Mahomes, Traylor, Smoak part of HS Hall of Fame class

Published 8:03 pm Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Patrick Mahomes, Jeff Traylor and David Smoak, a trio with East Texas football ties, will be inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, the THSF Hall of Fame Board of Directors announced on Tuesday.

The Class of 2025 will be honored on May 10 in Waco with a private ceremony.

Mahomes, the Whitehouse High School graduate, two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and three-time Super Bowl MVP, represents the 2010s, while media member Smoak, former voice of the Tyler Lee Red Raiders, is being honored with the Dave Campbell Contributor to the Game award.

Traylor, who led Gilmer to three state championships in 15 seasons, will be inducted as the Eddie Joseph/Texas High School Football Hall of Fame Coach honor.

Traylor, who is now head coach at The University of Texas at San Antonio, will be joined by Newton’s Curtis Barbay in earning the Eddie Joseph honor.

Others in the 2025 Class include: Gary Keithley of Alvin (1969-before), Pat Thomas of Plano (1970s), Brad Goebel of Cuero (1980s), John C. Norman of Midland Lee (1990s) and Robert Griffin III of Copperas Cove (2000s).

Mahomes has led the Chiefs to six consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances and four Super Bowl appearances since becoming the team’s starting quarterback in 2018. He is one of five quarterbacks in NFL history to win three or more Super Bowls as a starter.

The former Wildcat was named the Associated Press High School Football Player of the year in 2013 and was named academic all-state. As a senior at Whitehouse, he had 4,619 passing yards, 50 passing touchdowns, 948 rushing yards, and 15 rushing touchdowns, leading the Wildcats to the district championship.

At Texas Tech, Mahomes finished his junior season leading the country in yards per game (421), passing yards (5,052), total offense (5,312), points responsible for (318), and total touchdowns (53).

He was awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top college passer.

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Mahomes in the first round of the 2017 draft, 10th overall

Traylor, a 1986 Gilmer graduate, began his coaching career at Big Sandy. He was an assistant at Big Sandy and Jacksonville before becoming head coach at Gilmer in 2000.

Gilmer missed the playoffs in Traylor’s first season, finishing with a 6-4 record, but made the playoffs in each of his final 14 seasons on the job.

His final Gilmer team in 2014 defeated West Orange-Stark, 35-25, in the Class 4A Division II state title game.

After missing the playoffs in 2000, Gilmer reached the postseason in 2001 and 2002 — losing in the opening round both times. The 2003 team advanced four rounds deep in the playoffs, and the Buckeyes won their first title under Traylor in 2004 by beating Pleasant Grove, Spring Hill, Dallas Madison, Tatum and Snyder before edging Jasper, 49-47, in the Class 3A Division II title match.

The Buckeyes played for a state title in 2007, won the 3A Division I championship in 2009, advanced to the championship game again in 2012 and then won it all again in 2014.

The stadium in Gilmer is named after Traylor, who compiled a 175-26 record at the school.

Smoak began his broadcasting career in November 1981 and is a graduate of Tyler Junior College (1979) and Stephen F. Austin State University (1981).

He is now the Director of Broadcasting and Sales at SicEm365 Radio and “365 Sports” on YouTube. He launched Smoaky.com in June 2001, and he has been covering East and now Central Texas High School Sports.

Smoak previously worked at KTRE-TV in Lufkin and KLTV and KTBB in Tyler.

Jack Stallard contributed to this story.