Title: Hall of Honor Inducts Three Members

Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Story:

Maurice Stephens, Denton, a Lobo football standout in the early 1980s; All-American tennis player Janna McHazlett, LaGrange; and April Ramirez, Corpus Christi, who holds numerous Lady Lobo basketball records, are the 2009 Athletic Hall of Honor inductees.

They were honored at the annual induction banquet Saturday, Nov. 7 during Homecoming. This year’s class increases Hall of Honor membership to 112.

McHazlett, a Crystal City native and 1994 graduate, played tennis for Sul Ross in 1991 and 1992 after transferring from Incarnate Word. She was a cornerstone of the 1992 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) championship team and posted an overall 24-2 singles won-lost record while at Sul Ross.

She won the NAIA District 8 singles championship and qualified for the NAIA National Tennis Tournament. At that tournament she made it to the round of 16, earning her All-American honors. McHazlett was named academic all-conference in 1992 and 1993 and is the only Sul Ross tennis player to attain All-American status. She and her husband Andy live, teach and coach in La Grange. They have three sons, Corbin, Morgan and Jared.

“Attending Sul Ross allowed me the opportunity to receive a great education with demanding, yet personable professors,” she said. “I have taken the experiences I gained in both academics and athletics and have used them to guide me in the field of education and coaching for the past 15 years.”

Ramirez, Corpus Christi, graduated in 2005 with a B.S. in Kinesiology. She set and holds nine all-time Lady Lobo basketball records and one American Southwest Conference standard.

While at Sul Ross, Ramirez was named ASC Freshman of the Year, was named to three ASC All-West Division first teams, was twice named an All-ASC first team selection and during her senior season, was the ASC West Division Most Valuable Player. During her career she received ASC Player of the Week honors six times and was an Academic All-Conference choice. She holds the ASC career mark of 42 double-doubles (points and rebounds), is third in career rebounds and ninth in points scored.

She holds Sul Ross career records in points (1,526); rebounds (871); and steals (328); rebound average (9.36); field goals attempted (1,380); and field goals made (582). She ranks fourth in career assists. As a Lady Lobo, Ramirez also won three team MVP awards and two defensive player honors. During her senior season, she led the Lady Lobos to a 15-9 won-lost record.

“Of course, breaking records is memorable, but I couldn’t have done it without my team,” Ramirez said. “I would definitely have to say that our last couple of road trips were ones to remember. We had never beaten Mary Hardin-Baylor or McMurry on their home courts and we beat them both....It was a great way to end a career.”

Stephens, a Liberty Hill native, returned to Sul Ross to earn a B.A. in General Studies in May 2009. He was a standout on two TIAA champion Lobo football teams, playing in 1981-82 and 1984-85. He earned NAIA All-American Honorable Mention in 1982 and was an All-TIAA running back in 1982, 1984 and 1985.

He joined Larry and Andrew Hill in the first-team All-TIAA backfield in 1982 and shares Andrew Hill’s record of four touchdowns in one game. He still holds the mark of 205 kickoff return yards in a single contest, set in 1985 against New Mexico Highlands. His 200 career points and 33 touchdowns from 1981-85 were Lobo records until eclipsed by T.J. Barber in 2007.

Stephens’ 72 pass receptions are still the single-season record for a Lobo running back, and he has the longest kickoff return (100 yards) for a touchdown.

“The particular game that stands out to me is my last game of my career,” he said. “During my entire career I wanted to return kickoffs but wasn’t allowed to....I was able to talk the coach in letting me return them...(and) during this game I returned one for 100 yards and broke the record for return yardage in a game.”

Stephens presently works fpr an electrical firm in Denton. He has four children, Shelby, Hayden, Alexanne and Taylor.