Dayton Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

The Dayton Sports Hall of Fame inducted former Dayton Bronco standout athlete Gene Tennison II on June 12 at the Dayton ISD Performing Arts Center. The following is from the induction speech by Larry Wadzeck.

In Gene’s high school yearbook, he’s quoted as saying, “The words I live by are ‘never give up, and you will always be a true winner.’ I plan to succeed in whatever field I enter.”

That is a statement that has defined Gene’s athletic career at DHS and Northwestern State University. At DHS, Gene lettered in basketball, track & field, and football.

Gene was a multiple District Champion and Regional Qualifier in the shot put and discus in track & field. In football, Gene was a mainstay in the Bronco line for three years – again earning All-District, All-Region, and mentioned on some All-State teams. His senior year, he was named the District MVP.

Gene continued this excellence at Northwestern State University. He was a three-year starter at guard and tackle. His sophomore year, he was named Second Team All-Conference Guard and also lettered in track & field. As a junior, he was selected to the Southland Conference Team as a guard and on the All-Academic Team. In track & field, he was the Conference Shot Put champion.

As a senior, Gene was First Team All-Southland Conference Left Tackle, made a number of All-American teams, was First Team All-Louisiana, received the university’s Academic Award in Football, Sportsman of the Year, the Joe Delaney Leadership Award, Lester Latino Award for Leadership on and off the field, and was the FCA Male Athlete of the Year.

In 2009 Gene was named one of the top 100 football players in NWSU’s first 100 years of football. After graduation, he continued his education and athletic career, lettering in track & field at the University of Houston. In 2020 Gene was named as a finalist for admission to the NClub – which is NWSUs Sports Hall of Fame.

I believe Gene’s statement in his high school yearbook is ringing true – he has and will succeed in whatever field he chooses. It’s an honor to welcome Gene Tennison II to the Dayton ISD Sports Hall of Fame.

The Dayton Sports Hall of Fame inducted former Dayton Bronco standout athlete Gene Tennison II on June 12 at the Dayton ISD Performing Arts Center. The following is from the induction speech by Larry Wadzeck.

When I called Lester Ray to let him know he had been selected as an outstanding Bronco fan for the Sports Hall of Fame, it happened to be on his 90th birthday. This means Lester Ray was born in 1931, the same year the Broncos won its first district football championship. So Lester Ray has been here for all of them. That’s a great start to being an outstanding Bronco fan.

But it’s really more involved than that. Lester Ray was a starting running back for the Bronchos in the late 1940s. But he would rather talk about his future wife Betty Jo George’s 1950 girls’ basketball District championship than the accomplishments he had on the football field.

Lester Ray continued his support of Bronco athletes through the 1950s and as a member of the DISD School Board in the 1960s and 70s, supporting his children’s and later his grandchildren’s Dayton teams. Whether it was a Varsity or Jr. High game, Lester Ray was there lending his support.

This support included many years of membership and work in the Dayton Athletic Booster Club. In the 1990s, Lester Ray joined a group of us who talked about forming a museum centered around Dayton ISD sports that would recognize outstanding athletes. That meeting, and many more since then, formed what we have today – Dayton ISD Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Lester Ray served on the Board for the first couple of years and is still called upon for information of past Broncos or games. Again, it’s a pleasure to induct what is a 90-plus year Bronco fan – Lester Ray Wisegerber.