Texas Athletics Announces 2021 Hall of Honor Class

Courtesy: Texas Athletics

AUSTIN, Texas — Ten former University of Texas student-athletes will be inducted this October into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor. These 10 individuals will be recognized along with the 14 selections (13 former UT student-athletes and one former coach) who were previously announced as the Class of 2020 in an induction ceremony on Friday, Oct. 15.

The ceremony will start at 7 p.m. Central in the LBJ Auditorium and Conference Center on the UT campus (2313 Red River St.). Tickets for this year’s Hall of Honor show will be general admission and go on sale Monday, Sept. 20, for $25 per person at this link: www.hookem.at/HOH21Tickets.

The 67th Men’s Hall of Honor class includes: Mike Adams (Football, 1992-93, 1995-96), a three-time All-Conference selection who finished his career as UT’s all-time leading receiver in yards (3,032), touchdowns (16) and receptions (177) and was the school’s all-purpose yards leader (5,822); Clay Britt (Swimming & Diving, 1980-83), a six-time NCAA individual and relay champion who led Texas to its first NCAA team title in 1981; Richard Duncan (Track & Field, 1994-97), a two-time Olympian, 1996 NCAA Outdoor long jump champion and eight-time All-American who is the only athlete in NCAA Division I history to earn All-America honors in the long jump, triple jump and high jump in the same season; Peter Gardere (Football, 1989-92), the only quarterback in the history of the Red River Showdown to lead his team to victory in all four seasons; and J.P. Howell (Baseball, 2003-04), a two-time All-American pitcher who led the Longhorns to a third-place finish at the College World Series in 2003 and a runner-up showing in 2004.

The 22nd Women’s Hall of Honor class includes: Jessica Livingston Gibson (Swimming & Diving, 2006-07, ‘09), the 2007 NCAA individual champion in platform diving who was a five-time All-American, four-time Big 12 individual champion and three-time Big 12 Women’s Diver of the Year; Courtney Okolo (Track & Field, 2013-16), an Olympic Gold medalist and 2016 Bowerman Award winner who was a four-time NCAA individual champion and 16-time All-American; Tobie Smith (Swimming & Diving, 1992-95), the 1994 NCAA individual champion in the 1,650-yard freestyle who was a 10-time All-American and three-time Honorable Mention All-American; Bailey Webster (Volleyball, 2009, ‘11-13), a three-time first-team All-American and NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player who led the Longhorns to the 2012 National Championship; and Nikki Busch Zigler (Volleyball, 1988-91), a two-time All-American and two-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year who helped the Longhorns to the 1988 NCAA Championship.

The Texas Athletics Hall of Honor Class of 2020 was previously announced in August of that year and includes: Alexandria Anderson (Track & Field, 2006-09); D.J. Augustin (Basketball, 2006-08); Jamaal Charles (Football, 2005-07; Track & Field, 2006-07); Brad Elder (Golf, 1995-98); Erika Hansen-Stebbins (Swimming & Diving, 1990-92); Juliann Faucette Johnson (Volleyball, 2007-10); Kasey Moore Powers (Soccer, 2005-08); Jordan Shipley (Football, 2006-09); Heather (Schreiber) Stark (Basketball, 2001-05); David Thomas (Football, 2002-05); and P.J. Tucker (Basketball, 2003-06) along with Vintage Selections Glenn Blackwood (Football, 1976-78) and Rick Bradley (Baseball, 1973-75) and Special Selection Tom Penders (Basketball head coach, 1988-98).

The newest members of the Hall will receive a special salute during the Texas Football game versus Oklahoma State on Saturday, Oct. 16.

