BANGS – Bangs High School honored its inaugural Hall of Honor class during Thursday night’s Meet the Dragons event. The 2021 class of five inductees included James Segrest, Tommy Sikes, Garner McClatchy, Eric Cole and David Cole.

The son and daughter of Garner “Dooder” McClatchy, Eric Cole and David Cole were on hand for as the first class of the Bangs Hall of Honor was inducted Thursday night. [Photo by Derrick Stuckly]

The following are profiles of each Hall of Honor inductee:

James Segrest

Segrest, a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, was known as the “One Man Gang from Bangs” when he single-handedly scored 34 points at the 1954 Class A track and field state meet to win the state championship for Bangs.  Segrest ran on relay teams that set five world records from 1956-58 at ACU.  As a track coach, he led Monahans to a state title in 1966, and his teams at Odessa College won 11 National Junior College Athletic Association national championships in indoor and outdoor track.  He was the head coach for the U.S. team at the World University Games in Mexico City in 1979.

Tommy Sikes

Sikes was a 1960 graduate of Bangs HS, where he was a member of the 1959 Bi-District Champion football team and a member of the 1960 State Champion Track and Field Team. He was a 4-year Letterman in football, basketball, and track. He earned 3 trips to the UIL State Track Meet in the mile run, repeating as State Champion in that event his junior and senior years. Upon graduation from Bangs, Tommy attended Howard Payne College on a track scholarship where he was captain of the team, Lone Star Conference champion in the mile run, and was an NAIA All-American in Cross Country.

Garner McClatchy

Garner “Dooder” McClatchy was a 1950 graduate of Bangs High School who was a football and track letterman.  He was a first team football all-district running back.  In track, he competed in the 100 yard and 220 yard dashes low hurdles, sprint relay, long jump and pole vault.  He qualified for the state meet all four years in several different events:  the 100 and 220 yard dashes and the pole vault.  He won second place at the state championship track meet in the 220 yard dash and still holds the record at Bangs High School.  After graduation, he served a term in the U.S. Air Force and played on the football  team at Lowry Air Force base in Denver, Colorado.

Eric Cole

Eric was a 1988 graduate of Bangs HS where he was a 3-year letterman in football and a 4-year letterman in track.  He earned two trips to the State Track Meet where he achieved a second place and two fifth place finishes. Eric attended Angelo State University on a track scholarship where he is a member of the ASU Hall of Honor.  He was an 8-time Lone Star Conference champion, a 7-time NCAA All American, and was NCAA Division II national champion in the discus in 1991 and in the hammer throw in 1993.  He was inducted into the NCAA DII Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2009. Eric continues to compete as a USA Track & Field Masters athlete, being named USATF age group athlete of the year twice and currently holds 4 age group American records.

David Cole

David was a 1960 graduate of Bangs High School and was a 4-year letterman in track and a 3-year letterman in football. He was a member of the 1959 Bi-District Champion football team and the 1960 track and field state champion team. David earned All District for football in 1959 and 1960.  He earned three trips to the UIL State Track Meet. In 1958, he placed 6th in the high jump.  In 1959 he was the state champion in the discus and placed 2nd in the shot put. In 1960, he was the high point individual scoring 26 points by winning the high jump and placing 2nd in the shot put and discus. His school records in the shot put and discus were held until 1987 when they were broken by his son Eric.