'Competitive spirit which still burns within my soul'
TRADITION. This is the first thought I have when thinking of the reason for loving sports.
I was raised in Hollis, a little-bitty town situated in the Southwest corner of the great state of Oklahoma, and was privileged to observe some of the greatest athletes to ever lace up a pair of cleats.
The Great Depression was over and WWII was coming to an end when I reached junior high and became vitally interested in football. There were no organized activities for kids, so I was introduced to the team concept at that time. Remember, there was no TV, no film of games or practices, and certainly no video available. We learned by watching.
Hollis is a proud community, and the TRADITION was built on the success of many great athletes. We watched Darrell Royal, Leon Heath, Leon Manley and J. W. Cole, all starters on the University of Oklahoma's 1949 team, as they competed as Hollis Tigers.
When I finally reached high school, the head coach was the legendary Joe Bailey Metcalf.
Now, Joe Bailey ran the double-wing formation. Most teams had gone to the split "T" — the offense ran by OU.
Practices were brutal, and Joe Bailey had the knack of knowing just which young man to praise, which to challenge, and exactly what to say to get the best possible out of every player. I can still hear, "one more time." This was the call when you were dead tired and had run the same play at least a dozen times.
After graduating from Hollis and attending college, I would run into a player who had faced the HOLLIS DOUBLE WING, and he would marvel at the teamwork of the players. Many times the opponent would liken our team to a ballet. I simply replied, "Had you run that play as many times as we had, you would understand that failure was not an option."
So, why do I love sports? I love sports because of the tradition, the pride instilled in me, the work ethic insisted on by Joe Bailey, and the competitive spirit which still burns within my soul.
Don Matheson, 1952 Hollis Tiger