Bobcatfan4life Posted June 16, 2006 Report Posted June 16, 2006 From page 12 of the 2006 DCTF: Even for a Hall of Famer like Bennie Cotton, who has seen more than 2,000 games involving 747 schools over the last 45 years, these are not easy times to be a high school football fan. Gas prices are an obvious concern, especially for a guy who used to think nothing of driving 1,200 miles from Southeast Texas to Lubbock to watch a Texas high school football game. So is the ongoing impact of Hurricane Rita, the effects of which can still be seen around Cotton's home town of Orangefield. "It will be years before everything is back to normal in Southeast Texas," Cotton, 73, said this spring. "You can drive around and still see wreckage everywhere." Cotton, who was honored in 2003 at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame with a display depicting five decades as a Texas high school football fan, regularly travels hundreds of miles each weekend to watch games in every corner of the state. Rita, however, put a severe crimp in his schedule. He missed three weekends of the 2005 season when he and his wife, Marilynn, evacuated to Center as the storm approached. And even after the couple returned home, Rita's aftermath required immediate attention. "We were fortunate," he said. "We had cleared away all the trees a few years ago that might fall on the house. But we live on 30 acres of land, and there are tons and tons of trees I'm still trying to clear. It will take a couple of years." By the end of the season, though, he was able to resume his travels, wrapping up with three division championship games. "I really appreciated it when things started getting back to normal, even though I was watching games at stadiums where they had to play in the daytime because the light towers were down," he said. "It made me glad for the kids." Cotton's love of Texas high school football began during his decades working for a chemical plant in the Golden Triangle. He talks by phone regularly with five fans who call themselves "football hounds"-David Reed of Plano, Paul Crunk of Fort Worth, Bob Downtain of Hurst, Carl Leon of Richmond and Donald Wilkins of Humble-to discuss upcoming games, players and coaches. Three-dollar gas and chores at home may cut down on his travels outside of Southeast Texas this year, but he's looking forward to the new season. "I still enjoy it," he said. "I get as much kick out of seeing a good Class A team as I do a 5A team."
kicker Posted July 5, 2006 Report Posted July 5, 2006 Thats awesome. See, other states just dont understand Texas highschool football. 8) I personaly would rather watch highschool than those cry babies in the NFL. "Im not going to practice because Im only going to make 50 million this year instead of 60" :cry: Well cry me friggen river! I guess they forget where they come from! It makes me SICK
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