HOUSTON – The Texas Bowl plans to honor a special Class of 2024 Gridiron Legends group that includes two Pro Football Hall of Fame selections: Eric Dickerson and John Randle.
The subcommittee also includes former Baylor All-American linebacker and Cincinnati Bengals standout James Francis, former Texas A&M All-American and New England Patriots Pro Bowl kicker Tony Franklin and legendary Pearland High School football coach Tony Heath.
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They join 100 other Gridiron Legends inducted since the launch of the bowl game that includes Earl Campbell, Joe Greene, Jim Nantz, Andre Ware, Bum Phillips, Jim Nantz, John David Crow, Andre Johnson, Bruce Matthews and Dave Campbell, among several others.
Dickerson, a former SMU star from Sealy, was inducted into the Hall in 1999. He is also a Texas Sports and College Football Hall of Fame selection. He is a five-time All-Pro selection and a six-time Pro Bowl selection who serves as the Chief Ambassador of Young Warriors foundation empowering young boys with absent fathers, which he dealt with as a child.
Randle is a former undrafted free agent from Texas A&I who recorded 114 career sacks in the NFL. He was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and is a College Football Hall of Fame selection. He is from Mumford.
Francis is a former Bengals 12th overall selection in the first round in 1990. At Baylor, he was a Hall of Famer and Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American. The LaMarque graduate was an all-state selection in high school. In the NFL, he played 11 seasons and recorded 562 tackles, 11 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles and three touchdowns.
Franklin is a native of Big Spring who was the first barefoot NFL kicker to kick a field goal. At Texas A&M, he broke 18 NCAA records, including the most 50-plus yards field goals. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1986 and played in two Super Bowls in a career that began with the Philadelphia Eagles as a third-round pick in 1979.
Heath is an Abernathy native who was hired at Pearland in 1997 and inherited a team that had gone 9-90-1 and led them to the playoffs in his first season. They made 17 consecutive playoff appearances, including two trips to the state championship and won it all in 2010 as they went 16-0 and defeated No. 1 Euless Trinity. His all-time record of 195-53 makes him the winningest coach in school history. He now works full-time as a business development manager and is a senior consultant for Athlete Training and Health.
For tickets and more information about a game between a Big 12 opponent and an SEC team, visit https://www.thetexasbowl.com/
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
