Meal Club serves to keep Kowboys football lore alive
There is a saying that generations of Kissimmee Osceola football players believe: “Forever Kowboys, forever brothers.” Not only do they believe it, they live it. “There are a lot of people in our community who love our football program,” senior cornerback Hassan Childs said. “They still wrap themselves in blue and gold.”
When Osceola (12-0) hosts Lithia Newsome (8-4) at 7:30 Friday night in a Class 7A region final, the stands will befilled with alumni. Several belong to an informal group of former players known as the Meal Club.
Many of the about 50 club members donate $100 before the season to be used primarily to buy pre-
game meals of homemade pasta, fruits and salads. Other members donate their time to cook meals and volunteer at games. The club meets with players and was invited to eat with them before the homecoming game.
Though other high schools have had booster clubs or interest groups that support their athletic programs, the Meal Club stands out because it includes multiple generations of former players.
“The main thing we try to get across to the players is that there are people in the community who care about them,” said Gary Dymmek, a former linebacker and halfback who graduated in 1966. “More than wanting them to be good players, we want them to be good citizens.”
The Meal Club was developed by Dymmek’s son, Hardy, who played defensive end at Osceola from 1992-95. It was done at the urging of Osceola coach Doug Nichols shortly after he was hired three years ago.
“It serves to open the players’ eyes when they see these guys who played in the 1950s and ’60s,” said Nichols, who spent 16 seasons as an assistant at Osceola earlier in his career. “This way [the alumni] can stay connected with the program, and our players can stay connected with the past.
“They can tell our guys about things like the origin of Kowboy Jake [the school mascot].”
Said senior offensive lineman Tyler Evans: “What it means to me is, there is a lot of tradition at Osceola. Maybe five or 10 years down the road, I will be able to come back here and support the team however possible.”
Childs said interaction withformerplayershasmotivated the current Kowboys.
“Their support shows me that every Friday night when wegoout there, we aren’t just playing to win the game for ourselves,” Childs said. “I am playing for more than myself. I am playing for the commu- nity.”
Gary Dymmek and Ham Brown, a two-way lineman before leaving school as a senior in 1954 to work, remember when life in Kissimmee revolved around the high school. They are part of old-time Kissimmee families who settled there long before Walt Disney World was built in 1971 and tourism engulfed the city
Brown, 76, has a road in Osceola County named after himandis in SanAntoniothis weekfortheNationalCutting Horse Association Show. Dymmek, a former pro-rodeo cowboy, is a rancher and owns citrus.
“I didn’t have much when I was going to school,” Dymmeksaid.“Therewasthisguy from the community who would buy me [football] shoes.”
Said Brown: “Kissimmee was the cow capital of Florida. It’s not much of a cow town anymore. I remember back in the ’50s, at the edge of town, there were big billboards with Kowboy Jake on them.”
Hardy Dymmek, who also competed in rodeo and works with his dad in the ranch and citrus industries, remembered what it was like when he played for the Kowboys.
“We can think back to when we played, when someone bought a team meal or someone donated cleats,” Dymmek said. “It was just one of those things; it was done for us.
“That was the coolest thing, the way the community came together. A lot of those traditions run deep.”