I came across this photograph while doing some background work about Don Meredith. The photo shows most of the starting quarterbacks of the Dallas Cowboys over the years who played for Coach Tom Landry. It got me to thinking about the quarterbacks missing from the photo. Don Heinrick started one game in 1960 before Eddie LaBaron took over. Meredith was slowly worked into the line-up beginning in 1961. John Roach started four games in 1964. My old high school teammate Jerry Rhome started 2 games in 1965 and one in 66. 'The Mad Bomber', Clint Longley, started only one game in 1975. Others include Glenn Carano, who started one game in 1981, Gary Hogeboom started two games in 1985. Steve Pelluer became the starting QB for Dallas and played 9 games in 1986, 4 games in 1987, and 14 games in 1988. Kevin Sweeney started 2 games in 1987 and 2 more in 1988.... BUT the photo is evidence of the love the players had for Coach Tom Landry. He remains the 3rd winningest coach in NFL history. He was coach of the Cowboys from 1960 thru 1988, compiling a record of 270 wins, 178 losses, and 6 tied games. 'The Coach' also led Dallas to two Super Bowl victories, five NFC titles, and thirteen Divisional titles. Landry was Coach of the Year in 1966 and 1975. His total of 20 career playoff victories is still tops in the NFL. Landry led the Cowboys to a NFL record 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966 through 1985. The 4-3 defense was developed by Landry while he was an assistant coach with the New York Giants. In the photo from left to right..DannyWhite, Troy Aikman, Don Meredith, Eddie LaBaron, Craig Morton, Coach Tom Landry, and Roger Staubach.
I have been interested in old cars since I was a small boy.. My brother was the 1957 & 1959 National Champion at the NHRA Nationals and he always had an old car in some stage of rebuild.
We used to go to drag races around the country and he would always come back on the back roads to see if he could find some automotive treasure. More times than not, he succeeded. Today I was taking my wife to breakfast and I spotted this deuce coupe on a side street in Denison.. It is powered by a V-6 engine and the interior was still a little rough, but it is a start. Cars like this are not seen as often as they should be and I blame the imported car makers for that. Why should someone spend money on fixing up a vintage car when he can drive a cheap Japanese car for a lot less? The answer to that question is simple...Because nobody else will have a car like yours.. It will be uniquely yours.
The 2010 edition of Toys For Tots motorcycle run came off without a hitch on Saturday. This was the first year that Texoma Harley-Davidson has been the primary sponsor of the event. We had 358 bikes register for the event and most of them were two-up (passenger also). The ride was a 29 mile procession through Pottsboro, Denison, and then back to Sherman. Many thanks to the police, sheriffs deputies, and DPS units that held up the auto traffic at major intersections. Upon returning to the dealership, riders were treated to a vast buffet of food. My wife was in charge of the food and nobody left hungry. Riders were offered Chili, Stew, Chicken Wings, Burritos, Tacos, Pastries, plus plenty of coffee and water. The Marines filled up a trailer with toys, and we took in donations of over $2,000. The weather could not have been better. I took off my leather jacket and rode in a long-sleeve
tee-shirt. Best of all, we did not have a single rider injured in the event. The planning committee is to be commended for the smoothness of the event. Many thanks to our sponsors: Kroger's, Albertson's, Wal-Mart, The Boiler Room, Starbuck's, El Chico's, Panera's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Texas Select, Dr Pepper, T-Bones Restaurant, Cracker Barrel, and the Texas Roadhouse. Thanks again to all the participants and I know your Christmas will be good,...as we helped make it a brighter Christmas for some child that would not have had anything at all.. God Bless !
