Question for PhilC

[Stats]

You mentioned the other day that you graduated from Freer High School. Just curious what year that was? My Dad coached in Freer years ago.

[Phil C]

Stats I am a 1967 graduate of Freer High School so I was there from 1963 to 1967.

[Stats]

Well , you and I are about the same age. My Dad coached there from 1949 to 1956. Ken Dabbs, Joe Holcolmb, Howard Harvell and many others. I was always with the team (Football and Basketball. Had some really good teams. Beat Nederland in QFinals (Coached by Bum Phillips) on penetrations in '55 I believe and went to the state Basketball Tourney the same year. Some great memories.

[g$$]

PhilC: I spoke to Marty Akins & his wife last Saturday at a family wedding in Marble Falls. We talked sports & a few other things. I completely forgot to ask him about the movie in Freer, etc. I screwed up buddy! I did not touch the Drew Brees thing either.

Marty, his wife, & whole family are class acts. Always fun to visit with him. He had some interesting thoughts on today's game of football & his days at Texas. He was telling stories about Leaks, Campbell, & Clayborn, etc. I did not know he returned punts & kicks his freshman year either. 1975 All American QB at Texas, ran the heck out of the wishbone under Darrell Royal. Good stuff.

[g$$]

Originally posted by Stats
Well , you and I are about the same age. My Dad coached there from 1949 to 1956. Ken Dabbs, Joe Holcolmb, Howard Harvell and many others. I was always with the team (Football and Basketball. Had some really good teams. Beat Nederland in QFinals (Coached by Bum Phillips) on penetrations in '55 I believe and went to the state Basketball Tourney the same year. Some great memories.

Ken Dabbs coached in Sweeny (1966 State Champs) & was one of my dad's best friends. Good man, know him well. His claim to fame was recruiting Earl Campbell to Texas. He has some great stories on how that went down. Small world.

Still lives in Austin area, doing well last I heard.

[Stats]

He and I are still close. In fact he got me tickets for the game Friday. He is a great guy and coach. Was inducted into HS Coaches Hall of Honor a couple of years ago. After leaving Sweeney, he became head coach in Dallas and coached Alan Lowrey, and then was first HC at Austin Westlake before moving on to UT.

[g$$]

Really small world. You do know former Westlake HC & AD Ebbie Neptune was one of Sweeny's all-time greats as he grew up there? Another close family friend. Now the field in Westlake is named after him. Ebbie let us practice at Westlake when we won State in basketball in '85, '87, & '88. Neat stuff.

Do you know Johnny Ringo? His dad Al coached me too.

Ebbie's daughter married Todd Dodge. I met Todd when he was still at Texas at Scholz's Beer Garten. We have many common friends it seems. Coach Dabbs did some great things at Sweeny too, including in track & football. Sweeny was loaded in '66, had a bunch of D1 kids including future pro Elmo Wright. Elmo was the 1st guy to ever end zone dance too. Rod Wright (Texas DT & All American) is his nephew. Rod is Elmo's brother Charles' son from here in Houston (Alief Hastings). Very athletic family all the way down, but Elmo is the most famous. Lots of Wrights still in Sweeny & surrounding area.

BTW, it is SWEENY (no -ey on end, often mispelled!)

[Phil C]

Stats, I was young but I have read about that Neederland game in 1954 when we shocked the state and own on pentrations. A great year in Freer then.
I remember Marty and his family well. His oldest sister Mina who is Drew's mother was one year behind me. We hated to lose Coach Akins and his family when he left to go to Portland. They are a class family but I am sure they don't remember that movie though. :)
I was sorry the voters didn't elect Mina as Judge. Their loss.

[Phil C]

Stats was your dad the head coach at Freer then or an assistant?
PM me if you prefer.

[Stats]

He was First Assistant to Jake Helms in Football and Head Basketball and Track. Helms had a son Jim who was a star at San Benito and later played and then coached at UT and many other places. BTW, I just heard that Gene Chizik to the head job at Iowa State.