Harold Lewis, Sherwin Cox, Teresa Tinner and Ryan Palmer were honored in a pre-ceremony as the 2026 inductees to the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 6, at the Kids, Inc. headquarters.
The outstanding athletes were introduced to the press in a more casual setting ahead of the official awards presentation, which took place Sunday, June 7 at the Amarillo Civic Center Grand Plaza.
Kids, Inc. President and CEO Jimmy Lackey led Saturday’s event by telling a story about Sherwin Cox, whom he met at the Pee Wee PGA Golf Tournament in Pampa. Lackey said that he didn’t do very well so he threw away his score card, which showed up in final results.
His mother asked him why, and when he confessed, she led him to Cox, who was the assistant professional at Pampa Golf Club and made him apologize for his mistake, according to Lackey.
Lackey said he had a personal connection with most of this year’s inductees, with his wife teaching Palmer in middle school, watching 90% of Tinner’s basketball games, and Cox being a longtime friend.
Jon Mark Beilue then took the podium to talk about the background of the Hall of Fame, whose first honoree was Joe Fortenberry. He was named as an inductee in 1959 and was credited with the huge win in the 1936 Olympics, held in Germany when it was under Nazi control. Playing on a dirt court, the American team won the Gold Medal with a final score of 20-12 against Canada. Fortenberry, who had been captain of the team, also invented the dunk.
Beilue credited Kids, Inc. for becoming a corporate sponsor 11 years ago, taking the PSHOF to a new level and helping 68 years of winners decorate three full walls of the Kids, Inc. media room.
Harold Lewis, outstanding NFL pro football player
The 211th inductee, Harold Lewis, was born in the Depression in the 1930s, and he discovered sports in the last years of World War II. He became a Pampa football standout who led the team to a 72-game winning streak.
Lewis then went to the University of Houston, where he became a fixture and lettered in football during his sophomore and junior year in 1957. He was picked in the seventh round of the NFL 1959 draft selection by the world champion Baltimore Colts.
He then signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1960, during their first year in the American Football League. Lewis joined the Oakland Raiders in 1962 after a brief stint with the Canadian Football League and returned to his hometown of Pampa in 1963, where he worked for Cabot Corporation.
Lewis and his wife had two sets of twins and a son, Dean Lewis, who accepted his posthumous award.
He died in 2014 at the age of 79, according to Beilue.
Sherwin Cox, face of golf in Amarillo
Sherwin Cox, who admitted to getting the golf bug in fifth grade as a caddy, said he was honored to have served for 47 years promoting golf, with 37 of those as a golf pro at Ross Rogers Golf Course.
He served first at Pampa Country Club, then Tascosa Country Club and finally at Ross Rogers, where he changed the face of golf for Amarillo, according to admirers and fans of the game.
His pride and joy is introducing a free junior clinic, which brought in the popular Coca-Cola Tournament. In addition, he started the Ladies Championship, along with reviving the Men’s City Championship and having a new clubhouse built.
In 1994, Cox and Richard O’Neill began the Amarillo Tournament of Champions, which is now in its 32nd year.
During his first year, there were 64,000 rounds played at the Ross Rogers course, which was an increase of 7,000 rounds the year before his tenure. By 1990, the number increased to nearly 100,000 rounds. Wild Horse and Mustang courses have been recognized multiple times by the Amarillo Globe-News and the Dallas Morning News as one of the top 50 public golf courses in Texas.
Under Cox’s leadership, Ross Rogers has become a leader in charity events and a leading golf course in the State of Texas. This also helped to bring about the return of pro golf to Amarillo, with the upcoming OccuNet Classic Korn Ferry PGA Pro Tournament.
Cox also served on the North Texas PGA as president.
Teresa Tinner, triple T of Tulia and West Texas Lady Buffs standout
Tinner was instrumental in helping West Texas A&M to the most dominant four-year basketball period in the school’s history, Beilue said during Saturday’s remarks.
She also ran track and excelled in that sport, but after a growth spurt that left her close to 6’ tall, she was recruited by Coach Bill Schneider, and then his brother Bob, whom she credited with making her a top athlete and unlocking her potential.
In 1986, she was a key part in the tournament runs in the best four basketball years in WT’s history, in which WT advanced to the NCAA Division II national semifinals her freshman year; on to the national championship game as a sophomore; and into Regional II Tournament finals as a junior and senior.
During her time at WT, she earned First Team Kodak All American Honors in 1989, averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds and leading the Lady Buffs to an outstanding 27-3 record.
Tinner also led WT to a 69-66 win over Abilene Christian, to clinch a Lone Star Conference title.
Tinner was a perfect 14 of 14 from her field, and her career shines as one of the best in WT history. She leads as the school’s fourth all-time leading rebounder at 777, still after 36 years, along with 1,598 points which ranked third for all-time. The basketball phenom finished second in all-time field goals with 720.
Tinner was inducted in the WT Hall of champions in1997 and, along with teammate Vanessa Wells, had her jersey retired.
The last 26 years, Tinner has served as a customer service agent and later flight attendant for American Airlines and then Southwest Airlines. Her daughter, Jade, followed in her footsteps and played for Canyon in the state championship in 2018, and later in collegiate level.
Ryan Palmer, greatest golfer in Panhandle history
Palmer got his start playing with his friend, Ty Cox, at junior tournaments organized by Sherwin Cox at Ross Rogers. He attended Amarillo High School with Ty Cox and qualified for the state tournament in the mid-1990s. He attended the University of North Texas and then joined his friend, Cox, at Texas A&M, where his game reached a new level at College Station.
Palmer won two individual tournaments for the Aggies and was named to the All Big 12 in 1999, according to Beilue, and left with a scoring average of 73.4. He was inducted into the Texas A&M Hall of Honor in 2016 and followed his dream to the PGA Tour.
After four hard years, Palmer earned his coveted PGA card and was on a nationwide tour in 2003, winning the Clearwater Classic and finishing sixth on the money list.
In the next 22 years on the PGA Tour, Palmer has won $33.8 million in earnings, making the cut 328 times and winning four PGA tournaments over 15 years. The talented golfer played in 30 majors, with the best finish being fifth in the 2014 PGA Championship.
He tied for 21st in the U.S. Open and finished 10th at Augusta in 2011, and in his first Master’s in 2005, Palmer made the cut and finished 39th, leading the tournament for four holes.
Palmer has established the Ryan Palmer Foundation, which has focused on breast cancer initiatives and dental services for children, along with other Amarillo benefits. He will be eligible for the Senior Tour next September.
The four inductees were honored at Sunday’s ceremony. This year’s awards also included Coaches of the Year, Athletes of the Year and special achievements.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame introduces 2026 class
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News | USA TODAY Network
