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    Q&A with Bill

    Houston sports TV legend reveals shocking Houston Rockets tales

    Ken Hoffman
    May 25, 2021 | 5:25 pm
    Bill Worrell
    Bill Worrell still boasts a lustrous head of hair.
    Photo by Adolfo Chavez III

    Legendary local play-by-play man Bill Worrell recently retired after nearly 40 years announcing Houston Rockets games on TV.

     

    Over his long, amazing career, Worrell also broadcast Houston Astros and Houston Oilers games, plus everything from rodeo to table tennis, volleyball to boxing, and golf to synchronized skating.

     

    Synchronized skating?

     

    "I got there two hours early and they tried to explain the sport to me. Basically I just did the introductions and turned it over to my color analyst. Whatever she said, I agreed with it," Worrell once told me.

     

    Funny thing, if it weren't for a class scheduling conflict at UH, Worrell might never have become a sports announcer. He'd be William Worrell, M.D. today.

     

    Worrell, whose father "Dub" Worrell served as team dentist for the UH Cougars, Rice Owls, Houston Oilers and Rockets, entered UH in 1964 as a pre-med student and lefty baseball pitcher. When he tried to register for Introductory Biology 101, the class was scheduled for the same time as baseball practice. Pre-med or baseball? That was an easy choice for Worrell, and he switched his major to Radio-TV.

     

    "I was a pitcher of limited ability, with a pretty good curveball and a good pickoff move. I needed that move because I walked so many batters," he says.

     

    Fun and weird fact: Worrell started a game against Texas A&M in 1964, walked the first three batters and picked each one of them off first base. That's got to be a record of some sorts.

     

    After graduating, he took a job with Channel 2 and eventually advanced to sports anchor. In 1983 he was hired as the Rockets play-by-play announcer on TV, and as they say, the rest is history. In Worrell's case, historic.

     

    I caught up with Worrell the morning after the night before — his final game for the Rockets.

     

     Ken Hoffman: Did you go anywhere after the game Friday night to celebrate your retirement?

     

    Bill Worrell: I went home. I am 77 years old, and it was past my bedtime. That's part of the reason I retired!

     

     KH: What was the single wildest, funniest moment of your career?

     

    BW: I think it was the game in Indianapolis when the refs called a foul on Reggie Miller and the crowd went nuts! They started throwing pennies at first and then some of the fat cats threw in some quarters, and when they came up short of the court they were hitting me and Calvin Murphy right in the back of our heads.

     

    Calvin reached back and grabbed some lady's umbrella, opened it up, and put it over our heads. You could actually hear the coins hitting the umbrella. The lady wasn't too happy, but it saved us some bumps. It ran on the highlight shows for about a week, and they still haul it out from time to time. The lady was mad at first, but we put her on TV and she lightened up.

     

     KH: You were a pretty good pitcher in college at the University of Houston. When you broadcast Astros games early in your career, did you ever fantasize that you were on the mound?

     

    BW: Never. I topped out at 87 mph. Ray Charles could hit me.

     

     KH: While you watched the retrospective of your career that the Rockets and AT&T SportsNet put together, did you reminisce about your once-luxurious dark hair?

     

    BW: I never look at my hair now, because at my age, I don't go around mirrors anymore. At least I still use a brush, most of my friends are bald.

     

    ----

     

     Continue reading on SportsMap.

     
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    Premier Japanese women's wrestling league performs in Houston this weekend

    Jef Rouner
    Jul 9, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Two Japanese women wrestlers compete in a ring. One is stomping in the other with both feet.
    Photo courtesy of Tokyo Joshi
    Hard-hitting women's wrestling for two nights in Houston

    For the first time ever, one of Japan's premier women's wrestling promotions, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, will be touring Texas, with a two-night stay in Houston this week.

    "Bringing TJPW to Texas reflects Tokyo Story’s broader strategy," a Tokyo Story representative writes in an email. "As a Japan-inspired toy and event company, we see major Southwest cities — especially in Texas — as prime for the growth of Asian pop culture. Houston, Dallas, and others are becoming more diverse, culturally curious, and open to new entertainment formats. This isn’t a one-off stop — it’s part of a long-term push to bring Japan’s creativity to cities with eager audiences. And we are making TJPW Live an annual event!"

    The events happen on Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11 at POST Houston (401 Franklin). Tickets are available at TokyoStoryUSA.com.

    TJPW split off from DDT Wrestling in 2012 as a sister promotion (or "league") that ran alongside its male counterpart before becoming its own entity in 2015. In that time, they've launched the career of international superstars like Yuka Sakazaki and Mina Shirakawa (both currently signed to All Elite Wrestling in America), as well as hosting non-Japanese guest grapplers like Thunder Rosa.

    The fighting is excellent and often brutal, but TJPW is also known for its playfulness. Matches embrace anime-like absurdity, such as having a wrestler work in a giant panda mascot costume. The promoters are hoping to one day partner with Texas truck stop icon Buc-ee's for a more mascot shenanigans. Many of the women also perform in J-pop girl groups on of their wrestling duties.

    On Night 1, strike specialist Miyu Yamashita will take on Maki Itoh, known for her flamboyant style and high risk maneuvers. Night 2 will feature much of the local guest talent, such as Houston's own Kaylia Capri (Reality of Wrestling) vs Yuki Arai in a singles bout, and Austin's Vert Vixen teaming with reigning TJPW tag champ Hyper Misao. Other Texans slated to appear ar Maya World, Alejandra Quintanilla, and Billie Starkz.

    The last decade has seen a marked rise in the quality and prestige of women's wrestling in America, with WWE hosting all-women Royal Rumbles and stars like Rhea Ripley and "Timeless" Toni Storm becoming household names. Most major promotions now feature robust line-ups of Japanese women wrestlers, with some like Asuka and Iyo Sky becoming world champions.

    For Japan, women's wrestling has a more consistent history of legitimacy going back decades, and the talent pool there is vast. TJPW branching out into Texas tours gives them a chance to showcase their wrestlers in the land that spawned legends like The Undertaker, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and the Von Erich Family.

    "The response has been overwhelmingly positive," said the TJPW spokesperson. "Many who had never experienced joshi (women’s) wrestling before are discovering how entertaining, emotional, and uniquely captivating it is. Since announcing the Texas shows, we’ve received a flood of enthusiastic messages — not just from wrestling fans, but from people drawn to the theatricality, comedy, and creativity of TJPW. We've also heard from fans in other states asking us to bring the tour to their cities."

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