One of the surest and most welcome signs that summer is winding down is the reappearance of football. Last night preseason football began with the Hall of Fame game. The Cowboys and the Bengals faced off in what essentially amounted to a scrimmage game on Sunday Night Football. Even though the preseason schedule doesn’t mean much if anything, it was good to see Dallas take the night in a 16- 7 competition. And as a side note I have to hope that all T.O.’s games end in the same fashion. But these early games serve purely as a tide- me- over. The only really important stat in them is the injury report afterward. But it’s good to see helmets being dusted off and fields being chalked in anticipation of the coming season.

            The NFL and the NCAA are not the only ones preparing for the coming fall. Local High Schools, both public and private are preparing for the quickly approaching fall. Football has certainly become a more inclusive sport in recent years, in terms of the opportunities available. When I was growing up in private school, the only sport we really wanted to play was football! But due to the many expenses surrounding the sport, small schools found it necessary to substitute more inexpensive less “dangerous” sports into their athletic programs. As private and parochial schools have grown however, so has the demand for the one fall sport that really matters in East Texas. Nearly every school in Tyler with more than one hundred students has at least a six- man football team, and many have full squads.

            Football and sports in general, is an important component for schools both large and small. We all remember the lessons we were taught in our perspective sports; perseverance, team work, dealing with success, dealing with failure, the lessons go on and on. As Lord Wellington once said, “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.” But Football and all Sports do more for schools than just help to educate the students, (as if that weren’t enough). Athletic programs are the public faces of the schools they represent. They keep the school’s name in the paper and on the evening news. But perhaps more importantly, the event of a Friday night football game, or a Saturday afternoon tailgating party helps to create a sense of community and culture within a school, for families, students and staff. 

            Autumn is a wonderful time of year, leaves change, the weather cools, and Football is everywhere! I for one, plan of relishing every moment of the coming season!