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Legends. Leaders. Legacy.
An event and fundraiser honoring the legacy of Southeast Texas’ pro football pioneers — from the gridiron giants of the past to the community champions of today.
From 1968 to 1972, sixteen NFL athletes emerged from Beaumont, Texas alone. Not just roster-fillers — we’re talking game-changers, record-breakers, and Pro Bowl playmakers, collectively earning ten Pro Bowl appearances in just five years.
The legendary lineup?
Bubba & Tody Smith, Jerry LeVias, Warren Wells, Wayne Moore, Mel & Miller Farr, Johnny Fuller, Gus Holloman, Anthony Guillory, Jesse Phillips, Dwight Harrison, Charles Ford, Bob Pollard, Billy Wright, and Wayne McDermand.
At the 1971 National Conference of U.S. Mayors, Ken Ritter officially proclaimed Beaumont, TX, the “Professional Football Capital of the World.” Mayor Ritter said, “City officials were a little nervous about making a claim, but no one challenged it so it stuck.”
Mel Farr
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Position: Running back
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
High School: Hebert High School, Beaumont (class of 1963)
College: UCLA
Pro Career: 1967–1973 (NFL)
Team: Detroit Lions
Mel Farr was a multi‑sport star at Hebert High School in Beaumont, lettering in football, basketball, baseball, and track and earning All‑State honors in football and track. At UCLA he became a two‑time All‑American running back and a Heisman Trophy candidate. The Detroit Lions selected him 7th overall in the 1967 NFL Draft.
As a rookie, Farr rushed for 860 yards and scored 10 total touchdowns, earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He played seven seasons with the Lions, scoring 36 career touchdowns and serving as a team captain. After football he became a successful automobile dealer, operating one of the largest Black‑owned dealership groups in the United States.
Miller Farr
Position: Cornerback / defensive back
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
High School: Reported as attending Hebert High School in Beaumont
College: Wichita State University
Pro Career: 1965–1973 (AFL/NFL)
Teams: Denver Broncos; San Diego Chargers; Houston Oilers; St. Louis Cardinals
Miller Farr played college football at Wichita State before beginning his professional career in the AFL and NFL. With the Houston Oilers he had a standout season in 1967, tying for the AFL lead with 10 interceptions and earning All‑AFL and All‑Pro honors. Over his career he played for the Broncos, Chargers, Oilers, and Cardinals, finishing with 27 interceptions in AFL/NFL play.
Farr earned three first‑team All‑AFL selections and played in two AFL All‑Star Games. He is recognized as one of the top defensive backs of the late‑1960s AFL era.
Charles Ford
Position: Cornerback / defensive back
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
High School: Beaumont High School
College: University of Houston
Pro Career: 1971–1975 (NFL)
Teams: Chicago Bears; Philadelphia Eagles; Buffalo Bills
Charlie Ford played high school football at Beaumont High and college football at the University of Houston. The Chicago Bears selected him in the second round of the 1971 NFL Draft.
Ford appeared in 60 NFL games, starting 44. His best season came in 1972, when he intercepted seven passes for the Bears and returned them for 104 yards. He later played for the Eagles and Bills before retiring.
He is remembered as a productive starting cornerback in the early 1970s.
Johnny Fuller
Position: Defensive back
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
College: University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) – commonly cited in historical rosters (you can confirm locally for precision)
Pro Career: Late 1960s–early 1970s
Teams: San Francisco 49ers; New Orleans Saints
Johnny Fuller played defensive back in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints. Contemporary rosters list him as a safety/cornerback contributing in the defensive backfield and on special teams during multiple seasons. Exact season‑by‑season stats are sparse in summary articles, but he is consistently listed among the group of 16 Southeast Texas‑connected players honored in 1971.
His professional tenure illustrates the kind of reliable defensive backs that came out of Texas programs in the 1960s and 1970s, even when they were not national headline names.
