Football And Integration In Plano Texas

The year 1964 was momentous for civil rights as Congress passed the Twenty-fourth Amendment and Texas's own Lyndon B. Johnson unveiled his plan for the Great Society. That same year, the Plano school district integrated, setting an example for the state and nation. The tightknit community banded together through a language fluent to everyone--football. The Wildcats had few winning seasons and no state titles at that time, but with hard work and a trailblazing spirit, coaches Tom Gray and John Clark led the integrated team all the way to state championship victory in 1965. The Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation, Inc. presents the inspiring story of the Wildcat fight for the title that made Plano a better place to live.

"The history of the Plano High School Wildcat football team's state champ season as the first integrated team"--

Did you know that Plano once had a winning semipro baseball team? And its own university, boasting a pagoda imported from Malaysia? Or that the city once proudly proclaimed itself the "Mule Capital of the World"? Meet the Native American Planoite who walked in space, the African American entrepreneur who prospered in Jim Crow Texas and the man behind the "mystery stone" uncovered in the Collinwood House. Visit a military tank, a five-hundred-year-old tree and the pioneer cemetery started by a smallpox epidemic. From the town's contributions to World War II to the secrets lurking beneath Collin Creek Mall, unlock the astonishingly large storehouse of Plano's hidden history.

Texas has a long, romantic history when it comes to railroads. But even though steam engines and streetcars offer nonstop service to Nostalgia City, there's a dark side to Texas rail. The Black Widow of Fort Worth engineered a fatal double-cross at a railroad crossing. The Mountaineer Madman brought death to the Texas Electric Railway, while the Trolley Bandit terrorized the citizens of El Paso. From a freak accident involving a banana peel to a tragic trip to see Santa Claus, Jeff Campbell and the staff of the Interurban Railway Museum cross the Lone Star State on trains derailed by murder and mayhem.

Texas has nurtured a thriving bluegrass scene since the early 1950s. The Lone Star State boasts the country's first bluegrass college degree and even hosts a Beatles bluegrass cover band. Meet the Pickin' Singin' Professor, the Fiddle Engineer and Blanco's Bluegrass Boy. Hit the trail with cowboys like the Mayfield brothers and go backstage with Grammy-nominated acts like Wood & Wire. Jeff Campbell and Braeden Paul celebrate the musicians who contributed to the harmonious heritage of Texas bluegrass.

Texas High School Football: More Than the Game celebrates high school football and the profound role it plays in contemporary Texas culture as well as Texas's mythology. In this compelling volume by writer Joe Nick Patoski, the epic history of the sport is illustrated through an all-star cast of legendary players and coaches, cheerleaders and drill teams, marching bands and twirlers, mascots and die-hard fanatics. Filled with the visual pomp and spectacle of the autumn ritual, Texas High School Football digs beyond the stats to look deeper into the sport and explore its significance as the common denominator that connects individuals and creates community throughout the state, from tiny Six Man rural schools to 5A suburban giants. Using the uniforms, equipment, and ephemera of the game, from Drew Brees's football jersey to a vintage photograph of Don Meredith escorting his high school homecoming queen, Patoski poignantly weaves an engaging visual chronicle of the pageantry engrained in the souls of Texans in every corner of the state. A cavalcade of helmets, championship rings, spirit ribbons, and homecoming mums contribute to this powerful story of high school football in Texas, where supporting the local team is a passion and a responsibility. Iconic high school football images by photographers Geoff Winningham, Laura Wilson, Jeff Wilson, and Bill Kennedy are an extra bonus in this extravagantly illustrated high school football compendium. Texas High School Football is a true game changer—you'll never look at high school football the same way again.