2021 Hall of Honor Inductee Bios 

Mike Adams, Football (1992-93, 1995-96)

One of the most versatile and explosive wide receivers, kickoff and punt returners in Longhorn history, Mike Adams was among the first in a record-setting run of wideouts over the past few decades at Texas. A four-year letterman and four-year starter who missed the 1994 season with a knee injury, Adams made an immediate splash as a starter at receiver and on kickoff returns as a true freshman in 1992. He also earned letters as a starter in 1993, 1995 and 1996. In his last two seasons, he helped Texas to the final Southwest Conference Championship in 1995 and the first-ever Big 12 Championship in 1996. Adams and Texas snapped a 31-game Texas A&M home winning streak in 1995 to secure the SWC crown and he and his teammates, as three touchdown underdogs, pulled off one the greatest upsets in school history by knocking off No. 3-ranked and two-time defending National Champion Nebraska, 37-27, to win the inaugural Big 12 Championship game in 1996. Those teams went a combined 18-7-1 (13-2 in conference), finished the year ranked No. 14 (1995) and No. 23 (1996) and played in the Fiesta and Sugar Bowls. It marked the first time since 1972-73 that Texas went to back-to-back New Year’s Day games. A three-time All-Conference selection (1993, 1995-96), Adams earned USA Today freshman All-American honors in 1992 and was Texas’ Team MVP in 1993. He finished his career as UT’s all-time leading receiver in yards (3,032), touchdowns (16) and receptions (177), was the school’s all-purpose yards leader (5,822) and set other school records, including consecutive games with a reception (26), career 100-yard receiving games (9), and career combined kickoff and punt return yards (2,651). The only player in school history with more than 1,000 career punt return yards (1,060) and more than 1,000 career kickoff return yards (1,591), he is one of only three Longhorns to surpass 3,000 career receiving yards all time. Only 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams (7,206) and 2004 Doak Walker Award winner Cedric Benson (6,161) have more career all-purpose yards than Adams. He still ranks among the UT all-time top seven in receiving yards (third), receiving TDs (sixth), receptions (seventh) and consecutive games with a reception (seventh) and averaged 17.2 yards per touch during his time at Texas. Adams was selected with the 223rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played in only six games as a rookie before a knee injury ended his NFL career. He signed with the BC Lions (CFL) in 2000, when he played in eight regular season games. Adams earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Learning and Development from UT (2009) and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University (2011). Now a high school administrator and coach, Adams is currently an assistant principal and passing game coordinator for the football team at Canyon High School in New Braunfels. Prior to that he was at Hutto High School, spent time at three Austin high schools (Reagan, Regents, Vandegrift) as well as nearby Georgetown and Manor. In addition, Adams worked at East Central High School in San Antonio during his 14 years in education and coaching.

Clay Britt, Swimming & Diving (1980-83)

Clay Britt was one of the Longhorn greats who helped launch the Texas Swimming & Diving dynasty and the legendary coaching career of Eddie Reese. After helping Texas to a Southwest Conference Championship and NCAA runner-up finish in 1980, he went on to lead the Longhorns to their first-ever Swimming & Diving National Championship in 1981. His victory in the 100-yard backstroke, and as a member of the winning 400-medley relay, played a key role in UT claiming the title. In his four years at Texas, the Longhorns won that National Championship, finished second twice and third once, along with winning four-straight SWC Championships. Britt was Texas’ first-ever individual swimming event national champion, winning the 100 backstroke in 1980. He went on to win that event three straight years, joining an elite group of NCAA three-peat winners in the 100 backstroke at the time. A six-time National Champion, three times in the 100-yard backstroke and three times on the 400-medley relay, Britt set an American Record in the 100 back in winning the 1981 national title. His time of 49.08 shattered USA swimming legend John Naber’s American Record of 49.31. On the conference level, he was a seven-time league individual champion, winning the 100 back three-times and the 50 and 200 back twice each. A native of Rockville, Maryland, Britt made history as a prep athlete in a swimming-rich state that recently has produced Michael Phelps and several other Olympians. He lost out on his opportunity to compete for a spot in the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games when the United States elected to boycott the event. After competing at Texas and in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984 and 1988, Britt returned to Maryland and has had a successful career as a financial advisor. A 1983 UT graduate with a degree in advertising, he continues to compete to this day, winning events and breaking records in masters swimming events.

