You beat me to it Lousiana Horn! Interesting read especially since my freshman year was the last season of the SWC.
I didn't read it because I lived it. I'm sure I know more truth than ESPN would ever print. Remember, ESPN is the network that spent SMU's first bowl game post death penalty, canonizing Dickerson and James, with them getting more screen time than the game. This is the same outfit that brought you the whitewashes known as 30 on 30, see also Marcus Dupree.
Hey SabreHorn What do you think about this quote from Grant Teaff. Is this how you remember it? Was Baylor really clean back then Grant Teaff, Baylor coach, 1972-92: There were some of us that weren't cheating and were not going to cheat. And so it's hard to go out on a football field and know that you can have that player and he could be scoring touchdowns for you, except that black bag arrived at the little airport. Everybody knew everything that was going on. You knew when the new cars were delivered. You would get a call from someone in that town: "So-and-so got a new car today."
My only comment was that their S&C coach was very appropriately named. Funniest story about Grant was a rumor Baylor put out that they had a RB in for an illegal workout and were astonished that he couldn't run better than a 4.8 forty. Many schools backed off on recruiting the kid because of that "favor" Grant did making sure people knew "the truth". Walter Abercrombie says "HELLO"
Haven't read the article yet but like Sabre I feel like I too lived it... even when I was a young kid my Pappy used to tell me about the SWC greats, the teams, etc. that were before my time. I used to listen to Kern Tips on the Humble Network calling games.... Ah, the good old days. I also learned a great deal about the SWC, Texas HS teams, state HS players, DFW HS stars, etc. from former Paschal HS football coach Bill Allen. Several years in the late 60's I attended his summer camp for boys in Colorado. I wanted to play football for him at Paschal but the school got too big and split off Southwest HS the year before I entered HS. Allen often talked about QB Frank Ryan that played for him and went on to the NFL - Cleveland I think? He also talked about RB Joe Don Looney who went to UT and flunked out and wound up at ou where he was later dismissed by HC Bud Wilkinson (don't recall why). He did play in the NFL. Allen never directly said it in my presence but I think he thought JDL was a head case.... even when he was coaching him in HS. There were other players he talked about but I cannot recall them now.
Worster, Was Jimmy Allen, the sprinter from Paschal, Coach Allen's son? Didn't know him, but met him at State Track meet. I think he, Monte Stratton, and Ross Montgomery were the fastest in the region at that time. Also, Frank Ryan went to Rice, was the only PhD playing in the NFL. Not sure there's been one since.
SWC stuff I miss: Autry Court games and the friendly old men who tore the tickets and showed you where to seat. The decrepit wooden bleachers in a giant nearly empty stadium at Rice. This also meant getting to walk down to near the fifty yard line no matter where your tickets were. Rice gave out nearly free tickets to local high school FCAs that asked for them. Astrodome games — plenty of boorish fans, the scoreboard. Colorful opposing coaches—Guy Lewis, Gerald Myers, Grant Teaff, Wacker, Broyles, Hatfield, the list goes on and on. Arguing between us Longhorn fans and the Aggie fans leading up to Thanksgiving Day in grade school, jr high, and high school. The non-monetary bets associated therewith such as making the aggie kid wear a UT t-shirt Monday after the game. Barnhill South. Love/Hate with that one. The tv game of the week. Hearing games on the radio, since so few of them made the tv. That’s more of a non-miss it on that one. Ruling the roost until the end years of the conference. The unspoken shared knowledge throughout the State that we were the big dogs and the game against us mattered the most.
@SabreHorn Wow, Ross Montgomery who went on to TCU with RB Norm Bulaich? Lot of recruiting hype at that time what those 2 would do in the backfield at TCU. Tell us more about your Track days.... No, to your question. Coach Bill Allen had 2 daughter's Gail and Suzie. Suzie was a UT grad in 1971 and had a huge crush on FB Steve Worster as I recall... Woo was my hero during those summer camps in 1968 - 1970. Bill Allen was a humble man as a HC of a HS football program IMHO. I think he was probably somewhat disappointed he didnt have a son to coach to football but of course he had enough integrity and class to never express such a thing to anyone..... I have so much respect for Coach Allen to this day. He was a genuinely good person and a good Christian man. He survived Depression hardship and did not complain. He WAS a part of The Greatest Generation. Coach Allen generally looked for the positive in everyone. He rarely said anything unkind, bad or disparaging about anyone that I remember... I cannot say the same about me. My Mother was a Paschal grad in 1948. Bill Allen was her typing teacher during that time. She respects and loves him to this day at 90 years old! I knew him over about 35 years. Died in 1998. Felt like a family member died.....
Suzie was a Paschal grad of course but she never spoke of that... so what is your experience or impressions of Steve's driving or lack thereof?
Let's just say it is one thing to pass on the right shoulder, but something else to pass on the left shoulder. Ask Cotton about it. Old 290 wasn't that wide.
I admit in college daze... I did once pass CAREFULLY a very slow moving car on the RIGHT shoulder on an East Texas 2 lane road. I stand proud of it today !
Don't forget the Raycom Game of the Week (aka Lame of the Week). I don't miss the two trips I took to watch the Horns play in Arkansas. F that place. - Mike
