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By Amanda Rogers
Mansfield Record
Family and friends gathered Saturday to pay tribute to four individuals and a team as they were inducted into the Mansfield ISD Athletic Hall of Honor.
Aldrich “AJ” Bailey Jr., Rees Odhiambo, Claudius “Tobi” Fawehinmi, TL Davis and the 2008 Mansfield High School Football Team will join the 64 other honorees and have plaques and their photos hanging in the Hall of Honor at Vernon Newsom Stadium.
“It’s to honor the people that have made an impact on athletics and the community,” said Mansfield ISD Athletic Director Tammy Lusinger. “It’s always so special to hear the amazing stories.”
Bailey, a 2012 Timberview High graduate, was a two-time UIL state champion in the 400-meter dash and a high school national record holder. He was part of the U.S. medley relay team that established a new World Youth Best at the 2011 Worley Youth Championships in Athletics.
He attended Texas A&M University for two years, then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.
Bailey is now a member of the U.S. Army and training for the 2024 Olympics.
Fawehinmi, a 2013 Summit High graduate, was a four-time regional track and field qualifier and the UIL Class 4A state silver medalist in the triple jump. He still holds the long jump record at Summit High.
While at UTA on a track and field scholarship, Fawehinmi was a three-time NCAA first-round qualifier in the triple jump, Sunbelt Conference gold medalist in the indoor triple jump and five-time Sunbelt Conference medalist in the triple jump. He is third on UTA’s all-time list for the indoor triple jump before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science
Fawehinmi was a three-time Paralympian, competing in London in 2012, Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021. He was the world record holder in the Paralympic F47 triple jump, world champion gold medalist in the triple jump and a Pan Am Games gold medalist in the long jump.
He placed fifth in the triple jump in London Paralympics, was the silver medalist in the triple jump 2013 World Championships, took the silver medal in the long jump at the 2015 Pan Am Games, placed fifth in the long jump at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, earned a gold medal in the triple jump and bronze in the long jump at the 2017 World Championships and was a gold medalist in the long jump in the 2019 Pan Am Games.
Odhiambo, a 2011 Legacy High graduate, received a scholarship from Boise State University, where he played in 32 games and won a Fiesta Bowl championship. In 2016, he became the first Kenyan to be drafted into the NFL, when he drafted by the Seattle Seahawks.
Odhiambo later played with the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals.
TL Davis was honored for her 17 years of volunteer work with the school district and athletics. She began volunteering at Wester Middle School, then served as Booster Club president at Mansfield High from 2010-2013, collaborating with other Booster Club presidents and opening district concessions for Mansfield ISD Athletics.
She was appointed as the Mansfield ISD PAC 2011 Bond Chair and has served as a board member of the Athletic Hall of Honor since its inception in 2013.
The 2008 Mansfield High School football team was the first Tiger team to defeat cross-town rival Summit High since the schools split in 2002. The Tigers then went on to become the first Mansfield team to win a postseason game, defeating Abilene High and Montwood, before falling to Cedar Hill in the regional round at Texas Stadium. This Tiger squad was the first Mansfield team to reach the UIL football regional round.
The Mansfield ISD Athletic Hall of Honor was established in 2013 to recognize the efforts and contributions of former student-athletes, coaches/athletic administrators, teams, and distinguished volunteers.
Nominations for the Hall of Honor are accepted in the spring. For more information on how to nominate an athlete, coach, team or volunteer, click here.
Mansfield, Texas, is a booming city, nestled between Fort Worth and Dallas, but with a personality all its own. The city’s 76,247 citizens enjoy an award-winning school district, vibrant economy, historic downtown, prize-winning park system and community focus spread across 37 square miles. The Mansfield Record is dedicated to reporting city and school news, community happenings, police and fire news, business, food and restaurants, parks and recreation, library, historical archives and special events. The city’s only online newspaper launched in September 2020 and will offer introductory advertising rates for the first three months at three different rates.
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The Mansfield Record is the only local newspaper serving Mansfield, Texas. Established in 2020, the Mansfield Record is bringing the focus back where it should be.