Richard Duncan, Track & Field (1994-97)

Richard Duncan went from a virtually un-recruited high school basketball and track & field standout in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Canada to one of the most versatile track and field performers to ever compete for the Longhorns. He pulled off a rare and historical feat with his great success in all three jumping events (high jump, long jump, triple jump), becoming the only athlete in NCAA Division I history to earn All-American honors in the long, triple and high jump in the same season. Duncan is still the only Longhorn ever to rank among the top seven performers in all three of those events. He led Texas to back-to-back top-five finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 1996 and 1997 and is the only athlete to ever finish among the top three in the long, triple and high jumps at the same SWC or Big 12 Conference meet, a feat he accomplished that four times. A two-time Olympian, three-time World Championships qualifier, eight-time All-American (five outdoor/three indoor) and five-time conference champion (two outdoor/three indoor), he helped the Longhorns win five conference team titles (four straight outdoors and the 1994 SWC indoor crown) during his career. He was Texas’ high-scorer of the meet on all five conference championship teams. His 138 points in conference championship meets is the most-ever in Longhorn track and field history. He won the 1996 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the long jump and also earned All-America honors with a sixth-place finish in the high jump, helping UT finish fifth as a team. In 1997, he led Texas to a second-place NCAA outdoor finish after becoming the first athlete in NCAA history to earn All-America honors in the long, triple and high jump at the same NCAA meet. He finished third in the long and triple jump and fifth in the high jump that year to lead the Horns with 16 points en route to their national runner-up finish. On the conference level, Duncan won SWC Championships in both the high jump and triple jump and claimed five conference titles and medaled (finishing among the top three) 15 times. He swept the indoor and outdoor high jump titles in 1994 and 1996 and added an indoor triple jump title in 1996. Overall, Duncan set a Texas Relays record of 27-0 in the long jump in 1997, a mark that ranks third only to Eric Metcalf and Marquise Goodwin on the UT all-time list. Duncan also was a regular volunteer at Neighborhood Longhorn events and was a member of the UT student-advisory committee in 1994. He competed for Canada in the long jump at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. Duncan, a Cleburne Price Jr. Scholarship and Weldon H. and Mary Smith Scholarship recipient, earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from UT in 1997 and earned spots on both the SWC Commissioner’s List and UT Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. Duncan now lives in Los Angeles and currently is the President/CEO of BIOlympic Medical, a medical devise distributor.

Peter Gardere, Football (1989-92)

(Pronunciation: garr-DEER)

Peter Gardere is best remembered for being the only QB in the history of the Red River Showdown to lead his team to victory in all four seasons. The four-year letterman’s (1989-92) 7,396 career passing yards and 49 total touchdowns place him among the most productive Longhorn quarterbacks ever, as well. Gardere ranks fourth in school history for all-time passing yards and is one of five quarterbacks in UT history with multiple 2,000-yard passing seasons (1990, 1992). Gardere’s 41 career starts are second-most in school history, while his 25 career wins are tied for sixth-most as a Longhorn starting QB. His 561 career completions and 1,025 career attempts still rank third in school history, while his 37 touchdown passes are sixth. He finished his career with eighteen 200-yard passing games, tied for fourth-most in school history. A 1992 captain, Gardere passed for 2,364 yards and 16 TDs that season, while adding four TDs on the ground. In 1990, Gardere passed for 2,131 yards and 11 TDs, while adding four rushing TDs in leading the Longhorns to the Southwest Conference Championship, a 10-2 record, a berth in the Cotton Bowl and a No. 12 final national ranking. As a freshman, Gardere started seven games while winning four, and both marks are tied for seventh-most in school history. His 1,511 yards that season are sixth-most by a freshman in school history. In his four career victories against Oklahoma, Gardere passed for 649 yards and six TDs. In 1989, he led the Longhorns’ come-from-behind 28-24 victory over No. 15 Oklahoma, passing for 144 yards and two scores. As a sophomore, the Longhorns beat No. 4 Oklahoma, 14-13, as he once again passed for two TDs. In 1991, Gardere helped lead UT to a victory over the No. 6/5 Sooners, 10-7, before closing his Red River Showdown career with a convincing 34-24 win over No. 16 OU as a senior. An All-State player at Houston Lee before coming to the Forty Acres, Gardere is a member of the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame. He played baseball for the Longhorns following his senior year at UT and then signed a free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks as a punter. He went on to have stints in both the NFL and Canadian Football League before retirement from football. He returned to UT and graduated in 1998 with a degree in speech communication and now works in commercial leasing in Austin.

