AUSTIN (KXAN) — Six men and five women who left their mark as Texas Longhorns will be immortalized in the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor Class of 2023, the university announced Tuesday.
The men’s class features two players from the Longhorns’ 2005 national championship football team, a track and field competitor who broke the university’s color barrier, a multi-time PGA Tour major champion, a member of the 1983 College World Series champion baseball team and a national champion swimmer.
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69th Texas Athletics Men’s Hall of Honor Class of 2023
Jordan Spieth, golf, 2011-12
Helped lead the Longhorns to the 2012 national championship and was a consensus first-team All-American, semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award
Quan Cosby, football, 2005-08
Part of the Longhorns 2005 national championship team, all-time program leader in kick returns and yardage, fourth all-time in career receptions, sixth in receiving yards and fifth in receiving touchdowns; two-time All-Big 12 selection
Jonathan Scott, football, 2002-05
Part of 2005 national championship team, two-time All-American at offensive tackle
David Denny, baseball, 1982-85
Program’s all-time leader in hits (296), doubles (78) and RBIs (228), helped lead Longhorns to four CWS appearances and the 1983 national title
Kris Kirchner, swimming and diving, 1980-81
Member of Longhorns’ first national championship team in 1981, won the national title in the 50-yard freestyle and three-time relay champion
James H. Means, Jr., track and field, 1962-64, 1966-68
First-ever Black athlete to compete at UT and in the Southwest Conference, Austin High graduate, a three-year letterman
The women’s class also features a national champion swimmer and a four-time All-American, the basketball program’s career 3-point shooting leader, an All-American rower, an All-American soccer player and a member of the first track and field national title team.
24th Texas Athletics Women’s Hall of Honor Class of 2023
Gia Doonan, rowing, 2013-17
Three-time first-team All-American, two-time Big 12 rower of the year
Jamie Carey, basketball, 2002-05
Program’s all-time leader in 3-point field goal percentage (.418), two-time All-Big 12 selection, helped lead Longhorns to 2003 Final Four, assistant and associate head coach from 2016-20 at UT
Dr. Kelly McDonald Freeman, soccer, 2001-04
2003 All-American, four-time All-Region selection, program’s all-time leader in goals (46) and second in points (110), helped lead UT to its first-ever NCAA tourney appearance in 2001
Beth Barr, swimming and diving, 1990-93
Olympic silver medalist, 1991 200-yard backstroke champion, four-time All-American who helped lead Longhorns to 1991 national championship
Susan Shurr, track and field, 1982-85
11-time All-American and member of UT’s first-ever women’s track national title in 1982
Cosby sat down with KXAN Sports Director Roger Wallace for an interview Tuesday and said being inducted into the Hall of Honor “is truly surreal.”
“I felt like I had a pretty good time and career at Texas, and you do things for the right reasons and then something like this happens,” he said. “It’s cool to be part of such an unbelievable class and group of folks.”
During Cosby’s four years at Texas, the Longhorns were 56-7, making that time block the winningest set of four years in the school’s history. Cosby was one of the go-to wide receivers for the Longhorns during his time with 212 catches for 2,598 yards with 19 touchdowns.
In a fitting end to his career, Cosby caught the game-winning touchdown from Colt McCoy in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State to give the Longhorns a 24-21 win to close out the 2008 season.
Cosby had 14 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns in the game, including the 26-yard catch-and-run capped off by a Superman-esque dive into the end zone.
“It was just so cool,” Cosby said. “If I had a dollar for every time I heard, ‘I was at that game,’ from someone, I’d have Sark and Mack Brown money.”
The Hall of Honor induction ceremony will be at 7 p.m., Sept. 15, at the LBJ Auditorium and Conference Center. The inductees will also be honored during the Longhorns’ football against Sept. 16 against Wyoming.