T-Club Hall of Fame Adds Six For 2001
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Oct. 9, 2001
NEW ORLEANS -- Four outstanding athletes from four different eras of Tulane Athletics highlighted the list of 2001 inductees into the Tulane T-Club Hall of Fame. The four athletes - football players Claude "Boo" Mason and Frank Robinson, baseball star John Owen and multi-sport standout Gordon "Doc" Wilson - along with former administrator Buddy de Monsabert and former student manager Sam Williamson, were inducted into the Hall of Fame Friday, Oct. 12 as a part of Homecoming Weekend festivities on the Tulane campus.
Each year, the T-Club, an organization of former Tulane letterwinners, selects and inducts former Tulane athletes and related individuals into the Hall of Fame. In addition, the T-Club honors Tulane's Male and Female Athletes of the Year from the previous school year. For 2000-01, Anna Monhartova became the first women's tennis player to earn the Female Athlete of the Year Award, while two members of Tulane's first College World Series team, shortstop Andy Cannizaro and third baseman Jake Gautreau, were named co-Male Athletes of the Year.
Easton, Md.'s Frank Robinson, a linebacker for the Green Wave from 1977-80, finished his career as the school's all-time leading tackler and still owns the record for most career solo tackles. He led the team in tackles in 1978, '79 and '80 while helping the Wave to the 1979 Liberty Bowl and the 1980 Hall of Fame Bowl. Following graduation from Tulane with a bachelor's degree in economics, Robinson went on to play 10 seasons with four different teams in the Canadian Football League.
Claude "Boo" Mason, a running back and all-purpose threat for the Green Wave from 1956-58, came to Tulane from Lake Charles, La. As a senior, he became the first player in school history to gain 100 yards both rushing and receiving in a single game when he accomplished the feat versus Texas Tech. Mason was the Wave's best all-around back as a junior, leading the team in rushing and receiving while averaging 16.3 yards on kickoff returns and adding three touchdowns. After graduation, Mason spent five years flying C-124 Globemasters in the U.S. Air Force, then graduated from Tulane Law School and pursued a career in educational administration.
A four-sport letterman for the Green Wave, Gordon "Doc" Wilson excelled on the football field, the basketball court, the track and the tennis court for Tulane teams from 1923-26. Wilson captained the 1926 basketball team, was a key player on offense and defense for two of the most successful Green Wave football team in history, and ran the 220 and 440 in track. Wilson was an All-Southern end for Tulane's undefeated (9-0-1) 1925 team and his Tulane football teams went 3-1 versus LSU, shutting out the Tigers three straight times (1923-24-25).
One of the Wave's top pitchers during the World War II era, John Owen compiled a 22-8 record for the Tulane nine while taking time out to serve in the Navy in 1945-46. A New Orleans native who attended Fortier High School, Owen helped Tulane to a 21-5 record in 1945. He graduated from Tulane in 1949 with a bachelor's degree in education and became a teacher and coach in the Orleans Parish School System where he worked for 30 years.
De Monsabert served as business manager for the Tulane Athletic Department for 28 years, from 1948-75. His duties included overseeing ticket operations, managing all fiscal matters for the department and operating and maintaining Tulane's athletic facilities, including Tulane Stadium. During his time at Tulane, he served as president of the Southern Conference of Business Managers Association and as vice-president of the National Association of Business Managers of Athletics. De Monsabert, a U.S. Army veteran, died in 1979.
The final 2001 inductee into the T-Club Hall of Fame was Sam Williamson - now Dr. Samuel Williamson -- a manager for the Green Wave football team for three seasons during his undergraduate days (1956-58). A native of Springhill, La., Williamson received a bachelor's degree in history from Tulane and went on to complete post-graduate work as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He received his master's and doctoral degrees in history from Harvard University and now serves as professor of history at the University of the South.
In the great tradition of the T-Club Hall of Fame, all of the 2001 inductees have brought distinction to Tulane University, either through their athletics exploits as students, or through the arenas they have pursued since graduation. They embody the qualities of sportsmanship, character and integrity.
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| Claude "Boo" Mason | Buddy de Monsabert | Sam Williamson | Frank Robinson | John Owen |
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| Gordon "Doc" Wilson | ||||
