The impact of Odessa College golf coach Paul Chavez could be seen in the athletes he has coached up in almost 25 years with the Wranglers program.
When he was inducted into the inaugural Odessa Athletics Hall of Fame class Thursday at the Odessa Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, he told stories of golfers Jeremy Langdale and Justin Fraley.
“Probably the thing that separates my program from the rest is all the kids buy in, they work hard, they want to be the best and we try to push our athletes to that point,” said Chavez, who guided the Wranglers to national championships in 2004, 2005 and 2017.
“I’ve read many times, ‘A good coach can change a game, but a great coach can change a life.’”
Chavez was among six Odessa athletics figures inducted into Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.
Other figures honored included former Permian, Texas Tech and WNBA basketball standout Angela Braziel-Smith, track star Johnny Gentry, former Odessa High and Odessa College baseball coach Julian Pressly, former Permian football coach and ECISD Athletic Director John Wilkins and former Permian, University of Texas and NFL star Roy Williams.
Each inductee had a few minutes to give a speech when they were presented a plaque acknowledging the honor.
La-Tasha Gentry was there to receive her father’s award, since Johnny Gentry died in 2018.
The track star’s daughter mentioned the pride she had in the accomplishments her father achieved throughout his life.
Before the ceremony officially began, La-Tasha Gentry was gifted a plaque from her father’s 1967 state track and field title by a family friend.
La-Tasha Gentry said she still runs into people around the city who tell her about the positive influence her father had on their lives, always checking on those in need.
“Anyone who knew my father knows that not only was he an extremely talented athlete with a track record that still wows people today,” she said. “My father is my personal angel and I know that he’s looking down on me at this very moment.”
Pressly was in attendance, where he spoke about the athletes he worked with since starting his impact in the sport within the city in 1953.
He racked up 162 wins while coaching the Bronchos and 163 when he was at Odessa College.
Pressly, 97, was followed up by another legendary coach in Wilkins.
When Wilkins took the stage, he told the audience what went into creating a championship culture and legacy with the Panthers.
He took Permian to state titles in 1980 and 1984, and he reached the state finals in 1975 and 1985.
Wilkins described the way players were motivated to play at the top of their games by putting in extra time and effort.
“I had young men who were academically smart and football IQ smart,” Wilkins said. “Our teams were quick, we weren’t fast but I don’t think that we played hardly any other team that was as quick as we were.”
The state championship-winning coach added that people had to be there to see and feel what made his teams special throughout his tenure at Permian.
Wilkins also discussed the movements he made toward gender pay equity during his time as athletic director from 1985-98, pushing for a change that he believes should have taken place sooner than it did.
Inductees who made impacts as student-athletes were Braziel-Smith and Williams, both leaving their mark at Permian at different points in the 1990s.
The former graduated from Permian in 1995 and went on to play basketball collegiately at South Plains College and Texas Tech.
She went on to be selected in the first WNBA Draft in 1999.
Braziel-Smith was the Permian girls head basketball coach from 2009 to 2019, ultimately leaving her coaching job to become an assistant principal at the school.
In her speech, she thanked her family members for the unconditional support they have given throughout her ventures in the sports and professional world.
“I hope that this recognition for our work can serve as an inspiration to others,” Braziel-Smith said. “I will continue my efforts to encourage, engage and equip others to believe in the possibilities and positively impact the life of every person I meet for years to come.”
Roy Williams closed out the ceremony with a tribute to the legacy of Wilkins and what he built at Permian.
Williams praised Wilkins for the positive effect he had on his brother and other athletes who passed through the Panther program.
“Without you, there probably wouldn’t be a Lloyd Hill and there probably wouldn’t be a Roy Williams,” he said. “You were it, man. You were Permian football and I’m honored to be here with you.”
He spoke about his ventures living in cities like Chicago, Austin and Dallas but returning to Odessa because it was his home.
As he was finishing his speech, Williams made time to introduce and recognize his children Jordan, Peyton and Dallas.
Wearing a red and black tie to represent Texas Tech, with red and white shoes for Odessa High, Williams made sure to end the ceremony with a lighthearted touch.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for those two teams,” Williams said. “Odessa High and Texas Tech.
“Why? Because I never lost to them.”
>>Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
