44INAROW
11-01-2013, 10:03 AM
http://www.advosports.com/news/2013/oct/28/mf_hsfootball_102913_223652/
MASON TRINCA/MTRINCA@VIACD.COM/
having Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" playing in the background would be the icing on the cake :)
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Mike Weber, curator of Cuero Gobbler Football exhibit, walks past recognized Cuero players through out history at Cuero Heritage Museum.
The exhibit contains history of Cuero football dating from early 20th century. Some of the highlights include coach Buster Gilbreth's 44-game winning streak and the '73-'75 Texas State championships.
Mike Weber, curator of Cuero Gobbler Football exhibit at Cuero Heritage Museum, stands next to a glass case containing the 1970, 1973, 1974, and 1975 state final trophies.
Cuero 1972-75 football exhibit
• WHERE: Cuero Heritage Museum
• WHEN: 4:30 p.m. Friday
• WHAT: Viewing and reception
CUERO - Mike Weber points to a pair of old white tennis shoes tucked into a glass display case at the Cuero Heritage Museum.
The shoes are partly obscured by a letter jacket, but they are a part of the story Weber is hoping to tell in the newest exhibit of Cuero football.
"The shoes belonged to Debbie Gilbreth, who was a cheerleader when her dad was the coach," Weber said. "She was very superstitious. She wore those shoes for three years. They had a hole in them when she finally took them off after we lost in the state final."
Cuero's 13-10 loss to Ennis in the 1975 Class 3A (now 4A) state final ended a 44-game winning streak, which was then a state record and still ranks fifth all-time in Texas high school football history.
Head coach Buster Gilbreth led the Gobblers to a 54-2 record over the 1972, '73, '74 and '75 seasons.
That included a 21-7 win over Mount Pleasant in the 1973 Class 3A state final and a 19-7 victory over Gainesville in the 1974 Class 3A state final.
The exhibit will feature artifacts, memorabilia and newspaper clippings for what is often referred to by Gobblers fans as the "Glory Years."
The exhibit will open Friday at 4:30 p.m. before Cuero's District 26-3A game against Gonzales at Gobbler Stadium. A tent will be set up outside the museum for a reception.
Weber estimates that 85 players were on the varsity team during the four-year run.
He knows that some of the players have passed away but is hoping for a large turnout of former players, coaches, cheerleaders and classmates for what is the 40th anniversary of the start of the streak.
"Having a kid in it was a big thing for me," said Weber of his son, Cliff, who played on the 1974 and '75 teams. "Once the streak got started, we'd be sure we wore the same thing we wore the last game and things like that."
Diane Gilbreth Oncken admits her sister was superstitious but no more than many other Cuero fans.
"There were moms that wore the same pantsuit each week for years, one dad that got gas on the same day of the week at the same gas station, moms that made the same meal on the night before game day," Oncken said. "What can I say - we all believed what we were doing helped our mighty Gobblers win just one more game."
Superstition aside, Cuero's ability to win games had more to do with the coaching of Gilbreth and his staff and the talent of his players.
Running backs Arthur Whittington and Alois Blackwell would go on to play in the NFL. A number of other players, including David Hill, whose letter jacket is in the exhibit, played on the college level.
"When you put it in perspective," Weber said, "the '73 and '74 teams had a lot of guys who played in college. The '75 team I think only Joe Campbell played in college and he was a junior. They made up for it with those eight extra playoff games, which gave them the experience."
Buster Gilbreth, who is retired from coaching and lives in San Antonio, has returned to Cuero a number of times and was the first inductee into the Gobbler Hall of Fame.
Gilbreth and his family are expected to be at the reception.
Oncken said her father knew long before the streak began that something special was about to happen.
"After the 1969 season, we made the offseason so tough, physically and mentally, and we thought if we make it hard enough that those that really want to play and be a part of the team will stay, and those that don't will find it not worth it and will leave," Gilbreth told his daughter. "They all stayed, and we knew then we had something special. We saw a change in the players' attitudes. It was the beginning."
