BETA
Chapter 1
The birth of a Texan obsession
Chapter 2
Stadiums bigger than colleges
Chapter 3
Mums, bands, and game day rituals
Chapter 4
The pressure cooker of success
YOUR GOAL
Master of Texas high school football
Ch 1 · The birth of a Texan obsession
andy Texas High School Football
When Friday nights bring on the stadium lights, Texas towns gather for their football rites.
andy The Prairie View Co-Scholastic League showcased incredible Black football talent during the era of racial segregation.
andy High school football served as a crucial, affordable distraction and community unifier during the 1930s economic crisis.
Fun Fact
Six-man football: Due to tiny populations in rural West Texas, over 140 schools play six-man football on an 80-yard field instead of the traditional 11-man game.
Glossary
football (noun)
American football is a team sport played on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. In 1892, teacher James Perkins Richardson established Texas's first high school team at Galveston's Ball High.
American football is a team sport played on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. In 1892, teacher James Perkins Richardson established Texas's first high school team at Galveston's Ball High.
Quiz
Which Texas oil well struck oil in 1923, funding the state's public school athletic boom?
Quiz
Which federal agency built dozens of high school football stadiums across Texas during the Great Depression?
Quiz
Which high school football team was the subject of H.G. Bissinger's famous 1990 book 'Friday Night Lights'?
Quiz
Which school won the very first official Texas high school state football championship organized by the UIL in 1920?
Quiz
What was the name of the governing body for segregated Black high school sports in Texas until 1970?
Quiz
What was the typical price of a high school football ticket in Texas during the Great Depression?
Quiz
Which NFL Hall of Fame member played in the segregated Prairie View Co-Scholastic League (PVIL) before integration?