Last year at this time SMU's football team was invited to a post-season bowl game for the first time in twenty-five years. The Mustangs had to travel all the way to Hawaii to play in that game. This year the Ponies are back in a bowl game and it will be a lot closer to home. Actually, it could not be any closer. SMU will host Army in the 'Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl' on December 30th. The bowl game would have been played in Fort Worth, but Amon Carter Stadium is being refurbished and construction prohibits the game from being played there. SMU qualified for the game with a 7-5 season, but they were 6-2 in Conferense USA. The University of Central Florida defeated SMU in the conference championship game 17-7 yesterday. The
United States Military Academy (Army) still has a date against Navy next Saturday in Philadelphia. Navy defeated SMU 28-21 earlier this season. The December 30th bowl game between SMU and Army will be played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus and will be televised by ESPN. All Photos courtesy of the Dallas Morning News
Texas Christian University announced yesterday the Fort Worth school would be joining the Big East Conference in July of 2012. TCU's football team is currently posting its second great season, having gone unbeaten in eleven outings. The Horned Frogs are currently in the Mountain West Conference and obviously the cream of the crop there. As the number three team in the national standings, TCU is headed for a major Bowl Game appearance. Fort Worth is the national headquarters of the Big 12 Conference, and that would look to be the natural fit. Even with the defection of Nebraska and Colorado from the Big 12, TCU would have regional rivalries with Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor, all of them former members of the old Southwest Conference. TCU will be able to hold their heads up high in football in the Big East, but when basketball season rolls around it could be a horse of a different color. The schools in the Big East that TCU will play looks like the winner's bracket of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Big East has a membership that includes: Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John's, Villanova, Georgetown, and DePaul. Connecticut is also a member of the Big East, but also the location of ESPN, the cable sports complex. That assures the Frogs of some national exposure and that is probably the ultimate reason
for the move. TCU will join the Big East in July of 2012.
The day has arrived... It's finally Thanksgiving Day and my wife has been working on this day since Monday. We have twenty folks (maybe more) coming to our house for the Thanksgiving meal. Momma has prepared two turkeys, one ham, and enough dressing to feed a platoon of the 101st Airborne Division. I hope Thanksgiving will be as good for you as it will for the Stone Family. I joke and complain, BUT all of us are PRIVILEGED enough to live in this great land. May the Lord bless and keep you all the days of your life! Underdog
Maybe it's just me, but I have gone all day without the TV or Radio mentioning that it is the 47th anniversary of the assassination of John Kennedy. It is a large bookmark in my life as I was one of those that stood in line along Commerce Street and waved at the 35th President of the United States as he drove past in the motorcade that day in 1963. Leon Nay and I had cut classes at Arlington State College in order to see the young President. We were standing in front of the old Sanger Brothers Department Store as they drove past. Jack looked a lot younger in person than he did on TV,...Jackie was all smiles in her pink suit and matching pillbox hat. Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, were in the same car with the Kennedy's and both were beaming to the crowd. Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was two cars back in a car with Senator Ralph Yarborough of Texas. The motorcade made it's way past us so Leon and I were headed back home when we got the news on the car radio. We were both dumbfounded.... Ironically, I am currently reading a book by Jim Marrs entitled 'Crossfire'. It deals with the JFK death and has quite a few people to blame. The list is long but just a few would include the Cubans, the CIA, the mafia, the secret service, the military industrial complex, LBJ, and also the communist party. If you really want to cloud your mind over the happenings that day I recommend you reading it. The movie by Oliver Stone on JFK's death was based on this book. I don't believe a lot of the of the claims, but there is no doubt someone was at the grassy knoll, and the theory of a single bullet going through the President, striking Connally through the shoulder, then his wrist, and then his knee....and then still being in pristine condition........Well, that is a little
hard to believe...But the American public sure swallowed it!!
Just watched a TV interview with Ray Lewis, the All-Pro linebacker of the Baltimore Ravens.. and he
is right on the money. The game of football has descended to crap in the National Football League. Lewis said the NFL is based on a long history of players that fought through pain to play the game. He even went so far as to mention Ray Nitschke of Green Bay and Dick Butkus of Chicago as players honored for their physical defensive play. Lewis told the interviewer he does not play a position where he throws the ball,.. nor catches the ball,..nor runs with the ball. His position is primarily one that hits the player with the ball and tries to separate him from the ball. The interviewer was also told that all players have pads around their mid-sections, shoulder pads, helmets, and face masks. Is that not enough protection to play the game? Lewis relayed the story where a pass came over the middle to a wide receiver and he hit the receiver just after he caught the ball. The player and ball were separated and another member of the Ravens recovered the ball. When Lewis got to the sidelines, teammates and coaches pounded him with celebration for such a great hit. Three days later he received a letter from NFL Commission Roger Goodell informing him of an impending fine for the hit. Come'on Man!! I can see the need for the helmet to helmet rule because of the number of concussions, but the physical play of the game is starting to suffer. Quoting the great philosophical Dale Earnhardt,.."If you got lace on your panties, you're playing the wrong sport."
