McIlhenny, Smith to Enter Ring of Honor
The Highland Park Football Ring of Honor will welcome two more big names to its ranks over the next two weeks.
Lance McIlhenny will be honored with a plaque during a ceremony at halftime of the home game against Cherry Creek (Colo.) on Sept. 20. The following week, Scott Smith will be recognized during the District 7-5A Div. I opener against Tyler.
McIlhenny was a standout quarterback with the Scots in the late 1970s, helping to lead a resurgence in the program under coach Frank Bevers, who relied upon McIlhenny to spearhead the team’s run-based option attack.
He went on to achieve legendary success at nearby SMU, teaming with running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James. He was the starting quarterback when the Mustangs won Southwest Conference championships in 1981 and 1982, and he remains one of the most decorated players in the history of the SMU program and the now-defunct league.
Smith was McIlhenny’s predecessor at HP and another Bevers quarterback protégé. He was a sophomore when Bevers began his second stint with the Scots in 1974, and helped lay the foundation for the breakthrough that came later.
Plus, Smith credits Bevers for influencing his own coaching career spanning almost four decades at the high school and college levels. Smith was the head coach at HP for three years, posting a 35-7 record before leaving in 1999 to become an assistant at Baylor University. Randy Allen took over as the Scots’ head coach that same year.
Smith also has been a head coach at Garland, Duncanville, Odessa Permian, Rockwall, and Frisco Legacy. He’s been a college assistant at Howard Payne, North Texas, SMU, Arkansas, and Houston Christian.
