Saw this interesting Tweet about La Marque football

[JBulldawg]

Brandon C. Williams ‏@BCWilliams71 8m

Hearing from several sources that "don't be too surprised if this is the last season of La Marque football as we know it."

[Saggy Aggie]

His next tweet says the district may be shut down....

[cougartino]

Long story!

[speedbump]

??????

[BEAST]

What the heck Cougartino? Yall gonna consolidate with Texas City? Seriously, what gives?




BEAST

[Roughneck93]

http://cdn2.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/300117/jerryPOPCORN.gif

[orange machine]

Strange times

[cougartino]

What the heck Cougartino? Yall gonna consolidate with Texas City? Seriously, what gives?




BEAST

I'm not that "in the know" but whatever happens, I won't have any control over it, so I just hope the kids receive the greatest benefit.

[Matthew328]

I talked to someone in the know and they said there are issues but there is no chance of consolidation in the next 2 years

[cougartino]

I talked to someone in the know and they said there are issues but there is no chance of consolidation in the next 2 years

Thank you! The Bud Light Lime is extra cold tonight.

[Twirling Time]

Perhaps a consolidation of ISDs with LHS staying open, attendance boundaries redrawn and La Marque going back to 4A.

But not before slaying 3A with 4A numbers for two years.

[hollywood]

Perhaps a consolidation of ISDs with LHS staying open, attendance boundaries redrawn and La Marque going back to 4A.

But not before slaying 3A with 4A numbers for two years.

Last I checked, La Marque has 3A numbers.

[1971Coogs]

Brandon C. Williams ‏@BCWilliams71 8m

Hearing from several sources that "don't be too surprised if this is the last season of La Marque football as we know it."
When did you read the tweet ? The gentleman that wrote that tweet is my play by play announcer on the Coogs Sports Net crew.

[cougartino]

Last I checked, La Marque has 3A numbers.

The enrollment has 3A numbers but in athletics, just a couple of donuts short of small 4A numbers.

[Matthew328]

When did you read the tweet ? The gentleman that wrote that tweet is my play by play announcer on the Coogs Sports Net crew.


Brandon tweeted it yesterday afternoon

[pancho villa]

LM is the North Forrest of Galveston county.

[JBulldawg]

So what is the deal?

Is La Marque closing it's doors in the near future?

[Matthew328]

So what is the deal?

Is La Marque closing it's doors in the near future?

I dont believe we'll see anything in the next 2 years....will we see something in the next 5-10 years? It's possible

[JBulldawg]

I dont believe we'll see anything in the next 2 years....will we see something in the next 5-10 years? It's possible

What exactly are the issues?

[1971Coogs]

What exactly are the issues?
Not sure if I'm reading between the lines of your questions ?
1) Enrollment has fallen such as Stephenville, Kilgore, El Campo and any other team that was in 4A in 2011 but dropped to 3A in 2012. Ask them what their issues are....maybe La Marque's are similar.
2) La Marque's tax base is heavily reliant on the petrochemical industry surrounding Texas City. That tax base has shrunk as has the petrochemical industry in that area. The money available in LMISD's budget has dwindled as the tax dollars dried up.
3) Hurricane Ike thinned out the population back in 2009.
4) Many of the moderate to higher income families moved toward the League City,Manvel and Pearland school districts.
5) School board trustees making bad decisions. Not one on the board is a business owner nor has ever run a business.

There are probably more issues.....but does that satisfy your thirst to know what and why ?

[SHSBulldog00]

Not sure if I'm reading between the lines of your questions ?
1) Enrollment has fallen such as Stephenville, Kilgore, El Campo and any other team that was in 4A in 2011 but dropped to 3A in 2012. Ask them what their issues are....maybe La Marque's are similar.
2) La Marque's tax base is heavily reliant on the petrochemical industry surrounding Texas City. That tax base has shrunk as has the petrochemical industry in that area. The money available in LMISD's budget has dwindled as the tax dollars dried up.
3) Hurricane Ike thinned out the population back in 2009.
4) Many of the moderate to higher income families moved toward the League City,Manvel and Pearland school districts.
5) School board trustees making bad decisions. Not one on the board is a business owner nor has ever run a business.

