KFDM COOP Posted October 21, 2009 Report Posted October 21, 2009 Hooks lands on elite Texas Football coaching list Van Wade The Orange Leader It’s been a great journey for Dan Ray Hooks, a long road that continues to wind with success to this very day. The legendary West Orange-Stark Athletic Director and head football coach has snagged a lot of honors over the years, including the Southeast Texas Coaches Hall of Fame in recent years. Well, the honors keep piling up and Coach Hooks better be careful because wife Cynthia might be asking her 70-year-old husband to add a new wing to their already revamped home after Hurricane Ike tore through in 2008 to store all of the recognition he has received in over 30 years of service at WO-S. Coach Hooks was honored recently in Texas Football Magazine’s 50th Anniversary Edition which will hit newsstands soon. In the edition, the magazine ranks All-Time teams and coaches that had the most influence in the past 50 years and Hooks made the cut, of course. Hooks didn’t make the top six - those honors went to Tom Landry, Darrell Royal, Gordon Wood, G.A. Moore, Mack Brown and Bill Yeoman — but he is one of 20 high school coaches, including Newton’s Curtis Barbay, that landed in elite company. Also, former West Orange-Stark standout defensive back Kevin Smith, who won three Super Bowl rings with the Dallas Cowboys, made the High School Team and the College Team while Bridge City great Steve Worster made the College Team. “What a tremendous honor,†said Hooks. “To be mentioned with the likes of some of those guys is a crazy feeling. I’ve been fortunate to be able to work with some excellent coaches, we’ve had some great ones here and we still do. It’s also been a testament to the kids. We’ve got kids here that work like no others.†There may be more coaches out there with more wins than Hooks, but no active coach with more than 100 wins can top his winning percentage of .797. Hooks has a career record of 261-65-2. In his 28 seasons, the Mustangs have captured 16 district titles and have been in the playoffs 19 times, including back-to-back Class 4A state championships in 1986 and 1987 and state runnerup finishes in 1988 and 2000. The Mustangs have won big in three different classifications, Class 5A, 4A and in 3A the past five seasons. It doesn’t matter if he used a rotary phone to today’s cell phone or listened to an eight-track tape to a CD today, Hooks has won in every situation possible. “I’ve seen a lot of the changing of the times through the years,†said Hooks. “The spirit of the game and working with kids, that doesn’t change and that’s what makes coaching special. We had some success in 5A, great success in 4A. We’ve done well in 3A but we’re striving to do better.†To be mentioned in the same section with the likes of Brownwood legend Gordon Wood (395 wins) and Pilot Point-Celina legend G.A. Moore (407 wins) still boggles Hooks’ mind. “Gordon and G.A., those two are the best you’ll see on the high school level,†said Hooks. “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and meeting a lot of those fellows on the list and it feels great to be a part of such select company. I know one thing, I wouldn’t want to be in that deal if Coach (Curtis) Barbay wasn’t on it. I’m sure it is a great honor for him too. With Kevin (Smith) and (Steve) Worster in there too, this little corner of Texas was represented pretty well.†Barbay has led Newton to two state titles (1998, 2005) and has made 28 playoff appearances in 34 seasons. Also adding to the local flavor is former Thomas Jefferson standout quarterback Todd Dodge. Dodge, who also played for the University of Texas, made the coaches list as well. In seven years as the head coach at Southlake Carroll, Dodge, now the head coach at the University of North Texas, posted a stunning 98-11 mark and won four state championships. For Kevin Smith, let’s just call him the 20-20 man. The things that made Smith special at Texas A&M was forged during a standout career at WO-S. One of the best ball-hawks in high school history, Smith picked off 20 passes combined in the Mustangs’ run to state titles in both 1986 and 1987. In Aggieland, Smith was one of the most prolific pass interceptors in Southwest Conference history as he also picked off 20 passes for Coach R.C. Slocum, also an Orange native. Worster helped lead Bridge City to the 1966 state title, picking up All-State honors three years while rushing for a whopping 5,422 yards, including 38 100-yard games. He ran for 2,210 during that state title year. At Texas, Longhorn fans nicknamed Worster “Big Woo†as opposing SWC defenders did little to stop him and his wishbone teammates as he was part of back-to-back national championship teams in 1969 and 1970. Worster, who was on the cover Of Texas Football in 1970, ran for 2,353 yards and 36 touchdowns in Texas’ balanced attack and was a two-time All-American.
liltex Posted October 21, 2009 Report Posted October 21, 2009 Congrads to everyone listed-Great for SETX sports fans who support and continue to be their fan base.
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