Jessica Livingston Gibson, Swimming & Diving (2006-07, 2009)

An NCAA individual champion, five-time All-American, four-time Big 12 individual champion and three-time Big 12 Conference Women’s Diver of the Year, Jessica Livingston Gibson is one of the top divers in program history. During her time in Austin, she helped lead the Longhorns to a pair of Big 12 Conference titles and three Top-8 team finishes at the NCAA Championships. Gibson spent her freshman season in 2004-05 at the University of Minnesota, where she earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and was named the team MVP following the year. After transferring to UT in the summer of 2005, she won the platform event and placed third on the 1-meter board and fourth on the 3-meter board at the 2006 Big 12 Championship meet. Gibson earned Big 12 Women’s Diver of the Year honors as a sophomore while helping the Longhorns win the league’s team title. She went on to earn All-America honors by placing fourth on platform at the 2006 NCAA Championships. In her junior season in 2006-07, Gibson again won the platform event and placed second on the 3-meter board and third on the 1-meter board at the conference meet to claim Big 12 Women’s Diver of the Year recognition. At the 2007 NCAA Championship meet, she won the individual title on platform with a final score of 357.85 points, edging out Indiana’s Lindsay Weigle by just 1.3 points. Gibson also placed third on the 3-meter board at the NCAA meet. After redshirting the 2007-08 season, she returned to win the platform and 3-meter events at the Big 12 Championship meet to lead the Longhorns to the conference title and garnered Big 12 Women’s Diver of the Year accolades. Gibson concluded her collegiate career by finishing second on platform and fourth on the 3-meter board at the 2009 NCAA Championships, pacing the Longhorns to a fifth-place team finish. A first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2007 and four-year member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, she received the Good Right Arm Advertising Scholarship in 2006, the Darrell K. Royal Endowed Presidential Scholarship in 2007 and the Janet Hauber Academic Excellence Award in 2009. Gibson earned her degree in advertising from The University of Texas in 2009. Competing with USA Diving, she won four national titles, earning the win on platform in 2006 as well as combining with former Longhorn Laura Wilkinson in 2005, 2007 and 2008 to win the U.S. Synchronized Platform titles. Gibson was a finalist at two USA Olympic Trials, earning a fourth-place showing on platform in 2004 and a fifth-place result on platform in 2008 in addition to finishing runner-up with Wilkinson in the synchronized platform event in 2008. As a member of the U.S. National Team, she competed at the 2005 FINA Grand Prix in China, the China FINA Open in 2008 and the AT&T USA FINA Grand Prix in 2008. After graduating from UT, Gibson spent a year as a diving performer with the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line on the ship Oasis of the Seas. She then served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Alabama, where she earned her MBA in 2012. She has been with ALDI Inc. for nine years, starting as a District Manager in Birmingham, Ala., and is currently a Director of National Buying at ALDI U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Ill. Gibson and her husband, Grant, currently reside in Geneva, Ill., with their son, Leo, and daughter, Reese.