There are probably more issues.....but does that satisfy your thirst to know what and why ?

I heard the current enrollment for LM is below 700.

[cougartino]

Not sure if I'm reading between the lines of your questions ?
1) Enrollment has fallen such as Stephenville, Kilgore, El Campo and any other team that was in 4A in 2011 but dropped to 3A in 2012. Ask them what their issues are....maybe La Marque's are similar.
2) La Marque's tax base is heavily reliant on the petrochemical industry surrounding Texas City. That tax base has shrunk as has the petrochemical industry in that area. The money available in LMISD's budget has dwindled as the tax dollars dried up.
3) Hurricane Ike thinned out the population back in 2009.
4) Many of the moderate to higher income families moved toward the League City,Manvel and Pearland school districts.
5) School board trustees making bad decisions. Not one on the board is a business owner nor has ever run a business.

There are probably more issues.....but does that satisfy your thirst to know what and why ?

:ditto:

[1971Coogs]

Here you go JBulldawg....

Last year a retired coach from Nevada came to Texas to write a book on high school football. Amongst the teams he selected two were from Class 3A, La Marque and Carthage. La Marque was his first stop. He has finished writing the book recently and will soon be sending it to the publisher. He sent the final draft for me to read and also to critique the chapter on La Marque, which is called "the Championship Drug".

It's a long read, but if you really want a quick history of La Marque of then and now....please read. By the way the 1971 graduate he is speaking of in the chapter.....that's me. Maybe you would have put two and two together after reading it and you could probably tell by looking at my signature on each post of this website. This is just part of the chapter on La Marque. I can't wait to read his book, it covers ten Texas "Dynasty" programs from all classifications.

Some of the chapter written about La Marque



“La Marque is a dying town.” It’s something you hear from residents, teachers, coaches and administrators when they describe this community just across the causeway from Galveston Island. It’s easy to see when you drive the main drag between I-45 and the oil refineries that mark its border with Texas City. La Marque is not an urban ghetto, but a suburban one with the feel of a neglected country town. I saw weedy vacant lots where nothing will ever be built and half empty neighborhoods full of abandoned homes and boarded up businesses. If you go a few blocks off the main drag, however, you see the nice, well-tended and tidy blocks that make up the backbone of the town. These are neighborhoods full of stubborn people who’ve refused to join the white flight that has taken so many of their neighbors to the more affluent communities of Texas City, Friendswood and League City, up the Interstate towards Houston.

Typical of a Texas small town, the cultural center of La Marque is the high school. The old timers talk about the La Marque High School they went to and grew up with. It was feared on the field, but also a melting pot, the best of what desegregation was supposed to be. La Marque was a well-rounded school then, a place that excelled in both athletics and academics. The local people were proud to have La Marque High School represent them and happy to send their kids there. This was before the economy and Hurricane Ike ran most of the whites and many affluent black families out of town. Team pictures lining the hallway outside the coaches office tell the story. Predominately Anglo teams during the ‘70s, becoming blacker as the years go by. Now, the economy, the weather, pressure from the state government and bureaucratic infighting between the townspeople and the La Marque Independent School District (ISD), are leading locals to talk openly about the possibility of the school shutting down. The successful football program and its traditions are all that’s left of a once thriving school.

Back when a man could make a good living with blue-collar skills, La Marque was a solid working class community full of people who’d come to the area to service the oil industry. The refineries are still here, but the poor economy has hit hard. The plants are no longer going at full capacity and cutbacks have meant layoffs. This caused lowered property values. This, in turn, led to a poorer tax base for the La Marque ISD and accelerated white flight as residents moved to send their kids to more prosperous schools. The vicious cycle is complete when perceived failure of the schools further lower property values.

While much of what La Marque was has disappeared over the years, one important thing has remained: an outstanding football program. An incredible core group of exceptional young athletes has been brought up to understand and respect the traditions of Cougar football.

