HT Athletics has a rich history of excellence. The early days saw basketball coach Jackie Robinson (Sam Huston College, 1945, prior to signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers); student Willie Wells (Baseball Hall of Fame); football players Jimmy Hall and Julian Spence (who went on to play for the NFL's Chicago Cardinals); and Jim Gathers' 200-meter bronze medal win in the 1952 Olympics.
More recently, HT student-athletes have included Victor Wallace (Pan American Games National Champion); Serge Vengono (100-meter sprinter in 2000 Olympics); Ben Parker (pitcher, drafted by the Cincinnati reds in 2004); nine National Champions in Track and Field; and Andre Pitts (veteran professional player of international basketball leagues.)