Tradition...how big a part does it really play?

[Guest LR1969]

Tradition...Some schools have it and some don't. By tradition, I don't necessarily mean "pomp and circumstance"; I am moreso referring to the ability to win just because it's what you are expected to do. Newton, WO-S, Odessa Permian of old. I remember reading, when Permian was ruling the roost, that very few Permian players went on to DIV-I schools. This, despite the fact that they dominated on the HS field. The players weren't always the most talented but, as a unit, with an entire community behind them, they were close to invincible. I've seen this at Newton and WO-S my entire life. I know PN-G, Nederland, even Vidor, etc. will mention their rich traditions. But, I'm not just talking about a cool mascot, great rivaly, or a top-notch Homecoming celebration (not to belittle the accomplishments of PN-G and Nederland nor the spirit of Pirateland). I am talking about a tradition instilled so deep that a 9 year old kid tossing a paper cup behind the bleachers knows that one day he will put on that uniform and WIN! And, to me, Newton and WO-S display this trait more than any other school in the area. It didn't happen overnight but it happened and the community, players and coaching staff have been able to "protect" it for years. It is my opinion that tradition plays a big part in what happens on a high school football field. And, I wonder what it is that keeps it alive at certain places while it withers at others. I've always respected Coach Barbay and never really cared a whole lot for Dan Hooks but each man has managed to build and maintain a strong tradition on their watch. I wonder if their predecessors will be able to keep it going? I also wonder what it takes to do so and why many other schools can't seem to even get a program off the ground. It takes more than talent. What say you?

[Bucof2010]

Note that the two teams you speak of have had the same 2 coaches for...well Barbay has been there since before I was born I think and Hooks has had a fairly long stint in WO-S. But maybe its the parents keeping their children in sports from an early age East Chambers for example.

[H-D BOBCAT 55]

I believe the Hull-Daisetta Bobcats have one of the greatest football traditions. As far back as the 1930's the H-D Bobcats have always put great teams on the field. During the 1930's the H-D Bobcats had one of the nations longest winning streaks. Also H-D won many state championships during the 30's. H-D won their most recent state championship in 1979. There is something very special that happens on friday nights in Hull-Daisetta !!! There is not a person at home or work,they are all in the stands waiting for the mighty Bobcats to play some ball !!! There is a magical feel in the air as the black and red dominate their opponents. I feel so proud to be a Hull-Daisetta Bobcat !!! And I can not wait for my son, who is 9 years old to run out on the Bobcat stadium field wearing the black and red !!!

[Guest LR1969]

Exactly...I have a 9 and 7 year old myself...And, it's been exciting to see Lumberton (not exactly a bastion of tradition) begin the journey towards a tradition. Not to say that one playoff run makes a tradition. It doesn't. But, it did bring this community together and create a spirit that I believe helps breed tradition. I can relate to the HD scenario. I attended High Island for a couple of years and it was the same way there. Everyone was at the game on Friday nights. Lumberton never really had that until last season. I hope it continues. I hope my children will one day be "expected" to win (not that winning at football is everything in life...it's really not) rather than expected to simply show up and entertain a small percentage of the community for a couple of hours (as it was for years in Lumberton).

[bmtdc1996]

Tradition has a lot to do with winning games.  Tradition enables a team to find a way to win games.  I have seen several teams ahead of the "tradition rich" schools late in the game only to crumble and lose because they couldn't handle the pressure of trying to beat that team.  Tradition is intimidating. 

[NDNWarrior]

I grew up in Newton and Barbay is a MAJOR influence on tradition and winning.  Before him, Lidney Thompson was the Head Coach, and he too, was instrumental in developing a winning team.  Parents, teachers, and the whole community of Newton got into the act and helped to keep the tradition alive and well.

In college, I met a girl from PNG and married her....26 years ago.  We moved to Groves, and thank God, I was able to keep all my "purple and white" shirts....but, I remember the first time I went to a PNG game (Newton used to always, always look up to PNG in the 70's, the powerhouse of high school football), I heard the drums, saw a multitude of fans, and the whole excitement of the game.  Added to this, the team was very good.  I think all of this encomapasses a winning tradition....the players with their skills and abilities, the band, mascot, drill team, and fans with their excitement and expectations.  All of these components work together to develop a "winning" tradition...I know at PNG, the support is there whether we are winning or losing.

I happen to agree, I think MCM is the BEST high school football game in this area, not to take away from other rivalries because of what I mentioned earlier.  Back in the 70's, in Newton, it was the rivalry between Newton and the Kirbyville Wildcats, at which time I thought there could not be any better rivalry. 