People in La Marque take pride in those traditions. La Marque boys are taught at a young age about the 10 flags flying behind the north end zone at Etheredge Stadium, five on taller flagpoles for state championship wins and five on shorter ones for State Final appearances. Boys begin their education in La Marque football at five years old, when they pad up for the Pee Wee Cougars. This isn’t a place that pretends winning isn’t important, that football is just about going out and playing. From the time they start competing, La Marque boys know winning is important and expected. They’re preparing for their turn to defend Cougar tradition and fight for the town. And they do win. In Pee Wee, junior high, freshmen, JV and Varsity, Cougar athletes usually play up to expectations. By the time they’re in high school, they know how to win, expect to win and know what winning feels like. Beyond simple desire, La Marque is also blessed with a great number of dazzling athletes. La Marque is a regular stop for college coaches recruiting in the Houston area and every year a number of La Marque grads go to college with football scholarships.

La Marque High School fielded a middling football program since it began playing the game during the 1930s. La Marque’s rise started when the black school, Lincoln High School, closed and La Marque integrated in 1970. Throughout the ‘70s and early ‘80s, La Marque often made the playoffs but rarely advanced. La Marque had always been a good football town, but it was during the post-segregation period that the program became central to the community.

“People saw what could be done when they combined Lincoln and La Marque together into one outstanding high school,” Mike Lockwood, a proud 1971 graduate, the first integrated senior class, told me. The community took a lot of pride in those teams and in the school, during those years. There was much to be proud of too: La Marque was recognized not only for its football but also for having one of the best academic programs in the state.

During the ‘70s and early ‘80s, La Marque became a quality, respected high school program in Texas, but there’s a huge gulf between being ‘respected’ and being one of the handful that make it onto statewide radar by competing for a state championship. Under Coach Hugh Massey, La Marque crossed that gulf in 1986. Massey was one of the innovators of the run-and-shoot offense. In what spare time he had, he was a volunteer assistant for the USFL’s Houston Gamblers. In 1986, the Cougars went on a run, winning district and advancing three rounds into the playoffs. That weekend, before the Regional championship game, Massey was killed in an auto accident while returning to La Marque from a meeting in Galveston. An assistant coach took over and led the Cougars through the remainder of the playoffs, taking them to their first championship game, losing to Plano in the finals. After that first taste of the Big Game, there was no going back. From that point on, expectations changed, winning district wasn’t enough. The Cougars had been to the Promised Land and needed to get back.

After Larry Nowatney, one of Massey’s assistants, left in 1989, La Marque hired Allen Weddell in 1990. The first thing he told reporters was, “We are not just going to win some football games, we’re going to win some championships.” Everyone laughed, but it turned out he knew what he was talking about. During the Weddell era, winning championships became the expectation at La Marque. In the eight years he led the Cougars, La Marque won three state championships and made it to the title game five straight times, bringing the flag total at Etheredge Stadium to six. Larry Walker succeeded Weddell after he left to take a coaching position at Texas A&M. Walker led the Cougars to their sixth straight championship appearance in 1998, but a 31-8 record over the next three seasons wasn’t good enough and he was let go after the 2001 season. During the 1990s, La Marque recorded 127 victories, more than any other program in the state. Bryan Erwin was hired to replace Walker. During his five years at La Marque, Coach Erwin posted a record of 65-8, winning two state titles. In 2003, Erwin led the Cougars to their fourth title and an undefeated season beating Denton Ryan, 43-35, in triple overtime. In 2006, a 34-14 victory over Waco brought a fifth championship flag to Etheredge.

Winning a championship in the 4A will inevitably bring a coach lucrative offers from richer ISD’s, and in 2007 Erwin left La Marque to take a 5A job in the Metroplex. That same dynamic brought Chris Jones, who was hired away from class 2A Refugio. Jones lasted one year at La Marque. His 2007 team went 9-3, but by now Cougar fans expected more. Many weren’t convinced Jones had what it took to coach at what had become a very tough school. The Coogs were winning, but some saw an inability to discipline his squad correctly and worried that the lack of discipline would trip them up when facing tough opponents deep in the playoffs.