Tony "Wulf" Guillory
Position: Linebacker
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
High School: Hebert High School, Beaumont (by biographical association)
College: University of Nebraska; Lamar State College of Technology (Lamar University)
Pro Career: 1965–1969 (NFL)
Teams: Los Angeles Rams; Philadelphia Eagles
Tony Guillory played linebacker in the NFL, but his most historic milestone came at Lamar in Beaumont. After beginning his college career at Nebraska, he transferred to Lamar State College of Technology and became the school’s first Black athlete in 1962.
From Lamar, Guillory went on to play in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams (1965–1966) and Philadelphia Eagles (1967–1969). Over five seasons he appeared in dozens of games as a linebacker and special‑teams player. His career connects the integration of college sports in Texas with the broader movement of Black athletes into the professional ranks in the 1960s.
Dwight Harrison
Position: Defensive back / wide receiver
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
College: Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M–Kingsville)
Pro Career: 1971–1980 (NFL)
Teams: Denver Broncos; Buffalo Bills; Baltimore Colts; Oakland Raiders
Dwight Harrison played college football at Texas A&I, a program known for producing NFL players. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1971 and later played for the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Colts, and Oakland Raiders.
Over 10 NFL seasons he appeared in 140 regular‑season games, starting more than 100. He recorded 29 interceptions, returned several for touchdowns, and also contributed as a kick returner early in his career.
Harrison’s long tenure and production make him one of the most accomplished defensive backs with roots in Beaumont.
Gus Hollomon
Position: Defensive back / safety
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas (often identified with Southeast Texas in hall‑of‑fame style writeups)
College: University of Houston (commonly listed in older rosters; you can verify with UH records)
Pro Career: 1968–1971 (AFL/NFL)
Teams: Denver Broncos; New York Jets
Gus Hollomon played defensive back and safety in the AFL and NFL. He began his pro career with the Denver Broncos and later joined the New York Jets. Hollomon contributed in the secondary and on special teams over several seasons, often used in multiple roles across the defensive backfield.
Although he did not receive the same level of national attention as some contemporaries, his multi‑year presence on AFL and NFL rosters marks him as a successful professional from the Southeast Texas football pipeline.
Jerry Levias
Position: Wide receiver / return specialist
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
High School: Hebert High School, Beaumont
College: Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Pro Career: 1969–1974 (AFL/NFL)
Teams: Houston Oilers; San Diego Chargers
Jerry LeVias starred at Hebert High School in Beaumont before signing with SMU, where he became the first Black scholarship football player in Southwest Conference history in 1965. At SMU he earned three first‑team All‑Southwest Conference selections and was a consensus All‑American in 1968. He helped lead SMU to the 1966 SWC title and a Cotton Bowl appearance, and set multiple school receiving and return records.
LeVias joined the Houston Oilers in 1969 and later played for the San Diego Chargers as a receiver and return specialist. He finished his pro career with more than 2,000 receiving yards and multiple touchdowns as a receiver and kick returner. He has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
Wayne McDermand
In Research
Wayne Moore
Position: Offensive tackle
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
High School: Central High School, Beaumont (as listed in Lamar biographies)
College: Lamar University
Pro Career: 1970–1978 (NFL)
Teams: San Francisco 49ers; Miami Dolphins
Wayne Moore played college football at Lamar in Beaumont, where he was an All‑Southland Conference offensive lineman. After initially signing with the San Francisco 49ers, he was claimed by the Miami Dolphins in 1970.
Moore became the Dolphins’ starting left tackle and started in three consecutive Super Bowls (VI, VII, VIII). He was a key part of the 1972 Dolphins team that completed the only undefeated season in NFL history and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1973.
His career is one of the clearest examples of a Beaumont‑born lineman anchoring one of the best offensive lines in league history.
Jess Phillips
Position: Running back (NFL), defensive back (college)
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
High School: Charlton‑Pollard High School, Beaumont
College: Michigan State University
Pro Career: 1968–1973 (NFL)
Teams: Cincinnati Bengals; New Orleans Saints
Jess Phillips graduated from Charlton‑Pollard High School in Beaumont in 1965. He played safety at Michigan State and appeared in the 1966 10–10 tie between Michigan State and Notre Dame, one of college football’s most famous games.
