of the San Antonio Sports Foundation (now San Antonio Sports) and has served the nonprofit by chairing numerous committees and projects, and as San Antonio Sports chairman in 2012-13. He has been inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame and received the Rings of Gold individual award from the United States Olympic Committee in 2012.
Class of 2016
Darold Williamson
Class of 2016
Darold Williamson
San Antonio native Darold Williamson was an elite level 400-meter runner who won gold medals at Olympic, world, collegiate and amateur track and field competitions.
Williamson graduated from Business Careers High School on the campus of Holmes High School where he distinguished himself in 1999 as the second leg of the Huskies’ 4×400 meter relay team that won the Texas State Championship title. He set five Holmes school records in relay and dash events and, in his senior year, won state titles in the 200 and 400-meter races.
Continuing his track career at Baylor University he won four NCAA track titles, 13 All-American honors and 13 Big 12 Conference championships, both team and individual. In the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Williamson anchored the USA’s 4×400-meter relay to the gold medal. He also earned gold medals at the 2005 and 2007 World Track & Field Championships, running the third leg of the 4×400-meter relays. His personal best times are 20.91 for 200 meters and 44.27 for 400 meters.
Class of 2016
Shaquille O'Neal
Class of 2016
Shaquille O'Neal
NBA and Olympic champion Shaquille O’Neal led his San Antonio Cole High School team to a state championship in 1989. During his two years, the team went 68-1, and his 791 rebounds in ’89 remains a state record. That year, he was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game. In 2012, he was named as one of the top 35 high schoolers to ever play in that game. His senior year, at the 1989 AAU Junior Olympics, he led the San Antonio All-Stars to a national championship.
After playing for the LSU Tigers in college, O’Neal became the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft to the Orlando Magic. He quickly became a force in the league, winning rookie of the year and leading the Magic to the finals in just his third year. In 1996, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, teaming up with the late Kobe Bryant to become arguably the best 1-2 punch in NBA history. There, they won 3 championships, and O’Neal won his lone MVP in 2000. In 2004, he was traded to the Miami Heat, where he and Dwyane Wade won one championship in 2006. After short stints in Phoenix, Cleveland, and Boston, O’Neal retired after a legendary 19-year career.
O’Neal is widely regarded as one of the most physically dominant players in the history of the NBA. His laundry list of awards and accomplishments in the league is too many to recount. He has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, FIBA Hall of Fame, and College Basketball Hall of Fame. He remains a significant personality in and around the league.