Never shy, Cougar fans let their displeasure be known during a game late in the season. Despite a 7-0 record, La Marque supporters were chanting “We want a new coach” during the week eight game after the Cougars got off to a slow start. Things got worse when the Cougars were bounced by Lumberton in the second round. By now, this early an exit from the playoffs wasn’t acceptable, and Coach Jones resigned. It’s commonly accepted around La Marque that he was pressured to go. Rumors of anonymous threats and ‘For Sale’ signs punched into the Jones’ yard are heard around town. “The kids thought he was overwhelmed by the fanaticism of the place,” a local booster told me.

[1971Coogs]

Darrell Jordan replaced Jones as coach in 2008. After two poor seasons, his 2010 squad limped into the playoffs with a fourth place finish, but advanced all the way to the state finals, falling to Aledo at Cowboy Stadium. Despite making it to State, locals say Jordan had lost control of the team and the confidence of the community. They believe the 2010 team went to State despite coaching, not because of it. If anything, poor coaching held that team back.

A local businessman put it this way, “He didn’t understand how to handle these kids and he didn’t want to be a part of the community, in 2010 we barely made the playoffs, then went all the way to the state finals, but only because the parents stepped in.” Once again, La Marque was looking for someone new to lead the program.

La Marque is a tough place to coach. The people can be unforgiving and quick to second guess. Expectations are always high and failure to meet those expectations is often fatal. “We’ve been to the big dance 10 times with five different coaches over the last 20 years. We know we have the talent to get there, it’s just a matter of finding the right coach to lead us,” Mike Lockwood, who was on the hiring committee in 2011 told me. He’s right, but it also takes the right person to walk into a job where the bar is set so high. Even the Pee Wee ball success can be a double-edged sword for the high school coaches. On the plus side, the kids develop an expectation of winning long before arriving at the high school and they’re taught football skills at a young age. But, these youth coaches also make a core group of knowledgeable football men, people who know enough to quickly second guess what’s going on with the high school team. For coaches, people like this can be the worst back seat drivers; they see the mistakes without being privy to all the factors which caused them.

That said, this job has a strong allure. At La Marque, a coach knows he’ll have outstanding athletes and a passionate, football savvy following. Even knowing these minefields are out there, La Marque’s a tempting job for many coaches. There are only so many programs in Texas that have legitimate shots of winning it all. Coaches don’t advertise this, but it’s generally known what the ceiling is at a particular school. At La Marque, there’s no question that the sky’s the limit. An ambitious coach, if he can weather the storms and gain the confidence of the people, can count on competing at the highest level of Texas football, and the possibility of coaching a state championship team is worth the risk.
It would be easy to see La Marque as a suburb of Houston or Galveston, but it’s actually a small town, self contained and proud of its identity. In small town Texas, local boosters often have much influence within the football program. Their support is important in getting the community behind the program. They ensure the coaches get what they need, and help with the little things they want.
Their importance is magnified by the fact that while coaches may come and go, the boosters remain. Mike Lockwood is a lifelong resident of La Marque and a graduate of La Marque’s class of 1971. He owns a local lumberyard, but his real passion is Cougar football, “Papa Coog”, as he fittingly describes himself. According to Lockwood, “Best way I can explain it is that La Marque football is up there with God and family. When we win a championship, this town changes, the people change. It’s like a drug, once you’ve been to the big show, you just gotta get back.”

Lockwood started the Coogsports.net website, where supporters discuss issues affecting the program. He also produces a local telecast of all La Marque football games, shown on a local community access station and over YouTube. Lockwood has become the most important middleman between the program and the community, not an unimportant role considering the friction that has sometimes existed between coaches and the people of La Marque. Finally, he’s one of the go-to guys when the staff needs support. When it came time to find a new coach in 2010, Lockwood was one of 10 on the hiring committee.

Lockwood explained what the committee was hoping to find in a coach. “We were looking for four basic things, one: restore the program. Two: Restore discipline which had gotten out of control between 2007 and 2010. Three: Be a father figure to many of the student/athletes and four: Plan to stay in La Marque for a number of years.”