J.P. Howell, Baseball (2003-04)

An All-American in both of his seasons at Texas, Howell helped the Longhorns to a third-place national finish in 2003 and runner-up status in 2004 as one of the most prodigious strikeout pitchers in school history. The lefty from Modesto, Calif., stuck out 271 batters in two years while accumulating a 25-4 record, earning first team All-America and Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors in 2004. After transferring from Southern California following the 2002 campaign, Howell led the 2003 Longhorns with 10 wins, 114.1 innings pitched, 19 starts and 105 strikeouts while holding a 2.52 ERA. That year, Texas went 50-20, won the Big 12 Tournament and went on to a third-place finish at the College World Series. A year later, Howell led the team in wins (15), innings pitched (135.1), complete games (four), ERA (2.13) and strikeouts (166). His 166 strikeouts rank as the fourth-most in a single season in school history, behind only Greg Swindell (204 in 1985, 180 in 1986) and Kirk Dressendorfer (176 in 1989), and his 15 wins are tied for the ninth-most in school annals. Howell’s pitching helped Texas to a 58-15 record and an appearance in the CWS Championship Series. In addition to being named first-team All-American and Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, he was the Central Texas Pitcher of the Year in 2004, and amongst a loaded pitching staff was Team MVP in both of his seasons. Selected in the first round of the 2004 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals, Howell went on to a long and successful 12-year MLB career. He broke into the big leagues on June 11, 2005, starting 15 games for the Royals that season. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the 2006 season where he spent two more years as a starter before converting to a reliever in 2008. Howell found great success in that role, going 6-1 with a 2.22 ERA in 64 appearances and helping the Rays reach the World Series. The following year, Howell served as the closer and recorded a career-high 17 saves. Howell pitched two more years for the Rays before he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013. In 67 appearances in his first season with the Dodgers, he posted a career-low 2.03 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, helping lead LA to the National League Championship Series. He went on to post a sub-3.00 ERA for the fourth time in his career in 2014, with a 2.39 mark in 68 appearances, as the Dodgers again got back to the postseason. Howell produced two more successful seasons as a reliever for the Dodgers, playing a part in two more postseason runs. Following four seasons with the Dodgers, he signed for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017 and made 16 appearances. During his MLB career, Howell has a 3.83 ERA and 566 strikeouts in 619.2 innings pitched.

Courtney Okolo (Track & Field, 2013-16)

(Pronunciation: oh-KOH-low)

A Bowerman Award winner and Olympic Gold Medalist, Courtney Okolo is among the most accomplished and decorated individuals in Texas Track & Field history. The former Collegiate Record-holder in the 400m (49.71), Okolo was a two-time finalist for the prestigious Bowerman Award (2104, 2016), and the first Longhorn to win that honor in 2016. The Dallas native was four-time NCAA individual champion, 16-time All-American, 11-time Big 12 Champion and was twice named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year (2014, 2016). In 2016, she earned the Honda-Broderick Award as the National Track & Field Athlete of the Year and was a finalist for the Collegiate Woman’s Athlete of the Year and the Honda Cup that year as well. Following her senior season at Texas, she earned an Olympic Gold Medal as a member of Team USA’s 4x400m relay team at the 2016 Rio Games. During her time at Texas, the Longhorns claimed a pair of Top-4 and four Top-15 finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while also collecting three Top-10 and four Top-20 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships during her time on the Forty Acres. UT finished second in both the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships her sophomore season. Okolo graduated in 2016 with a degree in exercise science. Okolo made an immediate impact at Texas, collecting five All-American honors as a freshman, three first-team honors as a member of the 4x400m relay indoors and outdoors, the 4x100m relay outdoors and finishing fourth in the individual 400m outdoors. She garnered a second-team nod in the indoor 400m. As a sophomore, she finished fourth in 400m at NCAA Indoor Championships and helped the 4x400m relay finish second in 3:27.42. That year was highlighted by winning the 400m at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship with a then-Collegiate-Record time of 50.03. That performance was followed by a pair of NCAA Championships, winning her first individual title in the 400m with a meet-record time of 50.23, then tagging on another meet record in the 4×400-meter relay with a winning mark of 3:24.21. Okolo also helped UT to a third-place finish in the 4×100-meter relay. As a junior, Okolo won the first two of her four NCAA Indoor Championships, collecting wins in the 400m and the 4x400m relay (3:28.48). Okolo’s senior season was one for the ages, marked by her performance at the LSU Alumni Gold meet in which she shattered her own collegiate 400m record with a time of 49.71. That year, she swept both the indoor and outdoor 400m titles at the NCAA Championships, while also winning the NCAA 4x400m relay crowns. Her indoor best 400-meter time of 50.59 that won the NCAA Indoor Championship remains the school record and was the third-best time in NCAA history at the time. In Big 12 competition, Okolo was an 11-time conference champion, winning five indoor titles and six outdoor crowns. Following her time on the Forty Acres, Okolo has had continued success on the track. In addition to her Olympic Gold Medal, she has won three golds in World Indoor Championship competition, with a victory in the 4x400m relay in 2016 and gold-medal performances in 2018 in the 400m and 4x400m relay. A Carrollton, Texas native and graduate of Newman Smith High School, Okolo graduated from UT in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science. The two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection continues to train as a professional athlete in Atlanta, Ga.

