As football season draws near......
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/95...jjjljjj|John|N
THE 10 Reasons why Texas football is the best
By David Thomas
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
The temptation is to stand before you and present evidence as to why Texas football is the best. There is one problem with doing so: That assumes the subject is even debatable. • As has been said, it ain't braggin' if you back it up. And we do. Every Friday night at local high school stadiums. Every Saturday afternoon on college campuses. Every Sunday afternoon (plus some Monday nights) at the sport's highest level -- where even if the teams playing aren't from Texas, you can bet they are counting on Texas products to make big plays. • For any outsiders picking up this section, please forgive us if we sound like we are in love with ourselves. We are. Frankly, what's not to love about Texas football? We have it all. To twist an old phrase: Texas football, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways.
1. We have ... America's team
How can the face of American football not be the biggest reason to love Texas football? We don't mind displaying our Texas hospitality in sharing the Cowboys with the rest of the country. No franchise has played in more Super Bowls, and none boasts more Lombardi Trophies. And perhaps no franchise has produced more indelible images than the Cowboys. The star. The stadium. The roof. The fedora-wearing coach who, for 29 years, created his own shadow, forever remembered for his silhouette created against the glory of the proud team he built, in the proud state where he learned to play the game. America's Team. Texas' team.
• Eight Super Bowl appearances, five championships
• Ring of Honor
• Cowboys Cheerleaders
• The star
• Texas Stadium
• The hole in the roof
• "How 'bout them Cowboys?"
• Tom Landry's fedora
• Tex Schramm
• Clint Murchison Jr.
• Thanksgiving Day games, a family tradition
• Jimmy and Jerry
• Jerry and Barry
• The Triplets
• The Doomsday Defense
• 20 consecutive winning seasons
2. We have ... Friday night lights
College coaches from across the nation flock to Texas to stock their teams. We flock to high school stadiums in larger numbers to watch not only the college players of tomorrow, but also those players whose careers have only today. They all love to play the game, and we love to watch. From the rural settings of a six-man game, where sometimes the best seat in the house is a tailgate, to the polish and shine of large suburban stadiums with waiting lists for season tickets, our passion for high school football is recounted nationwide. They have written books about us, they have made movies about us. Out-of-state acquaintances ask if it is possible for our high school football to be like they have always heard it is. No, we say. Not until they experience Texas high school football will they learn that it's even better.
• Shoe-polished car windows and store windows
• Water towers boasting a school's accomplishments
• The line of "yellow dogs" headed down the highway to a high school game
• Paw prints lining roads to games
• Cups spelling out messages in chain-link fences
• Playoff tripleheaders at Texas Stadium
• Teams so good we have to crown 10 state champions -- and that's only for public schools
• Friday Night Lights
• Friday night lights
• Warm Frito pie at the booster club concession stand on a chilly night
• Zero Week -- an excuse for an extra week of games
• National Signing Day
• Stadiums that some colleges envy
• "Turn when you get to the Dairy Queen, then look for the stadium lights"
• Schools with indoor facilities that professional teams borrow
• Homecoming mums
• Players wearing jerseys to class on game days
• Fans wearing hunting clothes to games to get a head start for the next morning's hunt
• Stephenville's Can Fans
• "Would the last person leaving town please turn the lights off?"
• Groups of old-timers hanging out at practices
• Talking football over a cup of coffee at the local drug store
• People from outside of the state wanting to talk Texas football
• Six-man football
• "Good Gosh Almighty Joe Friday!"
• Teams flying to games
• Teams playing up to 16 games in a season
• All-school pep rallies in the gym
• Big marching bands
• Tuba-playing linemen
• Making front-page news
• Football as a class
• Crisp fall nights that make for "good hittin' weather"
• Texas weather gives schools opportunities to use those expensive lightning meters
• Playoff berths decided before fans needs heavy coats
• Texas Football's season-opening five-game event in the Alamodome
• Off-season all-star games
• Summertime 7-on-7 competition
• Friday night high school highlights shows
• Teams with media guides
3. We have ... college traditions
Today's youth. We push and pull them through high school then pay their way to college, and what is our reward? Instead of coming home on weekends, they're on television with their face painted almost beyond recognition. They've forgotten their mother's advice, going shirtless in cold weather so they can display the exclamation mark in "WE'RE NO. 1!" Plus, they're yelling about beating some unmentionable out of other humans. In other words, they're chips off the old block, extending traditions we helped carry on. Raised them well, didn't we?
• 10 NCAA Division I-A teams -- the most of any state
• Five bowl games -- the most of any state
• Five bowl teams in 2003-04 -- the most of any state
• The Southwest Conference
• The Pony Express
• The Junction Boys
• The Cotton Bowl
• The Doak Walker Award
• The Davey O'Brien Award
• Mike Singletary's eyes
• Kilgore College Rangerettes
• Houston's Veer
• Houston's run-and-shoot
• Emory Ballard's wishbone
• Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
• Texas A&M's 12th Man
• "Once an Aggie, always an Aggie"
• Reveille
• Kyle Field swaying
• Aggie Bonfire
• Midnight Yell
• Yell Leaders
• The Boot Line
• Gig 'em Aggies
• Hook 'em Horns
• The Eyes of Texas
• "There are only two sports in Texas: football and spring football"
• Texas Fight
• Showband of the Southwest
• The Hex Rally
• Big Bertha
• Bevo
• Texas' lighting of the tower after wins
• Super Frog
• "Unbelieeevable!"
