Marjorie Herrera Lewis Endowed Speakers Series welcomes former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jim Jeffcoat to Texas Wesleyan. He will be speaking at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the Martin Center.

Emmy award-winning sports anchor and broadcast journalist Scott Murray will serve as emcee for the event and host a discussion with Jeffcoat.

#MHLSeries

During the event, audience members are invited to share their thoughts on the presentation using the hashtag #MHLSeries. Texas Wesleyan football fans are also using #TXWESFootball to track discussions about the new program.

About Jim

Jeffcoat earned All-American football honors while playing high school football at Matawan Regional High School in New Jersey, where he also lettered in wrestling.

He was a three-year starter at Arizona State University. In 1982, he became the catalyst of the Sun Devils' No. 1 ranked defense. On Oct. 22, 1994, he was inducted into the Arizona State Hall of Fame as arguably one of the greatest defensive linemen to wear a Sun Devil uniform, finishing with 20 career sacks.

The Dallas Cowboys selected Jim in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft. The next year, he replaced Harvey Martin at the right defensive end position, registering 82 tackles to go along with 11.5 sacks, ranking second on the team and in the top 15 among sack league leaders.

Jeffcoat maintained a high level of play through the Cowboys' difficult years of the late '80s. During the 1992 season, his role was reduced to a situational pass-rusher. Even with fewer opportunities, he managed to lead the team with 10.5 sacks and six tackles for loss, during the team's drive towards winning Super Bowl XXVII. His repertoire of pass-rushing moves and effort allowed him to remain an effective player through the 1994 season while playing mostly in passing situations. Jeffcoat left via free agency in 1995, after playing 12 seasons and never missing a game with the Cowboys.

Jeffcoat has had an extensive coaching career with the Dallas Cowboys, the University of Houston, San Jose State and the University of Colorado. In June 2019, Jeffcoat was hired by Bob Stoops as defensive line coach for the Dallas Renegades of the new XFL.

About the Marjorie Herrera Lewis Endowed Speaker Series

This event is made possible by the generosity of Marjorie Lewis, who created the endowed speakers series at Texas Wesleyan to honor the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Lewis' lifelong passion for sports and writing led her to the Fort Worth news giant at the age of 27, where she was soon named a beat writer for the Dallas Cowboys and University of Houston.

During her career with the Star-Telegram and The Dallas Morning News, Lewis covered the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, Wimbledon, the Davis Cup and many other professional teams and events.

Lewis also covered the Texas Wesleyan men’s basketball team during her time with the Star-Telegram and fondly remembers the hospitality she experienced on the East Fort Worth historic campus.

With this endowment, Lewis ensures students at Texas Wesleyan will have a variety of opportunities to enhance their education in mass communication.