Ever how you deifine a "winning" tradition, it all boils down to the students themselves and the efforts they put forth. No of us would be enjoying "Friday Night Lights" if it were for those dedicated players, band, cheerleaders, mascots, and drill teams that are represented each week.

[HDBobcats9]

I agree with the folks who've already chimed in that tradition plays a big part in a team's success. Being from the small town of Daisetta I know what this is all about. In the tiny community of Hull-Daisetta, Bobcat football is LIFE. We don't have a full time gas station, a stop light, or a place to get a steak, but boy do we love our high school football. The town itself isn't built around a courthouse or a town square, it's built around Bobcat stadium. I remember being in elementary school and knowing every player on the varsity team and wanting to be just like them. At 7 years old, you learn that being a Bobcat is something special, and something that not many people can claim, so you are a chosen one. You learn it's not alright to lose to Hardin or West Hardin (whether that's a good thing for kids to be taught or not), and that you will one day carry the hopes and dreams of an entire community on your shoulders every friday night. Five of my best friends in the world began kindergarden with me and after 13 years of school and friendship and 6 years of blood, sweat and tears on the gridiron, we had the priviledge to walk across the graduating stage together as Bobcats. My great-grandmother, God willing will be 94 years old this Halloween and she was a Hull-Daisetta graduate in 1933, and my great grandfather, years past graduated in 1932 as a Bobcat. Many summers back, going into my senior year, my great grand-dad was lying on his deathbed in a houston hospital in a coma with no signs of life. As the family talked to him and held his hand, looking for something to pull him out of pitiful state he lye in, my mom told him that all the boys on the football team had shaved their heads to show brotherhood and commitment for the team and the upcoming season. She took his hand and rubbed it on my head, but as his eyes remained closed, tears began to pour from mine. Then suddenly his eyes opened and he regained contiousness and smiled. He loved nothing more than Bobcat football and I feel like that was what brought him back to us for a short time, before he passed two days later. Stories of pride and tradition run abundant throughout our little po-dunk town, and that's what makes it special to us. My grandparents and parents went to HD and one day my children will wear the red and black as well. We don't have a fancy auditorium with surround sound or a giant stadium with shiny new bleachers to seat thousands, but we have something that's sacred to us, something that is passed on generation to generation. We still live in a place where kids are proud to wear their jerseys down the street on game day, with old folks patting them on the back, shaking hands and wishing them luck. We still live in a place where everyone knows everyone else, and the friday night lights are the only draw in town, and everyone is there. A senior citizen bus travels to each away game followed by convoys of former Bobcats each away game to support our young warriors as they take to the field of battle on friday nights. Home games are usually standing room only, and fans of all ages, races and backgrounds pack the stands in support. Hull-Daisetta vs. West Hardin is our own version of Mid County Madness and nobody misses that game, not for any reason. Each year a different group of young men get to experience this magical feeling in our little sinkhole layden town that is inexplainable to all outsiders. Alot of people will say, we should get a life, or move on, or whatever you want to call it, but they just dont' know what it's all about. Whether our oil fields run dry, the crime rate is up, or the stock market is down, it doesnt' matter as long as the Bobcats are playing on those cool fall friday nights.

[prepballfan]

Great topic. Tradition is  here at PN-G at Nederland its exceptional at WO-S and Definitely at Newton. There is a common theme here that helps the programs with tradition and the ones like Lumberton who is in the beginning of new tradition. Vidor has its own type of non-traditional tradition that makes it special to all of Vidor's fans and alumni that they are proud of. I believe that the common theme is us its you and me and Texas football. I come from a school that only played basketball and track and baseball there was no band or friday night lights. The first PN-G game I went to blew me away I would have never understood the compassion of the fans and the amount of support that is here at PN-G for there beloved Indians. Win or loose they are there. I could not understand how a town of 13000 and 17000 could put 50,000 fans in the stands. In 1999 how did we sale out half of the Atrodome. Tradition is built over time. The neat thing about Friday Night Lights is that all the building blocks for tradition is here there are places in this country were they could not build tradition if they wanted. We are fortunate we have the chance to start new traditions if we dont have them. Im glad to see Lumberton receiving the support of there community I hope all schools get that. Does tradition really play a role? Ask the students and fans of some other local schools would or do they like traveling to the Reservation to play on Friday Night. Do they want to play one of the other tradition rich schools in SETX at there home stadium. If they beat one of them does it make it more special for there school.

