Opinion > Star Staff
We've Always Been Football Crazy Here
Coach Max Vaughan (top, center) poses with his 1958 Allen Eagles football team. The ‘58 Eagles went undefeated.
By Tim Carroll
Driving west of Highway 114 one Friday night I came into the small town of Lorenzo for a stretch break before the final drive into Lubbock. With the exception of the new Stripes mini-mart and an old Alsups, the town was more closed down than even usual. Friday night lights just to the north of the highway told me all I had to know. Lorenzo High School was hosting a football game and the town of about 1,400 people was out in force to cheer on their Hornets.
With all of the excitement and hype of the new stadium in Allen, it is easy to almost overlook the actual games. High school kids will play football and the town will come out in force to watch - just like Lorenzo that Friday night.
Allen in the 1950s wasn't much different than that small west Texas town. Football Friday meant the town closed down whether it was home or away. The six-man football team coached by a young teacher named Max Vaughan didn't need a stadium. They played alongside their school at the corner of Belmont and Cedar where Allen's First Baptist Church now stands. Parents would watch from cars parked along the sidelines while others watched from suites (actually the library) on the school's second story.
Bobby Curtis, who played for Allen from 1960-63, recalls playing six-man, eight-man and 11-man football games in the same season. "We were an eight-man team but had to pick up games where we could. We always gave them a good fight, though, and were successful for years."
The Allen Eagles won 48 straight games from 1957 through 1961. The amazing streak ended when the team lost to New Waverly in regional competition in the '61 playoffs. Class B football programs like Allen did not compete for a state championship at that time, but the Eagles' success in district and regional play suggests they could have competed with any team in the state during that period.
Since eight-man football is played on a 100-yard field, a stadium was built next to the new high school (current Lowery Center) in 1960. Another stadium opened nearby in the fall of 1976 and became the home of the Eagles until this past Friday.
Randy Clark was the Eagles' quarterback when the old stadium closed and the 1976 stadium opened.
"You gain a lot but you give up something when you get bigger," said Clark. "That old stadium was so small that you could see the faces of the old men and parents in the stands. That's real motivational.
"It was still a big deal moving into the new stadium," he added. "The fans had a lot more room, but we lost a little bit of that small- town atmosphere that we enjoyed so much."
The same will likely be said about the new 18,000-seat Eagle Stadium. The parking, the concessions and yes, the bathrooms, will be greatly appreciated. But a little of that crowded atmosphere will be lost.
So if you drive along Central Expressway on a Friday night and notice that The Village of Allen and Wal-Mart are dark, it probably isn't a power outage. It's just the City of Allen taking a break for some Eagle football.
Tim Carroll is director of public information for the Allen ISD. Reach him at tim_carroll@allenisd.org
With all of the excitement and hype of the new stadium in Allen, it is easy to almost overlook the actual games. High school kids will play football and the town will come out in force to watch - just like Lorenzo that Friday night.
Allen in the 1950s wasn't much different than that small west Texas town. Football Friday meant the town closed down whether it was home or away. The six-man football team coached by a young teacher named Max Vaughan didn't need a stadium. They played alongside their school at the corner of Belmont and Cedar where Allen's First Baptist Church now stands. Parents would watch from cars parked along the sidelines while others watched from suites (actually the library) on the school's second story.
Bobby Curtis, who played for Allen from 1960-63, recalls playing six-man, eight-man and 11-man football games in the same season. "We were an eight-man team but had to pick up games where we could. We always gave them a good fight, though, and were successful for years."
The Allen Eagles won 48 straight games from 1957 through 1961. The amazing streak ended when the team lost to New Waverly in regional competition in the '61 playoffs. Class B football programs like Allen did not compete for a state championship at that time, but the Eagles' success in district and regional play suggests they could have competed with any team in the state during that period.
Since eight-man football is played on a 100-yard field, a stadium was built next to the new high school (current Lowery Center) in 1960. Another stadium opened nearby in the fall of 1976 and became the home of the Eagles until this past Friday.
Randy Clark was the Eagles' quarterback when the old stadium closed and the 1976 stadium opened.
"You gain a lot but you give up something when you get bigger," said Clark. "That old stadium was so small that you could see the faces of the old men and parents in the stands. That's real motivational.
"It was still a big deal moving into the new stadium," he added. "The fans had a lot more room, but we lost a little bit of that small- town atmosphere that we enjoyed so much."
The same will likely be said about the new 18,000-seat Eagle Stadium. The parking, the concessions and yes, the bathrooms, will be greatly appreciated. But a little of that crowded atmosphere will be lost.
So if you drive along Central Expressway on a Friday night and notice that The Village of Allen and Wal-Mart are dark, it probably isn't a power outage. It's just the City of Allen taking a break for some Eagle football.
Tim Carroll is director of public information for the Allen ISD. Reach him at tim_carroll@allenisd.org
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