It was a longtime coming, but if you watched the Dallas Cowboys game with Detroit today you were a witness to a special honor. Canton, Ohio's latest entry was on hand to receive his Hall of Fame ring. Jerry Jones, who also introduced Emmitt Smith at the Hall of Fame ceremonies, handled today's activities with the ring. You might find some teardrops on this posting as Emmitt was my all-time favorite Cowboy.. but I was not alone in admiration of number 22. Smith is the National Football League's all-time leading rusher (runner) with 18,355 yards...the NFL's all-time leading touchdown producer with 164... Ran for over 1,000 yards in a season eleven straight years... Led the NFL in rushing 4 times.. Was the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1993...Was the NFL's Rookie of the Year in 1990..& was MVP of Super Bowl XXXVIII (28). Smith was named to the Hall of Fame in 2010 and joins nine other former Cowboys in the Canton Shrine. They are: Bob Lilly, Rayfield Wright, Bob Hayes, Mel Renfro, Roger Staubach, Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvin. Smith is also active in helping young people in his home state of Florida and also a spokesman for the President's Council on Physical Fitness... And you
thought I only liked him for his ability to run with a football!!
The Mustangs of SMU won their football game with Marshall University yesterday 31-17. Marshall has never won a game in the state of Texas in seven outings. The win by SMU keeps them in the chase for a possible bowl bid. Mustang quarterback Kyle Padron passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as the SMU defense held Marshall to just 50 yards rushing. SMU running back Zach Line carred the ball 30 times for 202 yards and one touchdown. The
Mustangs are now 6-5 on the season, but 5-2 in Conference USA. They can clinch a spot in the conference championship game with a win over East Carolina on Friday. Go Ponies !! (Photos courtesy of the Dallas Morning News)
Sunday nights game might have been the last straw. The Dallas Cowboys fell to the Green Bay Packers 45-7 in front of a nationwide audience. The entire nation watched as Jerry Jones' team fell to a record of one win and seven losses in 2010....and the game was not as close as the score might indicate. The Packers had over twice as much total offense and ran off almost twice as many offensive plays than did Dallas. The mere 39 rushing yards by Dallas might have been the most disappointing of all. This from a backfield of running backs Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. Don't think the Cowboys dismal season can be blamed on the loss of quarterback Tony Romo... Dallas had lost five games when he was injured and lost for the season. Romo might not be the super savior of this franchise that most thought when he came along in 2004 as an undrafted free agent. Romo just happen to be the best of the lot at the time (Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde, Quincy Carter, and Chad Hutchinson). Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones is on the hotseat to correct the destiny of America's Team and admitted to being embarrassed over last nights game. After the latest setback he told reporters that wholesale changes would be coming for players and coaches. The Cowboys lack of
offense can first and foremost be laid at the feet of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. At one time Garrett was thought to be the head coach in waiting, but that is probably not going to happen now. The Cowboys offensive shows no spark of life, running or passing the ball. Fans are already calling for the firing of Head Coach Wade Phillips, and the veteran coach may not make it to Veterans' Day of this week before losing his job. As you can see by the time stamp,..I wrote this story this morning,.. but this afternoon Cowboys owner Jerry Jones followed through on his threat. He fired Head Coach Wade Phillips and replaced him on an interim basis with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. This following a game where the Cowboys showed 39 yards rushing the ball.. It must get better than that. Hopefully the 'interim title' will last only for the 2010 season and Dallas will have a real coach hired for the 2011 season. Current Monday Night Football analyst and former Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden would be a good choice, or maybe former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill
I am posting this notice to give you a little advance notice on one of the area's biggest motorcycle runs. The 'Toys For Tots' bike run will be December 4th and begin from Texoma Harley-Davidson in Sherman. The dealership is located at exit 64 of U.S. Highway 75 in Sherman. Bikers will begin forming up at 9am and the first bike away will be at 11:30am. The run will take us through Sherman and Denison and it usually ends up at an eatery that will quench your thirst & hunger. Two years ago we had a turnout of over one thousand bikes to set the record. This will mark the 16th year that Sherman/Denison has hosted this event and it has become one of the largest in the area. Make your plans now and be a
part of the fun and festivities.. See ya there....