Tobie Smith, Swimming & Diving (1992-95)

An NCAA individual champion, 10-time All-American and three-time Honorable Mention All-American at Texas, Tobie Smith is one of the top distance freestyle swimmers in program history. During her four seasons in Austin, she helped the Longhorns to four-consecutive Southwest Conference titles and four-straight Top-3 NCAA team finishes. As a freshman in 1991-92, Smith won Southwest Conference individual titles in the 500 free and 1,650 free. She then placed second in both the 500 and 1,650 free, swam the third leg on the runner-up 800 free relay and finished 10th in the 200 free while helping the Longhorns to a second-place finish at the 1992 NCAA Championships. In her sophomore season in 1992-93, Smith again swept the 500 free and 1,650 free titles and placed fifth in the 200 free at the Southwest Conference meet. She placed second in the 1,650 free, fifth in the 500 free and 10th on the 800 free relay, as the Longhorns finished third at the 1993 NCAA Championships. As a junior in 1993-94, Smith won the 1,650 free and placed second in the 500 free and third in the 200 free at the Southwest Conference meet. She won the NCAA individual title in the 1,650-yard free with a time of 16:07.26, helped the 800 free relay to a third-place showing and finished 12th in the 500 free, leading Texas to a runner-up finish at the 1994 NCAA Championships. In her senior season, Smith placed third in the 1,650 free, seventh in the 500 free and sixth on the 800 free relay to help the Longhorns to a third-place effort at the 1995 NCAA Championships. A Barbara Jordan Endowed Scholarship Award recipient in 1994, she earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology/pre-med from The University of Texas in 1995. Smith later received her master’s in kinesiology from UT. Smith was a member of the USA Swimming National Team and won national championships in the 400-meter free and 1,500-meter free. She also became a member of the USA Swimming Open Water National Team and won a gold medal in the 25-kilometer open water event at the 1998 FINA World Championships in Perth, Australia. Smith went on to receive an MD from Stony Brook School of Medicine and a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. To celebrate the completion of her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins, she swam the English Channel in 1999. Despite encountering a force five gale of 19 to 24 miles per hour and white-capped waves, Smith finished her channel-crossing in eight hours and 15 minutes (record at that time was seven hours and 40 minutes). She completed her residency in Family Medicine at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa in San Antonio and a Fellowship in Community Leadership Development at Georgetown University School of Medicine in partnership with Unity Health Care. Dr. Smith is currently an Associate Professor at Georgetown University, where she is Course Director for Ambulatory Care, Acting Course Director for the Family Medicine Clerkship and Faculty Advisor for HOYA Clinic and Street Medicine. She also serves as a Physicians for Human Rights Asylum Network Provider. Dr. Smith chairs the Work Group on Primary Care and Public Health Integration of the American Academy of Family Physician’s Commission on Health of the Public and Science and serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Prior to her time at Georgetown, Dr. Smith served as Medical Director of Health Care for the Homeless in Baltimore County, Md., while also serving as a faculty member at MedStar Franklin Square Family Medicine Residency Program. Her interests include underserved care, public health and primary care integration, homeless health care, gun violence prevention and health equity.

