Texas Athletics announced its 2025 Hall of Honor honorees on July 23. Five men and five women make up the group, which participated in a variety of programs and eras on the Forty Acres.
According to a Texas LonghornsX post, the Hall of Honor honors former student-athletes, coaches, and staff who represent greatness and create a lasting legacy as Texas Legends. The brief summaries of some of the most recent additions to this elite club are as follows:
(Swimming & Diving, 1998-2001) Nate Dusing
In addition to being a nine-time NCAA relay champion and the 2001 NCAA Swimmer of the Year, Dusing played a key role in two consecutive teams that won the NCAA championship in 2000–01. As a member of the Team USA freestyle relay teams, Dusing has competed in two Olympics, winning a silver medal in the 2000 Sydney Games and a bronze in the 2004 Athens Games.
Haley Eckerman (2011–14 volleyball season)
Eckerman won National Player of the Year twice on the Forty Acres. She finishes in the top 10 in six statistical categories and is ranked fifth all-time at Texas in terms of overall points and kills. Eckerman guided the Longhorns to their third national title in 2012 and a 108-15 record over her four years in Austin.
Gilmore, Nicole Devonish (Track & Field, 1994–1997)
At Texas, Gilmore won eight conference titles on her own, leading the women’s team to three indoor conference titles and four consecutive outdoor conference titles. Gilmore, who competed for Canada in the 1996 Olympic long jump, finished second three times at the NCAA competition. She is the fourth-ranked outdoor and sixth-ranked indoor long jumper in program history.
(Basketball, 2001-04) Royal Ivey
Ivey left the school as the all-time leader in career games started at 126, having started guard in each of his four years as a Longhorn. After retiring in 2014, Ivey, who played for four different teams for ten seasons in the NBA, went into teaching. In addition to being an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets, he is presently the head coach of the South Sudan national team, which he led to its first Olympic men’s basketball appearance in the 2024 Paris Games.
Basketball player Tiffany Jackson (2004–07)
Jackson is one of just three players in the program to be named to the All-America team three times, and the only player in Texas women’s basketball history to record 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals, and 150 blocks. After being chosen No. 5 overall in the 2007 draft, Jackson played professional basketball for 12 years, nine of them in the WNBA, after her time on the Forty Acres. The Tiffany Jackson Memorial Scholarship, established in her honor by three WNBA teams, honors Jackson, who died of cancer in 2022.
Rodrique Wright (2002-05) in football
Wright started 45 of his 50 games in the burnt orange during his four years as a Longhorn. In addition to winning the national championship in 2005, when he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award and named to the first team All-America as a senior, his Texas career came to an end. Prior to becoming a coach, Wright played professional football for five years after being selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He has been coaching the defensive line for the Houston Texans, his hometown team, for three years now.
Kirsten Wengler Burton (Swimming & Diving, 1983-86), Nancy Ledbetter Ramsbottom (Golf, 1981-84), Bobby Mitchell (Football, 1968-70), and Kyle Russell (Baseball, 2006-08) are the other members of the class of 2025.
On September 12, a ceremony will take place in the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium to welcome these distinguished Texas graduates to the Hall of Honor.