When I say congratulations, don't think I am being sarcastic. The Denison Yellow Jackets went to the semi-finals of the high school playoffs last year, but they lost 19 players off that team to graduation. Everyone knew it would be a rebuilding and learning season in 2010, but hardly anyone was ready for the way this season began. Denison lost their first eight games of the year. Some of the games were more than a loss, they got creamed. Years of winning over other teams meant this year opponents got their payback. While down, but not out, other teams got the chance to really trash the Jackets and took the opportunity. Sherman won back the Battle Ax for the first time in four years, and they are the district champs. Congrats to the Bearcats and good luck, BUT this posting
deals with the Jackets. A lot was made of a newspaper story that said 'no Denison team has ever gone through a season without winning a single game.' We are talking about a school that has been playing football since 1900. The 2010 edition of the Jackets proved they have what it takes by winning their last two (2) games of the season. Denison defeated Greenville last week, and last night won over Mount Pleasant to close out the season at 2-8. It will not go down as a banner year, but remember that all winning has to end sometime,...just ask the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys!! So the opponents that were victorious this year better enjoy that win...because Denison will be back.....
We went to an awards assembly this morning at Houston Elementary School in Denison. The youngest granddaughter was up for a few awards
for this six-weeks. The vivacious young blonde got an award for: (1) perfect attendance (2) reading (3) Dog Patch (outstanding work in class) (4) Top Dog Award (most outstanding student) (5) Top Performance in Physical Education. All of this at the ripe old age of seven and coming at the scholarly level of second grade. She is bright beyond her short years....and also beautiful to look at also. ... You might have noticed,...her grandfather is quite attached to her !!
It came to an end last night....the fairy-tale season of the Texas Rangers ended as the team and fans had to watch the San Francisco Giants celebrate the Championship on the Ranger's home field. The final score of 3-1 in game five gave the Giants the series 4 games to one. There is an old catch phrase in baseball that 'good pitching will always defeat good hitting' and it was evident in this Series. The Giants had better pitching than the Rangers, hands down! Two games saw the Rangers fail to score, and this after leading the league in scoring in 2010, and putting up over 40 runs in eliminating the Tampa Rays and New York Yankees in the American League playoffs. Unfortunitely
for Ranger fans, the team had to face Tim Lincecum in games one and five. He was brilliant in both outings! Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner of the Giants also showed up the Rangers in their victorious games. For the Giants, it is their first World Series Championship since 1954 and they were located in New York at that time. In the late 1950's the Giants followed the lead of the Dodgers in moving to the West Coast. The Texas Rangers will have to settle for the American League Championship in 2010, but they did create quite a stir in North Texas. The following of new fans will be something to see in 2011.
Last year we staged the first edition of 'Spooks & Spokes' and Saturday it was round two of the Halloween fun at Texoma Harley- Davidson. Momma and I usually go all-out for Halloween and Saturday was no different. We had a lot of fun dressing up when our children were growing up and 'trick or treating' with them. Saturday the crowd was slow in developing, but by noon the customers started to gather. T-Bones Restaurant of Denison was on hand to feed the mob some delicious fajitas, chips, and salsa. Mad House Tattoos was there applying ink, plus a new vendor that was hawking a solution to bring your wheels back to a 'like new' condition. The Texoma Regional Blood Center had their mobile collection center on hand to accept donations. Tracy was present and accounted for to give complimentary messages, and of course, my wife was sewing patches on jackets & vests. It was a fun time and Momma won first place in the pumpkin carving contest.. As a couple, we also won third place in the costume contest!!
The 2010 season of the NFL lasted only six weeks,..that is IF you are a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. Last night the Boys absorbed loss number 5 of the season versus only 1 victory this year. Dallas had high hopes of being the first team to make it to the Super Bowl which will be played in their own stadium this season. If they want to go to the Super Bowl this season they will have to buy a ticket. Officially, the season ended last night on the first snap of the second quarter when New York linebacker Michael Boley went through the Cowboys offensive line with the ease of a hot knife going thru butter. He hit Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and drove him to the turf. The collision
broke the left collarbone of Romo and he is expected to miss eight to ten weeks (the rest of the season) while recovering. Romo's replacement last night was Jon Kitna, and he immediately proved that he was NOT the man for the position. The final score of 41-35 is not indicative of how the Giants dominated the Cowboys to remain in first place in the NFL's Eastern Division. The season may drone on for another ten weeks, BUT for Cowboy fans it ended last night.
with the New York Giants. In the photo from left to right..DannyWhite, Troy Aikman, Don Meredith, Eddie LaBaron, Craig Morton, Coach Tom Landry, and Roger Staubach.