Bailey Webster, Volleyball (2009, 2011-13)

A three-time First Team All-American and the 2012 NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player, Bailey Webster helped bring a national title back to Texas and place herself among Texas Volleyball’s all-time greats. Webster completed an outstanding career in 2013 that included three First Team All-Big 12 selections, the 2011 Big 12 Player of the Year and countless other honors. In addition to helping win the program’s first national title since 1988, Webster had a highly decorated 2012 season. She was a First Team All-American, First Team All-Region, First Team All-Big 12 and the NCAA Austin Regional Most Outstanding Player. Webster also was awarded the 2012 UT Arthur Ashe Jr., Sports Scholar Award and V.F. “Doc” Neuhaus Award honors. Webster finished her career with a bang in 2013, picking up her final First Team All-America recognition and leading Texas to another final four berth. She finished the year with 376 kills and 67 total blocks and was named the NCAA Lincoln Regional Most Outstanding Player. Additionally, she was a Capital One Academic All-America Third Team honoree and a Senior CLASS Award finalist. After recovering from season-ending knee surgery in 2010, Webster rebounded to be named Big 12 Player of the Year and First Team All-American in 2011. She played in every match for the Longhorns, recording 307 kills, while hitting .340 with 36 digs, 89 blocks and 362.0 points. She was named to the 2011 All-NCAA Lexington Regional team as the Longhorns advanced the NCAA Regional Final. That season, Webster also earned Academic All-Big 12 first team recognition. After enrolling early at UT in January of 2009, Webster went on to be named to the 2009 All-Big 12 Freshman Team. As a freshman, she played in 28 matches and finished with 54 kills and 42 total blocks. Webster received her bachelor’s degree in corporate communication from The University of Texas and played volleyball professionally overseas and for the U.S. Women’s National Team. Following her professional playing career, Webster served as an ESPN and Longhorn Network volleyball analyst. Webster is currently an investment advisor and is pursuing an MBA from UT’s McCombs School of Business.

Nikki Busch Zigler, Volleyball (1988-91)

Nikki Busch Zigler was a member of four-straight Southwest Conference Championship teams from 1988-91 and was a freshman on the 1988 team that won Texas its second volleyball National Championship. A two-time All-American middle blocker for the Longhorns, Zigler was also a two-time Southwest Conference Player of the Year and three-time All-SWC first team selection. In leading Texas to the 1990 SWC title, she posted a career-best .365 hitting percentage and had 361 kills and added 97 total blocks and 243 digs. As a senior in 1991, she put up nearly identical numbers on her way to a second-straight SWC Player of the Year Award with 354 kills, 98 total blocks and 300 digs. Zigler’s sophomore season in 1989 was a breakout year, posting career bests of 408 kills, 128 total blocks and 330 digs while hitting .318. At the time that she completed her career, she ranked fifth in kills (1,174), seventh in attacks (2,578), seventh in digs (908), sixth in solo blocks (97) and fourth in block assists (251) on the UT all-time charts. She was selected to participate in the 1989 and 1990 U.S. Olympic Festivals. Zigler earned her bachelor’s degree in geography from The University of Texas in 1993. Following graduation, she was invited to train with the U.S. National Team and briefly did that before moving on to play professionally in France. Zigler later earned a spot on the SWC All-Decade First Team for the 1980s. She has been with Verizon for the past 24 years working in international wireline translations. Zigler and her husband, Kevin, have one son, Austin, and reside in Clarksville, Ga.