This is a poor school, full of kids from broken homes, many with dysfunctional home lives. Well over 60 percent of the students come from economically disadvantaged homes. Basic needs like food, shelter and safety are not a given here. Crime and drug abuse are common. Coaching in a place like this requires more than just coaching ability. Coaches here must be mentors and social workers as well. The committee wanted a coach who would go into the homes and work with church leadership to provide structure for their program.
Even though several of the previous coaches had won games, the supporters of La Marque football had gotten more and more embarrassed with the behavior of their teams. This was the main reason Coach Jordan was gone despite leading his team to State. The committee selected who to interview from the 34 who applied. Lockwood described how it went down. “Fate would have it that Dr. Mike Jackson drew the short straw for Saturday’s interviews, the last one of the day. Now think about that…. 10 committee members already having listened to nine other candidates, only taking a one hour lunch break and it was almost 10:00 on a Saturday night. I had maybe three viable candidates but no-one really hit the right note yet. In walks Jackson with two six-packs of Red Bull….plops them down in front of five committee members on the right side of the half-moon table and the other six-pack on the other side. He comes out firing “ OK everyone wake up….I’m going to show and tell you how I am the best candidate for the job” I turned around and looked at my buddy and whispered “where in the hell has this guy been all day?”
“Jackson passed out a small brochure (most other candidates handed out a book) of who he was, who he is and what he would do starting day one in La Marque. Before the first question was asked he told us a short introductory story. It went something like this. ‘ You probably want to know if I can handle the pressure of coaching in La Marque. Well I passed the test of handling pressure many years ago when I was a young head coach at the age of 25. My team was in the state title game, we were behind, it was fourth and goal at the eight yard line. I didn’t have any time out left, with 25 seconds to call the final play of a game that would define me as a coach for many years to come.’ Silence……then more silence….we (the committee) are all hinged on his next statement. He holds up his State Title ring. My buddy to the right bruised my ribs with his elbow after hearing this opening statement. Either the man was a mind reader, stole the questionnaire sheet or did extensive research on what La Marque was looking for in a Head Coach/ Athletic Director….but he nailed every question. I was ready to put the pads back on after 40 years, go out and knock the shoot out of someone and say “I am from La Marque and darnit proud of it!” That’s how a majority of us felt after his hour flew by.”

In Jackson, the committee believed they found someone who knows how to win and do it right way; putting a championship caliber team on the field that the La Marque supporters can be proud to call their own.

[JBulldawg]

I knew of some of those issues already. I was just wondering if something else had arisen to spark the tweet from a La Marque guy.

[1971Coogs]

I knew of some of those issues already. I was just wondering if something else had arisen to spark the tweet from a La Marque guy.As I mentioned to you in an earlier post, he is on the Coogs Sports Net crew. He has been my play by play announcer since I brought him on board in 2004. He bleeds blue and gold as do I.

[1971Coogs]

I knew of some of those issues already. I was just wondering if something else had arisen to spark the tweet from a La Marque guy.
I see you are a Jasper Bulldog....is Jordan still the Admin for SETX Sports over in the golden triangle ?

[JBulldawg]

I see you are a Jasper Bulldog....is Jordan still the Admin for SETX Sports over in the golden triangle ?


Not Jasper, Jefferson Bullldog

[1971Coogs]

Not Jasper, Jefferson Bullldogthank you for the clarification, we're good.:cool:

[JBulldawg]

thank you for the clarification, we're good.:cool:


Ooooookaaaayyyy. :rolleyes:

[Old Tiger]

Thank you! The Bud Light Lime is extra cold tonight.

You drink bud light lime? That sucks.

[1971Coogs]

Not Jasper, Jefferson BullldogJefferson has the historic Jefferson Railway still ?

[1st and goal]

You drink bud light lime? That sucks.
Ot, you wouldn't know a good beer if you tripped on one. Wet behind the ears.

[Matthew328]

That story describes the good doctor to a T

[JBulldawg]

Jefferson has the historic Jefferson Railway still ?



http://www.jeffersonrailway.com/

[JBulldawg]

I see you are a Jasper Bulldog....is Jordan still the Admin for SETX Sports over in the golden triangle ?


I do have an account at that message board, also at Smoaky. I do not know any of the admins by their real names, just usernames. I did look at the list of admins and mods and this is what I came up with.

jdawg03 is site owner
AggiesAreWe and WOSGrad are super admins
Bobcat4life, Gabe, Hubtex and PhatMack are admins
About 15 or so moderators.

Hope this helps you.

