Ron Ray Jessie (February 4, 1948 – January 13, 2006) was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University of Kansas.
John Benjamin Hightower (December 5, 1918 – January 1, 2003) was an American football player.
Hightower was born in Beaumont, Texas, in 1918. He attended Beaumont High School and played college football at Sam Houston State from 1938 to 1941. He was also a champion hurdler for the Sam Houston track team.He was selected by the Cleveland Rams with the 92nd pick of the 1942 NFL Draft. He played as an end for the Rams, on both offense and defense, during the 1942 season. He appeared in 10 games for the Rams, two as a starter, caught 19 passes for 317 yards and scored three touchdowns.In 1943, he was a starting end for the Detroit Lions. He appeared in eight games for the Lions, seven as a starter, and caught 10 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. His 1943 season ended early when he was had a recurrence with malaria from which he was first stricken in high school.Hightower missed the 1944 and 1946 seasons while serving in the United States Navy during World War II. He played for the Camp Peary football team in 1944 and was selected as a first-team end on the Associated Press Mid-Atlantic Service team.After the war, he coached football at Sam Houston. He also played during the 1946 season in the Pacific Coast Football League for the Los Angeles Bulldogs and Hollywood Bears.Hightower was married for 62 years. He lived in Austin, Texas, from 1960 until his death 2003 at age 84. He worked as a real estate professional working with ranch and far properties. He was inducted into the Sam Houston Bearkat Hall off Fame in 1989.
Theodore George Karras Sr. (January 31, 1934 – January 26, 2016) was a National Football League (NFL) player. He played for nine seasons with four teams, winning a championship with the Chicago Bears in 1963 as a guard. Karras played college football for Indiana University. His son, Ted Karras Jr., played college football for Northwestern University and in the NFL for the Washington Redskins in 1987 and is currently the head football coach at Marian University. His brothers, Lou Karras and Alex Karras, also played in the NFL. His grandson, Ted Karras III, played college football at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, played for the New England Patriots winning two Super Bowls and now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Damon Gus Tassos (December 5, 1923 – February 28, 2001) was a guard in the National Football League. He was drafted in the third round of the 1945 NFL Draft by The Yanks and played with the Detroit Lions that season. After another season with the Lions he went on to play three more with the Green Bay Packers.
Warren Camp Wilson (March 29, 1922 – March 22, 2001) was an American football player. He played college football at Tarleton Junior College (1941), Hardin–Simmons University (1942), and the University of Tulsa (1943–1945). He helped lead his teams to appearances in the four consecutive New Year's Day bowl games: 1943 Sun Bowl, 1944 Sugar Bowl, 1945 Orange Bowl, and 1946 Oil Bowl. He later played at the fullback position for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949 and was the team's leading rusher each year from 1946 to 1948.
Frank Langton Christensen (June 1, 1910 – September 6, 2001) was an American athlete. After receiving all-state honors at Granite High School in baseball, football, and basketball, Christensen played fullback at the University of Utah. "Crashing Chris" was the university's first three-time All-American. In 1930–31, he was named Third-team All-American, and in 1932 he earned First-team honors. During those years, the Utes owned a 21-3-1 record.
Christensen holds the school's all-time career-scoring mark with 235 points. He is second in individual points in a season, scoring 100 points in 1930. Christensen is credited with scoring 13 points in 13 seconds vs. Colorado College.
The fullback was honored as a Silver Anniversary All-American in Sports Illustrated.
Christensen went on to the pros with the Detroit Lions (1934–37), where he was a member of the 1935 World Championship team.Christensen was also successful in business. He helped revolutionize the mining and petroleum industry and is recognized as the driving force behind the introduction of diamond drill bits into the petroleum exploration industry. Originally, the company manufactured diamond drill bits for the western mining industry, but the founders quickly envisioned a strong market in petroleum. By 1946, Christensen diamond bits were introduced into the Rangley field of Colorado. The bits were so successful the company decided to make petroleum drilling its primary market. His company, Christensen Diamond Products Company, became the world's largest producer of industrial diamond products.By the 1960s, the company was expanding into international markets. Christensen also developed an erosion-resistant matrix for diamond bits and introduced the 250P-core barrel system that quickly became the industry standard. In the 1970s, downhole tools and motors formed the basis for a broader drilling package that included the Navi-Drill downhole motor. Later in the decade, Christensen Diamond Products introduced the synthetic polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bit.
In 1978, Christensen Diamond Products was acquired by Norton Co. of Worcester, Massachusetts, and in 1983 the company's name was changed to Norton Christensen. Norton Christensen merged with Eastman Whipstock, the world's largest directional drilling company, in 1986 to form Eastman Christensen. In 1990, Eastman Christensen was acquired by Baker Hughes, who subsequently merged the company with its Hughes Tool Company to form Hughes Christensen.
Christensen died on September 6, 2001, at the age of 91.
Marvin Clifford Brown (August 15, 1930 – December 7, 2009) was a National Football League (NFL) halfback with the Detroit Lions in 1957. He attended high school in Waco, Texas and William Adams High School in Alice, Texas. He was drafted in the 25th round (301st overall) by Detroit in 1953. Brown died December 7, 2009, of pancreatic cancer.
Robert Lee Smith (February 28, 1929 – January 5, 2005) was an American football fullback who played two seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 1951 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M University and attended Mirabeau B. Lamar Senior High School in Houston, Texas.
Amos Marsh, Jr. (May 7, 1939 – November 2, 1992) was a professional American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. He played college football at Oregon State University.
Benjamin Semple Chase III (March 18, 1923 – March 6, 1998) was an American football guard who played one season with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the United States Naval Academy and attended Herbert Hoover High School in San Diego, California. He was a consensus All-American in 1944.