Today was another interesting day. We ran into Caddo, and we struck up conversation about old times around this area.
He said he was born and raised in Hillsboro, TX and sought a way to escape cotton farming, following in the footsteps of his dad, a cotton farmer. He interviewed Southwest Texas for a scholarship in football (this was in 1952). The interviewer on the phone said, yes, he would like to talk to him about a scholarship, and advised him to drive on down to San Marcos for the interview. Well, Caddo had no car, so he hitchhiked the way to San Marcos, interviewed and asked how he was to get the scholarship and the interviewer said "sign right here and you have it". He did and he got the chance to play football for SWT. He then played football, graduated with a degree in agriculture only to find out that there were no job openings in agriculture for those who did not graduated from Texas A & M. Being an Aggie was important then as now.
So, he got a job coaching, only to leave that when it became a no-no to whack the kids for not doing as they were told. Years later, some of his students, many who then commented to him that he did not whack them enough as they still had lots to learn about life and discipline after leaving his tutelage. He commented to the several who had gained a lot of weight that they would have been better football players had they weighed then what they weighed now.
When ever he interviewed candidates for the football team, he asked them if they liked to play golf or go fishing, and if they said yes, he said "next candidate please".
Later, he did get a job of teaching agriculture at San Saba, and then later, back in his old home town of Hillsboro. It was in Hillsboro that he ran into his old students who mentioned that they could have used more whacking.
He said he was born and raised in Hillsboro, TX and sought a way to escape cotton farming, following in the footsteps of his dad, a cotton farmer. He interviewed Southwest Texas for a scholarship in football (this was in 1952). The interviewer on the phone said, yes, he would like to talk to him about a scholarship, and advised him to drive on down to San Marcos for the interview. Well, Caddo had no car, so he hitchhiked the way to San Marcos, interviewed and asked how he was to get the scholarship and the interviewer said "sign right here and you have it". He did and he got the chance to play football for SWT. He then played football, graduated with a degree in agriculture only to find out that there were no job openings in agriculture for those who did not graduated from Texas A & M. Being an Aggie was important then as now.
So, he got a job coaching, only to leave that when it became a no-no to whack the kids for not doing as they were told. Years later, some of his students, many who then commented to him that he did not whack them enough as they still had lots to learn about life and discipline after leaving his tutelage. He commented to the several who had gained a lot of weight that they would have been better football players had they weighed then what they weighed now.
When ever he interviewed candidates for the football team, he asked them if they liked to play golf or go fishing, and if they said yes, he said "next candidate please".
Later, he did get a job of teaching agriculture at San Saba, and then later, back in his old home town of Hillsboro. It was in Hillsboro that he ran into his old students who mentioned that they could have used more whacking.
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