How To Be Texan-Wherever You Are
Editor’s note: This is #6 in a series from the upcoming eBook of the same name. The key word in all of this is the “Wherever You Are” part. You might be in Houston or you might be in Honolulu. You can still maintain your Texas ways, attitude, and swagger anywhere you are. You will annoy some of your friends and acquaintances, amaze some, and some will totally avoid you in future social encounters.
I’m enjoying publishing these as blog posts because I can get readers to not only fact check some of my writings, but also help proofread. For instance, last time I published one of these, a reader wrote in and said “shame on you!” He had noticed I had General Santa Anna somehow dying at The battle of the Alamo along with some Texian Heroes. Don’t know how that one got in there, but it was a doozy. In another post several months ago, I had San Jacinto Day (April 21) confused with the Battle of Goliad (October 10, 1835).
Well, my explanation is that sometimes “stuff” happens. I just tell my readers thank you for finding the errors, correct them, and go on. Who knows what I was thinking that day? Probably wondering what’s for dinner or something important like that instead of thinking about writing or remembering dates correctly.
The fact is, I have been pretty absent minded most of my life. It will be hard to tell when I slip off into ‘old-timers’ desease because of my past actions. I have been known to drive past my own house on multiple occasions. One time I was several miles past my house when I finally realized it and gave a crazy “I meant to do that reply to my long suffering wife….who never said a word.”
You can be a good Texan Wherever You Are by supporting your favorite Texas football team.
Texas football is world class.
Texas high school football is then followed by college football and then the NFL pro teams the Cowboys or the Texans. Football is another religion in Texas. The best newspaper column ever written about high school football was penned by a friend of mine, the late James Roberts of Andrews. He told of a space visitor observing the earth a hundred miles above and saw the phenomena of a long line of light snaking through the countryside and ending up at a single bright light source.
After a couple hours, the light would again snake through the countryside back to where they came from. That must look strange from outer space, but there is a simple explanation.
If you have ever been driving down an otherwise empty West Texas highway at night and come across a very long line of a hundred cars or more all going in the same direction, you are not in the Twilight Zone or onboard a spaceship. You might however, be in West Texas on a Friday night.
You can see the line of lights coming from 10-15 miles away. Then all of a sudden: whump…..whump….whump,.. whump…. Whump! …..they come by you faster and faster all lit up and driving with a purpose.
It must be a Friday night in rural Texas. The cars were either going to or coming home from an out of town game. It’s quite a sight. Entire towns in West Texas just empty out and shut down for the Friday night high school football game.
Parades send the local warriors off to do battle for hometown, school, and former graduates honor.
We outfit our high school bands and stand and cheer for them right along with the football team. In smaller schools, the boys take off their shoulder pads and march in the band at halftime. Texas High School Football is a lifestyle, a ritual, an important part of local life.
If you can’t get to the game, you’ll know if the smaller hometown team won because they are greeted at the county line by the Sheriff’s Department and fire trucks with sirens blasting, bringing the victors back into town, down Main Street and through neighborhoods, no matter what time of night.
The movie Friday Night Lights and the TV series of the same name are fairly accurate. Billy Bob Thornton played Coach Gary Gaines who really had more success the next year after the movie. By the way-as of this writing, Gary Gaines is now back at Permian High School as head coach and all is right with the world. Now, Gary Gaines is in his second time around as Permian head coach, and in his 37th year in the coaching profession overall. Gaines previously led the Panthers from 1986 to 1989, compiling a 46-7-1 record and winning a Class 5A state championship and mythical national championship in 1989. There is a lot of pride, tradition, and honor at Permian High School just as there is at every smaller school across Texas.
Old men who can’t remember the names of their grandchildren can vividly remember certain plays they were involved in as high school football players and recall those plays with amazing accuracy.
I once wrote in a newspaper column that, “Boys become men on the playing fields of Texas on Friday nights.” I still believe that to be true.
Just from Texas A&M and Texas, there are currently 61 active football players who play in the NFL.