• Frog Horn
• Texas Tech's Masked Rider
• Bangin' Bertha
• Raider Alley
• Goin' Band from Raiderland
• Al Lipscomb Classic
• Battle of the Bands
• UTEP's Paydirt Pete
• Rice's MOB (Marching Owl Band)
• Peruna
• Baylor's Homecoming Parade, believed to be the nation's largest
• Bear Claw
• Baylor's live bear mascot
4. We have ... storied rivalries
Every team has a game that can make or break a season. But it's not a championship game. At least not the official kind. Typically, it's a neighborhood championship, played for an ax, or a bowl, or a jug, or a bell. At least it used to be, until the prize was either lost, broken or -- according to rumors -- stolen by the other school. But that's all right, because even more important are the bragging rights that come with winning "the game." In a state so large, with so many teams competing at all levels, which is the state's best rivalry game? The answer is surprisingly simple: Your team's. There is no game bigger.
• Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins
• The Red River Shootout: Texas vs. Oklahoma
• The Backyard Brawl: Texas vs. Texas A&M
• The Iron Skillet: TCU v. SMU
• Texarkana's Border War: Texas High vs. Arkansas High
• Battle for the Ax: Sherman vs. Denison
• Longview vs. Marshall, believed to be Texas' oldest rivalry, beginning Thanksgiving Day 1909
• Bay City vs. El Campo, considered Texas' longest- running rivalry with games every year since 1920
• Celina vs. Pilot Point, the best in small-town football
5. We have ... unique nicknames
You won't find many polar bears in Texas. Especially outside of Frost. Looking for horned frogs? They're not so easy to spot in Fort Worth, unless you're looking for the purple-wearing kind recently making their home among the nation's top 25 teams. Has any of us ever seen a Wampus Cat? And if we did, most of probably wouldn't recognize it. Blizzards in Texas? Only in Dairy Queens and during the harshest of winters. Or out west in Winters. The unique nicknames we have supplied some of our teams have become as much a part of the Texas landscape as Red Ants. Especially in Progreso.
• North Texas Mean Green
• TCU Horned Frogs
• Amarillo Sandies
• Cameron Yoe Yoemen
• Coleman Bluecats
• Freeport Exporters
• Frost Polar Bears
• Grandview Zebras
• Hamlin Pied Pipers
• Hereford Whitefaces
• Hutto Hippos
• Itasca Wampus Cats
• Lewisville Fighting Farmers
• Mason Punchers
• Masonic Home Mighty Mites
• Mesquite Skeeters
• Muleshoe Mules
• New Braunfels Unicorns
• Progreso Red Ants
• Robstown Cotton Pickers
• Rotan Yellowhammers
• San Antonio Central Catholic Buttons
• Somerville Yeguas
• Springtown Porcupines
• Texas City Stingarees
• Trent Gorillas
• Winters Blizzards
6. We have ... legendary coaches
Tom Landry once described leadership as "getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve." Texas football would not have produced its long history of achievements without its long list of great coaches. "Coach" is more than a title; it's an opportunity to mold not only football players, but also men. There isn't room to list all of the coaches who made a difference. We do not even know most of their names. But there a few names we know as coaches who best represent their profession. They helped us achieve.
• Emory Bellard
• Dana X. Bible
• Bear Bryant
• Hayden Fry
• Tom Landry
• G.A. Moore
• Eddy Peach
• Darrell Royal
• Grant Teaff
• Gordon Wood
• Bill Yeoman
7. We have ... history-making players
Twenty-four NFL Hall-of-Famers were born in Texas. (Only Pennsylvania-borns are more numerous, with 25.) Six Cowboys players were named Super Bowl MVPs, including the ultimate game's only co-MVPs and the only MVP from a losing team. Nine players from Texas colleges and high schools have won the Heisman Trophy. Each year, the top quarterback and running back in college football come to the Metroplex to receive awards named for players from North Texas schools. As for John Heisman, he didn't play in Texas, but he ended his coaching career at Rice. Finally, we don't spend much time in Texas what-iffing -- mostly because we don't really need to -- but it is interesting to consider that if Ricky Williams had gained only 117 more yards at Texas, then the reigning all-time leading rushers in high school, NCAA and NFL history would have played for Texas teams.
