NAVARRO, Texas – Javelina men's basketball coach Johnny Estelle has been named as a member of the Navarro College Hall of Fame class of 2020, it was made public in an announcement by Navarro College on Friday. "First and foremost," said Estelle, "I would like to thank God for his divine direction and the unbelievable people he has put into my life. "This is an incredible honor from a special institution that has a culture of winning and high standards. Navarro College has always been a special place to me and my family. The people and relationships we developed during our tenure at Navarro have made a profound impact on our lives. We continue cherish the precious memories we experienced and have always taken Navarro College and the community of Corsicana with us wherever we go in life."
Estelle will be a member of a class of 13, representing the second group to be inducted in the Navarro College Hall of Fame, which welcomed its first 10 inductees in 2019.
Estelle spent eight seasons as an assistant for the Bulldogs' men's basketball team under coach Lewis Orr before taking over as the head coach in 2008. In five seasons as the head man in Navarro, Estelle's teams ran up a record of 126-48 and captured three Region XIV tournament titles. During the 2009-10 campaign, the Bulldogs rose as high as No. 2 in the national rankings and advanced as far as the NJCAA National Tournament semifinals. Navarro averaged 25 wins a season during Estelle's tenure and he was a three-time Region XIV Coach of the Year honoree. Among those joining Estelle in this Hall of Fame class is his former TAMUK colleague and current Texas A&M men's basketball coach Buzz Williams. Estelle and Williams both served together under coach Pete Peterson at TAMUK in 1998-99.
Navarro College has not yet announced a date for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.