Andrew Melontree Jr., a former football standout at John Tyler High School and Tyler Junior College, will be inducted into the Baylor University of Hall of Fame on Friday in Waco.
The banquet is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Brazos Room of the Waco Convention Center.
Melontree was all-state defensive lineman at JT, All-America at Tyler Junior College and a star defender for the Bears. He is a member of the 2020 Class. Last year’s ceremony was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other inductees joining Melontree, who was Defensive Most Valuable Player in the 1979 Peach Bowl, include: All-American offensive tackle Jason Smith, drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the second pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, three-time All-Americans Lenka Broosova (women’s tennis), Lars Poerschke (men’s tennis), Brette Reagan (softball) and Todd Cooper (track and field), volleyball All-American Anna Breyfogle and football’s Brad Goebel. Also recognized will be Dr. Michael Attas, a former football player and retired chief of cardiology at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center who founded the Medical Humanities program at Baylor, as the latest addition to the “B” Association Wall of Honor.
The lack of size — the 6-3 Tylerite never weighed more than 214 pounds in his two seasons at Baylor — didn’t keep Melontree from earning consensus All-Southwest Conference honors as a senior.
It took 41 years, but Melontree will be honored by his University.
“I always felt like I deserved to be in it, without saying anything to anyone,” he said. “You go down and crunch all the numbers, Andrew Melontree should be in there. But, it doesn’t matter whether it was five, 10, 15 or 100 years, I’m just thankful and appreciative that I’m finally getting in there. When I was there (at Baylor), I applied myself, gave it everything I had, and I was satisfied with that.”
Growing up in Marlin, a short half-hour drive from the Baylor campus, his father Andrew Melontree Sr. had dreamed of going to school there, “but the finances were just not there,” his son said.
“My father lived a wonderful life, and Baylor was part of that life,” Andrew Jr. said. “He was extremely envious — not jealous, because my father knew he had the mental capacity to attend Baylor. His goal in life was to attend Baylor, but that did not happen. It didn’t come to fruition.”
Instead, Andrew Sr. graduated from Texas College in 1952 with a degree in biology, went back to school to earn a law degree from Texas Southern and became the first African American to serve as a commissioner in Smith County.
He passed away in July 2020 at the age of 89.
As a high school sophomore, Andrew was part of John Tyler’s 1973 Class 4A state championship team that included 1977 Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell, his twin brothers, Steve and Earl Campbell, and Baylor Hall of Famers Ronnie Lee and Gary Don Johnson.
“When I got promoted to varsity my first year, I went and told my dad, ‘I can’t play on that varsity, those guys have beards,’’’ he said. “I was on the Ronnie Lee, take-your-beating program for a year. After taking those beatings in practice, the games were easy. I didn’t make anything my junior year. But, the year after he left, I was all-state, Most Valuable Player of the team and (Tyler Morning Telegraph) East Texas Defensive Player of the year.”
That wasn’t enough for Baylor, though. Offers came from SMU, TCU, Texas Tech, Rice and Houston, among others, but “there was never another school, in my heart,” he said. Set on ending up at Baylor, he went to TJC and was a two-time all-conference pick, earning honorable mention All-America honors as a sophomore.
“My hunger to go to Baylor was because my father always talked about Baylor and life after Baylor,” Andrew said. “He told me, ‘Andrew, when you fill out that resume and you put down that you’re a graduate of Baylor University, the world opens up to you.’ At that point, it’s not about football, it’s about life.’’
Bouncing back from a disappointing 3-8 season in 1978, the Bears rode a dominant defense to an 8-4 finish the next year and a 24-18 Peach Bowl win over Clemson. The 1979 defense included Pro Football and College Football Hall of Famer Mike Singletary, along with eight other future NFL Draft picks.
Drafted in the sixth round by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1980, Melontree played parts of two seasons in the NFL and three years in the USFL with the Chicago Blitz, Arizona Wranglers and Los Angeles Express.
When the USFL folded after the 1985 season, Melontree said, “I knew that was it.”
“I got offers from the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots, but when the light goes out, it’s time to go,” he said. “I was somebody in the USFL. If one team didn’t want me, I didn’t worry about it, because I was back in my Baylor groove.”
Part of his salary with the USFL paid for the remainder of his college education, with Melontree finishing his degree at Texas College in 1984. Andrew and his wife Marvis, have been married 35 years and have a daughter named, Andrea, who teaches in Tyler; and a son, Andrew III, who is a stock broker in Houston
Named to Baylor’s All-Decade Team for the 1970s, Andrew Jr. has worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber in Lawton, Oklahoma, for 32 years.
Along with the 2020 Hall of Fame class, all of the honorees will also be recognized on the field during the football game against Texas at McLane Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. (TV: ABC).
Dress for the banquet is business/evening attire. Banquet seats cost $50 per person, with table sponsorships also available for $600 (Green) and $800 (Gold). Seats can be purchased by contacting the “B” Association at 254-710-3045 or emailing Tammy_Hardin@baylor.edu.
Baylor Bear Insider Jerry Hill contributed to this report.
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