[cougartino]

You drink bud light lime? That sucks.

Nothing like a chilled BLL with a little frost after cutting a couple of yards!

[jason]

Thank you! The Bud Light Lime is extra cold tonight.
bud light lime? i always thought you were male...

[maestro]

LM is the North Forrest of Galveston county.

Is LM ISD labeled low performing?

If so, trust me, those coaches and their programs are not having it easy.

School adm and TEA visits put practice times and game planning times in the " cut column "

In many cases, it's not the athletes who struggle academically but the uninvolved kids who give the don't care.

Rooting for LaMarque to get back on track.

[cougartino]

bud light lime? i always thought you were male...


I always knew you weren't.

[cougartino]

Is LM ISD labeled low performing?

If so, trust me, those coaches and their programs are not having it easy.

School adm and TEA visits put practice times and game planning times in the " cut column "

In many cases, it's not the athletes who struggle academically but the uninvolved kids who give the don't care.

Rooting for LaMarque to get back on track.

And uninvolved parents. But we appreciate your support!

[Old Tiger]

Ot, you wouldn't know a good beer if you tripped on one. Wet behind the ears.

I know a good beer isn't crappy ass budlight lime.

[BwdLion73]

I was told by an older wiser man that drinking light Beer was like washing your feet with your socks on. :)

[Old Tiger]

Craft Beer >>>
I was told by an older wiser man that drinking light Beer was like washing your feet with your socks on. :)

[1971Coogs]

Craft Beer >>>
I can't wait to see what September's hot girl looks like.....

[1971Coogs]

That story describes the good doctor to a T
Yes sir....that story was point on. It WAS around 10:00 at night when we (the hiring committee) interviewed Jackson. We were exhausted. Started at 9:00am that Saturday morning with the first applicant. We had already spent many hours of studying resumes' from 7:00 till 11:00 two days prior. We then selected the finalist and had another round of interviews on Sunday. We finally made a decision around 5:00pm Sunday afternoon. Dr. Mike Jackson was notified on Monday.....

[1971Coogs]

Is LM ISD labeled low performing?

If so, trust me, those coaches and their programs are not having it easy.

School adm and TEA visits put practice times and game planning times in the " cut column "

In many cases, it's not the athletes who struggle academically but the uninvolved kids who give the don't care.

Rooting for LaMarque to get back on track.Thank you.... for the sake of the students I sure hope you are right (that we get back on track)

[Twirling Time]

Not sure if I'm reading between the lines of your questions ?
1) Enrollment has fallen such as Stephenville, Kilgore, El Campo and any other team that was in 4A in 2011 but dropped to 3A in 2012. Ask them what their issues are....maybe La Marque's are similar.
2) La Marque's tax base is heavily reliant on the petrochemical industry surrounding Texas City. That tax base has shrunk as has the petrochemical industry in that area. The money available in LMISD's budget has dwindled as the tax dollars dried up.
3) Hurricane Ike thinned out the population back in 2009.
4) Many of the moderate to higher income families moved toward the League City,Manvel and Pearland school districts.
5) School board trustees making bad decisions. Not one on the board is a business owner nor has ever run a business.

There are probably more issues.....but does that satisfy your thirst to know what and why ?

The schools that dropped from 4A to 3A like Brownwood, Stephenville and Kilgore, etc. are not necessarily dying towns. Their enrollment has been stable and they just got caught by the rising cutoff. They just happen to be outside the areas of ridiculous growth in the state that are causing the cutoffs to go wacky.

Sounds like you described what happened in La Marque pretty well. Just bad break after bad break, with Ike supplying the fatal blow. They beat Denison three years in a row between 1995-97 for three of those rings.

[1971Coogs]

The schools that dropped from 4A to 3A like Brownwood, Stephenville and Kilgore, etc. are not necessarily dying towns. Their enrollment has been stable and they just got caught by the rising cutoff. They just happen to be outside the areas of ridiculous growth in the state that are causing the cutoffs to go wacky.

Sounds like you described what happened in La Marque pretty well. Just bad break after bad break, with Ike supplying the fatal blow. They beat Denison three years in a row between 1995-97 for three of those rings.thank you for your reply