Phillips was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 1968 draft. After initially being projected as a defensive back, he made his impact as a running back for the Bengals and later the New Orleans Saints. He recorded multiple seasons with several hundred rushing yards and contributed as a receiver out of the backfield.
His story also includes a period of incarceration for check forgery during college, followed by a successful return to football and the opportunity to play professionally.
Bob Pollard
Position: Defensive tackle / defensive end
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
College: Weber State University (commonly cited in pro bios)
Pro Career: 1967–1977 (NFL)
Teams: New Orleans Saints; St. Louis Cardinals
Bob Pollard played college football at Weber State and joined the New Orleans Saints in 1967. He spent seven seasons with the Saints and four with the St. Louis Cardinals, playing in more than 150 NFL games.
Pollard was a starter on the defensive line for most of his career, known as a durable and consistent presence against the run and pass. He is often included in lists of significant players tied to the Southeast Texas football story of the late 1960s and 1970s.
Lawrence "Tody" Smith
Position: Defensive lineman
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas (born there; later family moves)
College: University of Southern California (USC)
Pro Career: 1971–1974 (NFL)
Teams: Dallas Cowboys; Houston Oilers; Buffalo Bills
Lawrence “Tody” Smith, younger brother of Bubba Smith, played college football at USC, where he was part of the famous “Wild Bunch” defensive line on the 1969 Trojans. That unit played a key role in USC’s status as a national power.
Smith was drafted in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played for the Cowboys, Houston Oilers, and Buffalo Bills between 1971 and 1974, contributing as a defensive lineman. He was a member of the Cowboys team that won Super Bowl VI.
His path links Southeast Texas roots, a marquee college program at USC, and an NFL championship with Dallas.
Charles "Bubba" Smith
Position: Defensive end
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas (born in Orange, raised in Beaumont)
High School: Charlton‑Pollard High School, Beaumont
High School Coach: Willie Ray Smith Sr.
College: Michigan State University
Pro Career: 1967–1976 (NFL)
Teams: Baltimore Colts; Oakland Raiders; Houston Oilers
Bubba Smith played high school football at Charlton‑Pollard in Beaumont under his father, Willie Ray Smith Sr., one of the winningest coaches in Texas high school history. At Michigan State, he became a two‑time All‑American defensive end and helped the Spartans to back‑to‑back national titles as recognized by major polls, including the famous 1966 “Game of the Century” 10–10 tie against Notre Dame. He was selected first overall in the 1967 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts and went on to play in Super Bowls III and V, winning Super Bowl V. Smith later played for the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers before retiring and pursuing an acting career in commercials and films.
Warren Wells
Position: Wide receiver
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
College: Texas Southern University
Pro Career: 1964, 1967–1970 (AFL/NFL)
Teams: Detroit Lions; Oakland Raiders
Warren Wells played college football at Texas Southern University, where he was a standout receiver. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1964, then served in the U.S. Army before returning to pro football with the Oakland Raiders in 1967.
With the Raiders, Wells became one of the league’s premier deep threats. He led the AFL in receiving yards (1,137) and receiving touchdowns (11) in 1969 and posted some of the highest yards‑per‑reception averages in league history. Off‑field legal and personal issues shortened his career; he last played in 1970. Despite the brevity of his tenure, he is remembered as one of the most explosive receivers of the era.
William "Billy" Wright
Position: Linebacker
Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
College: University of Houston
Pro Career: 1968–1969 (AFL)
Team: Denver Broncos
Bill (Billy) Wright played college football at the University of Houston as a linebacker and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 1968. He appeared in AFL games for the Broncos in the late 1960s.
While his pro career was brief, he is included in the 16‑player group recognized in 1971 as part of the broader Southeast Texas‑Houston talent pool feeding the AFL and NFL at that time.