January 07, 2026
2026 El Paso Athletic Hall Of Fame Presidents Letter
Dear El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame Committee Members:
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announcement
1955
Established February 4, 1955, the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame carries out its mission of honoring El Paso's most accomplished individuals in the field of athletics. The Hall's inception began as an idea from the mind of Mr. H.V. Cruea in 1953 and later realized in 1955 with the support of The El Paso Press Club. John Phelan, the Press Club President, was named the very first Chairman of the Hall of Fame and a selection committee of 18 members was formed.
The committee was tasked with choosing two inductees from a pool of over 100 nominations: one for the living athlete category and one for the posthumous category. With the inductees selected, the first annual "El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet" was held in conjunction with the Press Club's "Gridiron Dinner." The first awards were presented to none other than Andy Cohen of baseball fame and Norman A. Ferguson Sr., "father" of El Paso Tennis.
Today the tradition continues and the Hall of Fame has grown to nearly 400 members, whose plaques are proudly on display at the Don Haskins Center at the University of Texas at El Paso. To further recognize outstanding athletic achievement, each year the Hall of Fame honors the High School Student Athletes and Teams of the Year, and two scholarships at UTEP are endowed in the names of the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame, John Birkhead, and Dick Shinaut.
70
Years of Excellence
~400
Hall of Fame Members
2
UTEP Scholarships