“No Pass, No Play” lives on to this day

» Part of AUSTIN, TEXAS late billionaire H. Ross Perot’s legacy is a clearcut rule about Texas high school sports: If a student can’t pass class, they can’t play.

The law, with its catchy “No Pass, No Play” nickname, has been in place since 1984. When first signed by Gov. Mark White, coaches and communities worried their best players, most notably in football, would be sidelined and troubled students would drop out.

The resulting firestorm helped lead to White’s re-election defeat in 1986. Although softened a bit to help students get back on the field quicker if their grades improve, the law is still in place.

Perot, who died Tuesday of leukemia at 89, was appointed by White in 1983 to lead an initiative to improve Texas public education. The result was a series of proposals to reduce class size and to create both teacher merit pay raises and a high school basic skills graduation test.

But in the land of “Friday Night Lights,” where coaches were often paid more than principals, and the excesses of high school football saw some wealthy schools charter airliners to state championship games, it was No Pass, No Play that sparked an uproar.

Failing students had to sit out for six weeks. Not just games, but practice too. Until then, local schools decided eligibility and the Texas law was hailed as the first of its kind in the nation.

“If the people of Texas want Friday night entertainment instead of education, let’s find out about it,” Perot said at one public hearing.

The impact was immediate. The first semester it was in place, more than 15 percent of all varsity football players and 40 percent of all junior varsity and freshman players statewide were benched.

One Houston school lost 90 out of 190 players.

Legal challenges followed, but the law was upheld.