If you wonder about tradition ask any person from PN-G about it. I am only speaking for my school but make no mistake there are many others here in this area and each is different and special in its own way

[Guest wildcat58]

tradition i believe plays an enormous role in continued success.you are seperating the traditions of certain schools and the tradition of continued success on the field if i read you right.the 2 schools you mention newton and wos are hands down the most tradition rich schools in our area when it comes to winninng year after year.i know other schools like png and nederland have great success but not year in and year out , they have setbacks for a few years then regroup. i think newton is the best example of a school that wins on tradition a high percentage of the time even if the superior athletic talent is not there on a yearly basis. you have a town and a coach that bleed purple and every kid wants to be the hero when he grows up.couple that tradition with long tenured coaching and sound fundamental football and more than likely you will win even if your QB is 5-2 and weighs 135 lbs, he will play like he is 10 ft tall and bullet proof.

breeding success takes time and much effort to maintain.a school and town can go from ho hum friday nights to euphoria when winning becomes more commonplace, lumberton is an example of a school finally starting that journey. first time in playoffs last year and even reached the third round after knocking off a TRADITIONAL power lamargue. after the loss of key players everyone predicted back to the same grind for lumberton but they got a taste of success and their play this year shows they are reluctant to let go.

at kirbyville we have a winning tradition back and or now at the critical stage of maintaining it and for the last 6 years we have, which could get us started on another thread, harder to start or maintain?

also the tradition of high school football in east texas is remarkable. i am once again away from home in michigan, whan i tell people where i am from while attending local games they allways say 'man you guys take football seriously dont you?" yes we do, one quick example. i lived in nacogdoches from 1986-91 and got to see many playoff games at homer bryce and abe martin stadiums.one year alto and groveton ,who had rodney thomas, played at homer bryce. the combined populations of both towns was maybe 3000 yet there were 12000 people at the game.fast forward to 1995, i am at lincoln nebraska watching the state championship game, one team is led by eric crouch,future cornhusker and heisman trophy winner,the stadium holds 85000, yet there are only 8000 people in attendance. there you have it in a nutshell.texas high school football is king.go out and get you some of that tradition this friday night!

[PURPLE 4EVER]

This thread has some excellent posts.

If you want to see tradition in action...

Go to the Reservation this Friday.

The Livingston Lions are in for a treat as they stand on the sideline across from the largest home stands in all of east Texas.

These young men will never forget the never ending drumming of Cherokee sung by over 8,000 fans.

I will be there in heart as the Indians celebrate their newly refinished Reservation.

Friday night will be something to see and it will be a game that the kids from both sides will never forget.

Friday Night Lights at PN-G, now new and improved.

It doesn't get any better than this!

[Guest LR1969]

Purple 4 Ever...

I agree...PN-G, in my opinion, probably provides the best "atmosphere" in Southeast Texas. I covered high school football for several local newspapers for a few years and I always enjoyed going to the Reservation. If PN-G is sitting atop the district or wallering in the basement, it's still an exciting place to be on Friday night. I've actually been expecting to be dogged out for focusing primarily on Newton and WO-S in this post and somewhat excluding PN-G, Nederland, etc. But, I guess everyone has so far understood where I was going. I believe PN-G is tradition rich but, as Wildcat58 said, Newton and WO-S simply stand out for consistency over the years (especially the past 15-20). PN-G has had some great teams, great runs but has also had more than its share of off years. Still, from a percentage basis, they are right in the mix. And, if you haven't already noticed; I'm not a Newton or WO-S fan, just an observer.

And, to the Hull-Daisetta fans on here. One of my most memorable moments as a reporter was at a HD/Warren game back in (I believe) 1996. It came down to the wire and Warren lost as time expired (I think going for it on 4th and goal rather than kicking a short field goal). I was actually rooting for the Warriors (oh, I forgot. Reporters aren't supposed to do that are they? ha). Anyway, it was an exciting game and you would have had a hard time convincing anyone there that the Reservation had anything on Warrior Stadium.

[Hotrodg]

It is pretty big imo.  I honestly believe there are games that are won and lost on tradition alone. 

[prepballfan]

LR1969 I would not dog you to me tradition is more than just winning and you spoke of  just the

winning part of it so I say you are accurate on what you said. PN-G is not the top winning program in the area. Our atmosphere is unmatched in this area and so is our fan support. I like this topic it makes for good reading and is full of different veiws who is probably all right in one form or another