As Scott Pelley prepares to take the “CBS Evening News” anchor desk, he will continue what is becoming a Texas legacy at the position.

Iconic CBS newsman Walter Cronkite grew up in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. Dan Rather, Cronkite’s successor, was also a native of Texas and attended Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Veteran CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer was born in Austin and graduated from Texas Christian University. Pelley is a San Antonio native and a graduate of Texas Tech.

He began his TV career at Lubbock’s KSEL in 1975 and quickly moved on to Dallas-Fort Worth, where he worked for KXAS and eventually WFAA. During his seven years at WFAA, Pelley caught the attention of CBS News and eventually accepted a job with the network in 1989.

“He was a good guy and a real pro,” remembers Texas media blogger Jim McNabb “You knew that he was bound for bigger things. He had the voice, the looks, the brains, and the talent.”

> Related: Rather tells TVNewser‘s Gail Shister: Pelley “burns with the hot, blue fame to report news.”