My View

Raven's Raiders
I AM
A BONAFIDE CAR NUT
Obama's Beast
The 3 Babies
Quality of Friendships
Old Friends
Lighten Up... It's Christmas!
A W A K E
Thank Yous
Message From A Friend
Recognizing The Ways Of...
Paladin: What's THAT All About?
Give Help... Not Do For
Be Cool
I Have My Reasons...
OOOPS
Ralph Mac
Dennis Johnson
I Can See Better Blind
Clumsy Me
Back In MY Day
Raven's Raiders
Is It Something I Said?
Hawk? Dove? Neither?
Learning From The Past
My Opinions Are Based Upon Facts
60 Preachers: Who Is The Real Fool?
The Devil Is Always Busy
Letting The Truth Be Told
How I Feel
March Madness For Sure
In TEXAS for Different Reasons
M A G N A N I M O U S
Before Today
ANNOINTED UNELECTED RIDICULOUSNESS
Right Reason Wrong Place
Johnson Grass
My Pets
Pet Peeves
Time Is Of The Essence
U Know How I Am
This IS Funny... Now
Old School
Funny Someday 2 Someone

Coach Raven Will Always Be
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Larger Than Life In My Mind

 
Austin Reagan Raiders
My High School Experience

Following and supporting my nephew Marcus Wright's prodigious career in the annals of San Antonio sports lore also reminds me of when I was in high school myself.  I keep waiting on the movie version of my high school years featuring Travis Raven's illustrious rise as THE coach of the time at Austin Reagan High School.  Travis WHO??? 
 
 
When they opened Reagan they got teachers from all over to come including a lot of Austin High and University Jr. High coaches like Raven and Glen Swenson.  Coach Swenson was my favorite coach because of his personality... I can still see him getting into his blue stepside Chevy truck in the parking lot.  Coach Swenson went on to Assistant Coach at UT and died in a one-car accident years later and the Texas Longhorns have established a foundation in his honor
 
Not Without Honor no matter where we are. 
 
I used to affectionately call Coach Swenson "Bozo" because of his big round bald Charlie Brown-looking head.
 
Just for the sake of background, Coach Raven went on to be the AISD Athletic Director before retiring and died in 2004 although it doesn't seem like 3 years since he passed away to me.  Coach Raven often called me "James" because he coached my brother at Austin High and associated me with him.  I didn't mind because I knew it was a compliment.
 
I miss ALL my old friends and I always treasure the ones that proved to be real.  Thankfully these coaches I refer fall into both categories.
 
Austin John H. Reagan High School opened its doors the 2nd semester of the 1965 school year and remarkably started a run on state championships in football that ended 4 years later when I graduated in 1971.  It was such a feat that they erected a sign on the side of the gymnasium for averyone on Highway 290 to see: State Champions 1967, 1968, 1970.  We were and always will be proud, going undefeated the first 2 titles and losing one early game in 1970, 13-10.  In 1969 we didn't make the playoffs with 2 losses, one 27-7 to Austin High.  We drubbed them 52-13 in 1970 to ease the pain.  Austin High was our arch-rival in every sport.
 
I didn't play football but I went to all the games and rooted for our Raiders.  The colors were powder blue and white and our motto was Not Without Honor.  36 years later, is that motto an oxymoron?  Why didn't they just coin it as "WITH HONOR"?

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