Claude "Cheena" Gilstrap
The coaching career of Claude Robbins Gilstrap began in 1937 with high school stops in Leverett's Chapel, Crockett, Wharton and Cleburne. He served as head coach at Paris Junior College, 1948-49, and the next two years at Schreiner Institute. He moved to what was then two-year Arlington State as head coach and athletic director in 1952. His teams won consecutive Junior Rose Bowl games in Pasadena beginning in 1956. The '57 ASC squad was undefeated and ranked No. 1 nationally among junior colleges. Gilstrap guided the UT-Arlington program to four-year status in 1959. He coached through the 1965 season and remained as athletic director until 1975. His record as a head coach was 162-88-9 overall, 115-60-4 at the collegiate level. The UT-Austin graduate was a noted after-dinner speaker. Gilstrap was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