• Kenneth Hall, the Sugar Land Express, high school's all-time leading rusher
• Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher
• Ricky Williams, formerly the NCAA's all-time leading rusher
• Super Bowl V MVP: Chuck Howley, Cowboys
• Super Bowl VI MVP: Roger Staubach, Cowboys
• Super Bowl XXII Co-MVPs: Harvey Martin and Randy White, Cowboys
• Super Bowl XXVII MVP: Troy Aikman, Cowboys
• Super Bowl XXVIII MVP: Emmitt Smith, Cowboys
• Super Bowl XXX MVP: Larry Brown, Cowboys
• 1938 Heisman: Davey O'Brien, TCU
• 1948 Heisman: Doak Walker, SMU
• 1957 Heisman: John David Crow, Texas A&M
• 1977 Heisman: Earl Campbell, Texas
• 1978 Heisman: Billy Sims (Hooks), Oklahoma
• 1987 Heisman: Tim Brown (Dallas Woodrow Wilson), Notre Dame
• 1989 Heisman: Andre Ware, Houston
• 1990 Heisman: Ty Detmer (San Antonio Southwest), Brigham Young
• 1998 Heisman: Ricky Williams, Texas
• Bob Hayes: The only player with a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic Gold medal
• Deion Sanders: The only player to play in a Super Bowl and a World Series
• 13 NFL Hall-of-Famers associated with the Cowboys
• 9 NFL Hall-of-Famers associated with the Oilers
• 24 NFL Hall-of-Famers who were born in Texas
• 17 NFL Hall-of-Famers who played at Texas colleges
• 19 NFL Hall-of-Famers who played at Texas high schools
8. We have ... memorable moments
Games turned, seasons changed, careers were made. Some of football's greatest moments came in Texas. Others came with Texas players on the scene. Some memories still hurt. You probably remember where you were when Dwight Clark made his catch and when Jackie Smith didn't. It's not an official Cotton Bowl broadcast until you see the black-and-white film of Tommy Lewis coming off the bench to tackle Dicky Maegle. One of our high school playoff games won an ESPY award. And a flu-stricken young quarterback named Joe Montana made Dallas the stage for the first of his greatest comebacks. Thanks for the memories.
• Ice Bowl (Cowboys' loss to Packers in the 1967 NFC title game)
• Hail Mary (Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson against the Vikings in the 1975 playoffs)
• The 1969 Shootout between No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Arkansas
• Plano East vs. Tyler John Tyler high school playoff game at Texas Stadium in '94, an ESPY winner
• Max McGee of White Oak scores the first touchdown in Super Bowl history
• Emmitt Smith passes Walter Payton on Oct. 27, 2002
• Alabama's Tommy Lewis comes off the bench to tackle Rice halfback Dicky Maegle in the 1954 Cotton Bowl
• In '39, Texas Tech and Centenary kick an NCAA-record 77 punts-- including 67 on first down -- in a 0-0 tie played in a driving rainstorm
• Texas Tech beats Kansas 26-7 in '65 while hosting the first intercollegiate football game to use instant video replay
• Rookie Earl Campbell's 199-yard game against Miami on Monday Night Football in '78
• The Catch (Dwight Clark) in the '81 NFC Championship Game
• The non-catch (Jackie Smith) in Super Bowl XIII after the '78 season
• The Herschel Walker trade in '89
• Notre Dame's Joe Montana-led comeback vs. Houston in the icy '79 Cotton Bowl
• No. 1 Texas ties No. 3 Oklahoma 15-15 in driving rain in the '84 Red River Shootout
9. We have ... people who have made football fun
Bum Phillips made us laugh. So did Barry Switzer, although it was a different sort of laugh. Jerry Glanville fell somewhere in between. Hollywood Henderson backed up his talk, and we loved it. The Boz backed up his talk, and we hated it. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson inspired us to perform the Funky Chicken in the living room, Haywood Jeffries had us electric gliding, Prime Time high-stepped his way into our hearts, and Michael Irvin made a first down something worth celebrating. Field Scovell and Hoss Brock put the "class" in the Cotton Bowl Classic, and we still benefit from their belief that we should have the best bowl game. Finally, who can forget Jim Wacker? He made us laugh. He made us cry. But most of all, he made us belieeeve.
• Sammy Baugh
• Brian Bosworth
• Hoss Brock
• Red Cashion
• Spike Dykes
• Jerry Glanville
• Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson
• Lamar Hunt
• Michael Irvin
• Haywood Jeffries
• Billy "White Shoes" Johnson
• "Dandy" Don Meredith
• Jack Pardee
• O.A."Bum" Phillips
• Deion Sanders
• Field Scovell
• Gene Stallings
• Pat Summerall
• Barry Switzer
• Jim Wacker
• Elmo Wright
10. We have ... winners
Everybody loves a winner, and we sure have a bunch to love. By our size alone, being the best in Texas is a major accomplishment. But we Texans don't like to stop there. We want to be the best anywhere. So here's to the winners. They're proof we ain't braggin'.
• Dallas Cowboys' Super Bowl VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII and XXX Championships
• Houston Oilers' 1960-62 American Football League Championships
• TCU's 1938 national championship
• Texas A&M's 1939 national championship
• Texas' 1963, 1969 and 1970 national championships
• The national championships Oklahoma has won with Texas players
• Carroll High School's state record of 72 consecutive regular-season victories
If you made it all the way down here, i'm impressed.
Kitso
KS 361 other states that couldn't even come close to ONE of these items
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