By DAVID BARRON Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Pre-Super Bowl gala to honor sports heroes Earl Campbell, Roger Clemens, Clyde Drexler, Bob McNair, Calvin Murphy and Bum Phillips were introduced Thursday as the first six of 38 Houston sports legends who will be honored Jan. 26 at Reliant Arena for Super Bowl XXXVIII -- A Houston Salute. Twenty-seven of Houston's greatest athletes and coaches have committed to attend the event, which organizers describe as the first opening ceremony in the Super Bowl's 38 years. They will be joined by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and the coaches of the competing teams to kick off a week of events leading up to the Feb. 1 game at Reliant Stadium. Clemens, the recently retired New York Yankees pitcher who attended Spring Woods High School; McNair, who brought the NFL back to Houston as owner of the Texans; Murphy, the retired Rockets guard and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame; and Phillips, who coached the Oilers from 1975 through 1980, were among the first who agreed to attend the Houston Salute, which was organized by CBS Sports anchor Jim Nantz. And, judging by their comments at a news conference at Reliant Stadium announcing plans and ticket prices for the event, they will be enthusiastic participants. "I grew up watching Bum and Calvin," Clemens said. "To have the opportunity to salute the city and be a part of this, it's exciting. We're jumping in with both feet to be a part of this." "I've always been a legend in my own mind," said Murphy, now a Rockets broadcaster. "This just puts some legitimacy to it." And Phillips, in his traditional homespun style, said he was amazed to be included with Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers in so many sports. "So many names being tossed around," he said, "makes me feel like a cow chip that somebody threw into the punch bowl. I'm going to go around and get autographs that night, because I don't feel I'm in the same league." Turning first to Clemens and then to Murphy, he said, "Everything I've done, somebody else did it for me. You (Clemens) had to stand up there and pitch. There wasn't nobody that could help. And you (Murphy) had to make those shots. "I had a whole lot of players. What little I've done in sports to make me proud, I owe directly to them. What little honor I'm getting out of this, I'm giving it to my players." The honorees and event organizers were joined at the news conference by Barbara Bush, who will attend along with former President George Bush, who is Houston Salute's honorary chairman. The 38 honorees, including Campbell, the former Oilers running back and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Drexler, the former Rockets and University of Houston basketball star, neither of whom attended the news conference, were selected by a group of 20 newspaper and broadcast sports reporters. Yanni, who has composed and performed music for network golf and tennis coverage and for the Olympic Games, will provide music at the event along with his 25-member orchestra. "I was a swimmer when I was a kid, so (athletics) is in my soul," Yanni said. "When I try to write music (for a sports-related event), it comes out naturally. I like the energy of sports. It inspires music that is high energy." Nantz, a University of Houston graduate who said he considers Houston his home, and Chuck Watson, chairman of the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee, said the event honoring Houston's sports legends will set new standards for Super Bowl host cities. "We will do our best as a city, as a community, to make sure that the NFL is clamoring to come back here (for another Super Bowl) as soon as possible," Nantz said. Watson, however, said future host cities will find it difficult to match the star power that Houston will produce. "Clearly, the concept of an opening night event is going to be Houston's legacy to the Super Bowl for years to come," Watson said. "But when it comes to replicating what we will do here, nobody can do it." "That's what we want to do," McNair added. "We want to bring people here and show them what they can do. Other cities will be hard-pressed to match this standard." Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Houston's planned NFL Youth Education Town, which is established in every Super Bowl city to promote education and physical fitness among at-risk youth. ................................................................. I hope all 38 actually attend the event. I'm sure The Dream and Rudy will be part of it. You think Guy V. Lewis will be one of the 38? Who do you think the other 36 will be?
I was just going to start a tread about this. Who else is coming with them? Nolan Ryan Earl Cambell Hakeem Olajuwon Rudy T. Guy V. Lewis Carl Lewis A.J. Foyt George Foreman Mary Lou Retton Who else?
Oh. My. God. That was freakin' hilarious!! Man, how I miss those ol' Luv Ya Blue days. I wish Bum was back in the booth doing Texan games. Tom Franklin: It's interesting that they would blitz with a safety and drop a defensive tackle into zone coverage on that play. I think it really confused the quarterbacks read. What do you think, Bum? Bum Phillips: Yup...
I was gonna ask about Guy. What about Nolan Ryan, A.J. Foyt, Mary Lou Retton, Carl Lewis, George Foreman, Otis Birdsong...
I was going to start a thread about this a month ago when Jim was on the afternoon drivetime show talking about this. I think we should start with a top 15, and work down.
