A legend in Huntsville for a long time, Joe Clements joins the greatest players and coaches in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame during a memorable induction banquet this spring
By Tom Waddill Sports Editor The Huntsville Item Mon Dec 27, 2010, 09:39 PM CST
HUNTSVILLE — Joe Clements could hardly contain his excitement early this year.
The man who played a major role in Huntsville High School’s two state football championships, Clements was told he would be joining the likes of Earl Campbell, Gordon Wood, Thurman Thomas and Tom Landry in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
“This is an unbelievable feeling and honor to be put in this category with all those great high school coaches and players,” Clements said back in January. “It’s a tremendous honor, kind of like being named to the Huntsville Hornet Hall of Honor and having the field house (at Huntsville High) named after me.
Clements beamed for a few months as his family and friends made plans for the big day in May. When that day finally came, Clements was joined at the evening banquet by his wife Jill, their daughter, “Little” Jill, three sons, Jay, Steve and Chuck, plus a large group of Hornets who came from all across the country to celebrate Clements’ long overdue induction into the prestigious hall.
A talented quarterback, Clements led the Hornets to the 1953 state championship, then after returning to his old school as Huntsville’s head coach, Clements guided the Hornets to another championship in 1980.
Many of the players from the 1980 team were in Waco this spring to applaud their coach’s induction into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, a special section of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. What follows is the story that ran on May 9, which was voted No. 4 in The Huntsville Item’s Top 10 Sports Stories of 2010.
WACO — Joe Clements peered through his glasses and inspected the items that were neatly displayed inside a showcase titled, “2010 Inductees.” Huntsville’s two-time state football champion, Clements liked what he saw.
On the other side of the glass, Clements’ letter jacket from the 1952 and ’53 seasons hung. Above the green-and-white coat, a glossy 8-by-10 photograph of Clements in action was there for everyone to see.
Finally, Clements had a home in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
On Saturday night, his selection and that of eight others, including “Slingin’” Sammy Baugh, Koy Detmer, Thomas Lott, Peter Gardere and coach Theo “Cotton” Miles, became official during a banquet at Baylor University’s Ferrell Center.
For his work as a player at Huntsville High School, Clements earned a spot in the hall alongside the likes of Earl Campbell, Doak Walker, Ray Childress, Bobby Layne, Kenneth Hall, Wilson Whitley and Billy Sims.
“This is such an honor,” the humble Clements said following a news conference at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon. “Most honors are team honors, and like the MVP award, this is a team honor for what we did in those two years — 1952 and ’53.”
What the Hornets did in those two seasons was remarkable. After spending his sophomore season as Huntsville’s backup quarterback, Clements took over the starting role as a junior and led the Hornets to a 13-1 record and the state semifinals.
In 1953, the Hornets went all the way, winning 15 games in a row, including the Class 2A state championship contest 40-6 over Ballinger. There were some toughies along the way, including a hard-fought 13-6 win over Refugio on a muddy and messy Pritchett Field (in Huntsville) in the state semifinals.
Somehow, that 1953 team always found a way to win the big ones. Clements credited his former teammates and said they deserve a spot in the Waco hall, too.
“The Houston Chronicle called me a mechanic in cleats,” Clements said. “I had a lot of great tools to work with in 1952 and ’53. Those were two of the best seasons Huntsville’s ever had.”
Jerry Sandel remembers hearing about Clements before he ever moved to Huntsville. A fresh-faced ninth-grader, Sandel said Saturday that the reputation of the future championship quarterback preceded his arrival.
“Our student body received word that a stud athlete from Houston was moving to Huntsville,” Sandel recalled. “His dad worked for the phone company and he was moving to town. This guy was going to be a savior for our city and its sports program.”
Two years later, Clements had accomplished what everyone had hoped. As state champions, Huntsville was suddenly on Texas’ storied football map.
The Hornets had many more successful seasons after Clements came back home to coach his alma mater. He returned to Huntsville in 1975 and led the 1980 team to the Class 4A state title.
About 20 players from that team, along with many of Clements’ assistant coaches, attended the induction ceremony and helped the longtime Hornet celebrate.
Clements’ family was also there. During a brief speech Saturday night, Clements thanked his “best friend” for the past 50 years, his wife Jill, his daughter, “Little” Jill, sons Jay, Steve and Chuck and their families. Jane Monday, his sister, and her husband, Charles, were present as well.
“This is a really special event,” said John Gaines, a lineman on the 1980 state championship team. “We’re sharing this moment with our old coach. That makes it very special.
“For so many of us, we idolized Coach Clements,” added Gaines. “We still idolize him today. ... He’s an unbelievable man and a leader in our community.”
Virgil McAdams sat surrounded by teammates from the ’80 team. Before the banquet, McAdams met some of his hold friends at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, just up the street from the Ferrell Center.
Like his coach, McAdams was pleased to see the Huntsville green and white hanging in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
“This is wonderful. Joe Clements was a heck of a coach,” McAdams said. “If anybody deserves this, he does because of his accomplishments, because of his integrity and because he’s such a good guy all around.
“You couldn’t ask for a better guy to play for, Joe and his whole staff. It was a family deal in Huntsville back then.”
Nick Fontana, a running back on the ’80 team, came all the way from Washington, D.C., for the event. Actually, Fontana was in Texas this weekend for the opening of his new barbecue restaurant in Galveston, but he said he probably would have made the trip for Clements’ induction no matter where he was living.
“I sure have some fond memories of the good old days,” said Fontana. “The class before us, they had all the blue-chippers, guys that went on and played big-time college football.
“Going into our senior year, we were a joke around town,” he added. “We were picked third or fourth in the district and 115th in the state. We lost our first game, then tied the next one, I think. After that we did a lot of running, there was no talking during practice and we had some severe workouts after that.”
Somehow, that 1980 team turned the corner and never looked back.
“It was fate, or our destiny, I guess,” Fontana said. “After that first loss, we couldn’t lose.”
Thanks to his family, his former players and assistant coaches, Clements felt like a state champion again Saturday.
“I’m so thankful that I’m here today and able to do this,” Clements said. “It’s always special when our family gets together. To have them all together today, along with all of the other people from Huntsville, it’s a thrill.”
Copyright 2010 The Huntsville Item, Huntsville, TX. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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