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Members of the 2017 Snyder Athletic Hall of Honor class pictured are (l-r) Joe Taylor, cousin of Sterling “Bud” Morgan, and his wife, Karen; Grant Teaff, who represented the Morgan family at the induction ceremony, and his wife, Jane; Becky Martinez, daughter of Harley Bynum; Judy Morgan, the widow of Sterling Morgan; Jason Bynum, the son of Harley Bynum; and Tommy Doyle. -
The 1980 Class 4A state volleyball champion Snyder Lady Tigers entered the Snyder Athletic Hall of Honor Friday. Team members pictured on the front row are (l-r) head coach Joyce Elrod, Shauna Pate, Lisa Cobb, Ann Melton, Kerstin Selmon, Shanna Koonsman, Toni Elrod, assistant coach Patty Grimmett and Tina Cannon. On the back row are Sabrina Robinson, Kathy Northcott, Becky Harrell, Sherri Rich and Sherry Mayes. -
The 1981 Class 4A state volleyball champion Snyder Lady Tigers entered the Snyder Athletic Hall of Honor Friday. Team members pictured on the front row are (l-r) head coach Joyce Elrod, Sabrina Robinson, Lisa Waller, Becky Pylant, Shanna Koonsnan, Toni Elrod and assistant coach Patty Grimmett. On the back row are Susie Lee, Kathy Northcott, Becky Harrell, Sheri Rich and Susan Brim.
The Snyder Athletic Hall of Honor welcomed its newest class on Friday with friend and family honoring the inductees at Martha Ann Woman’s Club Friday.
The inductees were four-sport standout Harley Bynum, Sterling “Bud” Morgan, who played football and ran track, and the 1980 and 1981 volleyball teams, which won back-to-back state titles. Longtime Snyder coach Tommy Doyle received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bynum, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to an illness, spoke via video. He explained what happened in 1964 when the Snyder track and field team was declared ineligible to compete at the regional meet.
“Every athlete received a $2.75 patch, which was 25 cents more than allowed by the University Interscholastic League,” Bynum said. “We were declared ineligible for the regional meet and put on probation for the next year. We had the top three hurdlers at the district meet and the fourth- and fifth-place finishers qualified for regional.”
Bynum received a track and field scholarship to Howard County Junior College. He was second in the 120-yard high hurdles and fourth in the 300-yard low hurdles at the National Junior College Athletic Association meet in 1966. He continued his career at the University of Alabama and was inducted into the Alabama “A” Club for outstanding achievement in athletics.
“I remembered going to Alabama and going to meets in Kentucky, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi,” Bynum said. “I wished that I had appreciated more visiting those areas at the time. I was proud of being selected for the Alabama ‘A’ Club. I also was proud of my selection to the Snyder Athletic Hall of Honor.”
Morgan attended North Texas State College on a track scholarship and won the 220-yard hurdles national championship in 1959. Morgan transferred to McMurry College and played football and competed in track and field when Grant Teaff was the head football and track coach.
“Bud was a good athlete and he had integrity and character,” Teaff said. “We had a special friendship. I was not only his coach, but a friend. I followed him throughout his coaching career. We need more teachers and coaches like Bud Morgan.”
The 1980 Snyder volleyball team had a 33-1 record and won the Class 4A state championship.
“The parents were great supporters all of the time,” said Patty Grimmett, who was the team’s assistant coach. “It was a great accomplishment. They were a dedicated group of girls and refused to give up. They had the mindset that no one would stop them. These girls were special and I cherished the memories with them.”
Head coach Joyce Elrod said her 80th birthday will come soon and she has not forgotten the experience of coaching the team.
“I could not have done it without Patty,” Elrod said. “She encouraged me when I was down and humbled me when I was up. The girls provided the happiest memories of my life. I appreciated the opportunity to coach them.”
The 1981 Snyder team was 34-5 and won the Class 4A state championship.
“We had four returning starters, but it was a different team from 1980,” said Shanna Koonsman, who was a senior co-captain. “There were no star players, all of us were stars. We depended on each other. We did everything together, like one team.”
Toni Elrod, who was also a senior co-captain, said the team’s goal was to win two state championships.
“We had a lot of stress and pressure,” Elrod said. “People told us we could not do it again. That just put more fire into us. We believed in ourselves. The five losses helped us to become a good team.”
Doyle was an assistant coach in football, basketball and track and field from 1976-81 and 1985 until he retired in 2008.
“So many coaches and players contributed to my success and happy times at Snyder,” Doyle said. “There were more good times than bad times.”
Doyle said one of his proudest moments came after a JV football loss at Lubbock Estacado. He was not proud just of the team’s accomplishment, but of what happened after the loss in the dressing room.
“I walked into the dressing room and heard the players talk about how the game was not going to determine their season,” Doyle said. “The players got into a circle and prayer. I looked and was proud to see my son in the middle of the circle.”