Texas football players are highly recruited by all colleges across the USA. It’s generally Texas boys playing against each other on Saturday afternoons. Just a few years ago, it was Texan Colt McCoy playing QB for the University of Texas, Texan Jevan Snead playing QB over in Mississippi, or Texan Stephen McGee at Texas A&M.
In the year of our Lord, 2008, there were 22 Texas born and raised quarterbacks at the helm of Division I teams across the nation. Texas quarterbacks still direct plays against each other all across the nation and will continue to be leaders of their teams.
Here are some examples for you. Currently on College or NFL rosters, players who were born in Texas (or finished their HS careers in Texas), only two attended the University of Texas. The list includes Drew Brees who finished high school in Austin. Colt McCoy 6’1” 215 Tuscola, TX Cleveland Browns, Andy Dalton (Bengals), Matt Stafford Lions) and Brees (Saints) will each be starting for NFL playoff teams this season. McCoy was out several games with a serious concussion. Brees was drafted in 2001 and is the most veteran player listed. Here are some others: Ryan Mallet 6’6” 240 Texarkana, TX Michigan/Arkansas; Greg McElroy 6’2” 225 Southlake, TX Alabama, Andy Dalton 6’2” 220 Katy, TX TCU, Luke McCown 6’4” 217 Jacksonville, TX Louisiana Tech Stephen McGee 6’3” 225 Round Rock, TX Texas A&M, Vince Young 6’5” 232 Houston, TX Texas, Caleb Hanie 6’2” 222 Dallas, TX Colorado State, Josh McCown 6’4” 213 Jacksonville, TX Sam Houston State, Matthew Stafford 6’3” 232 Dallas, TX Georgia, Matt Flynn 6’2” 225 Tyler, TX LSU, Graham Harrell 6’2” 215 Brownwood, TX Texas Tech, Christian Ponder 6’2” 229 Colleyville, TX Florida State, Drew Brees 6’0” 209 Austin, TX Purdue, Chase Daniel 6’0” 225 Southlake, TX Missouri, Richard Bartel 6’4” 230 Grapevine, TX Tarleton State, Kevin Kolb 6’3” 218 Victoria, TX Houston, John Skelton 6’6” 244 El Paso, TX Fordham. Brown began his tenure at the University of Texas in 1998. Imagine the list if it went back to say … 2000? What if the list extended to running backs, receivers, tight ends and defensive backs? Texas born or raised athletes clearly cominate the field.
Now it’s 2011 and little brother Case McCoy is co-directing UT and Colt is in Cleveland of all places. Now if I can just see Stephen McGee as starting QB of the Cowboys, the world will be in harmony with the universe…..
I’m David out in Real Texas
Supporting my Texas Football teams and players against all others
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I, too, have those lapses of memory. Allow me to suggest you use the term I use. Since it comes and goes seemingly at will, I call it “part-timers”. I’ve also mused as to at what point and at what speed it becomes full-blown “all-timers”. I enjoyed the article. First one I’ve seen, but will now find and follow the others.
I’ve moved to Waco, Dave, but Friday night is still a big deal, of course. Your article reminds me of a column Rick Smith of the (sub) Standard-Times wrote a while back(like, decades) regarding the car convoy driving to a game in WTX. We lived in Celina for a while where the Bobcats won 4 consecutive state titles. The coach, G.A. Moore, is a legendary Texas high school football coach I suppose but we mostly referred to him as God Almighty for the control he had over athletics there. There wasn’t even volleyball at the time because it took resources away from football. Its fun to watch though, even if its over-emphasized. What was really strange was seeing Sterling City in the playoffs last year as a 6-man team. We played the extinct-since 1975 8-man ball. Now even I feel like an old-timer. Take care
Oh, one more thing…you left out Matt Stafford. Sure he went to Georgia and his high school career was in Dallas suburb Highland Park. Now HP isn’t all that much “real Texan” but it does fit the geographical requirements if not the cultural ones. I figure any QB from Texas than has led perennial NFL doormat Detroit to a winning record( however temporarily) deserves recognition…heh.