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com or comment on this column at AdvoSports.com
MASON TRINCA/MTRINCA@VIACD.COM/
having Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" playing in the background would be the icing on the cake :)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Weber, curator of Cuero Gobbler Football exhibit, walks past recognized Cuero players through out history at Cuero Heritage Museum.
The exhibit contains history of Cuero football dating from early 20th century. Some of the highlights include coach Buster Gilbreth's 44-game winning streak and the '73-'75 Texas State championships.
Mike Weber, curator of Cuero Gobbler Football exhibit at Cuero Heritage Museum, stands next to a glass case containing the 1970, 1973, 1974, and 1975 state final trophies.
Cuero 1972-75 football exhibit
• WHERE: Cuero Heritage Museum
• WHEN: 4:30 p.m. Friday
• WHAT: Viewing and reception
CUERO - Mike Weber points to a pair of old white tennis shoes tucked into a glass display case at the Cuero Heritage Museum.
The shoes are partly obscured by a letter jacket, but they are a part of the story Weber is hoping to tell in the newest exhibit of Cuero football.
"The shoes belonged to Debbie Gilbreth, who was a cheerleader when her dad was the coach," Weber said. "She was very superstitious. She wore those shoes for three years. They had a hole in them when she finally took them off after we lost in the state final."
Cuero's 13-10 loss to Ennis in the 1975 Class 3A (now 4A) state final ended a 44-game winning streak, which was then a state record and still ranks fifth all-time in Texas high school football history.
Head coach Buster Gilbreth led the Gobblers to a 54-2 record over the 1972, '73, '74 and '75 seasons.
That included a 21-7 win over Mount Pleasant in the 1973 Class 3A state final and a 19-7 victory over Gainesville in the 1974 Class 3A state final.
The exhibit will feature artifacts, memorabilia and newspaper clippings for what is often referred to by Gobblers fans as the "Glory Years."
The exhibit will open Friday at 4:30 p.m. before Cuero's District 26-3A game against Gonzales at Gobbler Stadium. A tent will be set up outside the museum for a reception.
Weber estimates that 85 players were on the varsity team during the four-year run.
He knows that some of the players have passed away but is hoping for a large turnout of former players, coaches, cheerleaders and classmates for what is the 40th anniversary of the start of the streak.
"Having a kid in it was a big thing for me," said Weber of his son, Cliff, who played on the 1974 and '75 teams. "Once the streak got started, we'd be sure we wore the same thing we wore the last game and things like that."
Diane Gilbreth Oncken admits her sister was superstitious but no more than many other Cuero fans.
"There were moms that wore the same pantsuit each week for years, one dad that got gas on the same day of the week at the same gas station, moms that made the same meal on the night before game day," Oncken said. "What can I say - we all believed what we were doing helped our mighty Gobblers win just one more game."
Superstition aside, Cuero's ability to win games had more to do with the coaching of Gilbreth and his staff and the talent of his players.
Running backs Arthur Whittington and Alois Blackwell would go on to play in the NFL. A number of other players, including David Hill, whose letter jacket is in the exhibit, played on the college level.
"When you put it in perspective," Weber said, "the '73 and '74 teams had a lot of guys who played in college. The '75 team I think only Joe Campbell played in college and he was a junior. They made up for it with those eight extra playoff games, which gave them the experience."
Buster Gilbreth, who is retired from coaching and lives in San Antonio, has returned to Cuero a number of times and was the first inductee into the Gobbler Hall of Fame.
Gilbreth and his family are expected to be at the reception.
Oncken said her father knew long before the streak began that something special was about to happen.
"After the 1969 season, we made the offseason so tough, physically and mentally, and we thought if we make it hard enough that those that really want to play and be a part of the team will stay, and those that don't will find it not worth it and will leave," Gilbreth told his daughter. "They all stayed, and we knew then we had something special. We saw a change in the players' attitudes. It was the beginning."
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com or comment on this column at AdvoSports.com