Terry Cron -- Coach

Bartlett, Commerce, Mart High Schools

_

Inducted in 2026

Terry Cron is renowned in Texas high school football as a premier program builder and the first coach to win three state championships at three different schools in three classifications, remarkably achieved with three entirely different coaching staffs. 

Cron’s teams posted a 142–32 record. The 1992 Bartlett team showed grit and character by winning several games in the final seconds to claim the Class 1A state championship. The 1999 Mart team dominated opponents and won the 2A Division I state championship. The following year, Cron returned to the championship game with a 30–0 record but lost to Celina, 21–17. A year later, Cron guided Commerce to the 2001 3A Division II championship with a 14–11 victory over La Grange. 

Coach Cron has received numerous accolades during his career, including recognition in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine as one of the 50 most memorable coaches of the past 50 years and in the UIL 100 anniversary top 100 coaches. He was named Coach of the Year three times by the Sportswriters’ Association, earned the 2000 Reebok Coach of the Year award, and received the Gatorade Coach Who Makes a Difference award. 

He was inducted into the Hall of Honor at Mansfield Timberview and Bartlett High Schools and the 2011 Hall of Fame at Eastern New Mexico University, where he was a four-year starter at tight end and punter and earned the Outstanding Player Award. 

Cron’s final coaching position was at Mansfield Timberview High School, where he was the inaugural head coach tasked with laying a foundation. Under his leadership, the team made the playoffs in 4A and 5A and became the first to reach the quarterfinals from 2006 to 2009. In 2022, Mansfield ISD named the new facility the Terry Cron Multipurpose Athletic Complex, a distinction he holds in high esteem.

Coach Cron retired in 2009, leaving a legacy that continues through his family. His children, Christopher Cron and Brooke Robinson, are successful head basketball coaches, while his grandson, Austin DeCron, is beginning his coaching career. Cron’s pride extends to his other grandchildren—Cassidy, Caitlyn, Bryce, and Levi—whose achievements bring him great joy.