THE HELMET PROJECT
Take a trip down memory lane as we display various helmet designs worn by football teams from our region over the years. Some are obvious, some not as easy. See how many you can name and then click on the link at bottom to see how many you recall. All helmet designs and information courtesy The Helmet Project. CLICK HERE to test how many helmets you can name.
'Fight ‘em until Hell freezes over, and then fight ‘em on the ice.'
-- TCU’s Dutch Meyer
'Three things happen when you pass, and two of them are bad.'
-- Texas’ Darrell Royal
'Never been licked.'
-- Movie about Texas A&M's Corps of Cadets
'I didn’t think anything of it at first. Then I thought to myself, ‘My God, he’s coming out here to hit me.' ’
-- Rice’s Dick Maegle before Alabama’s Tommy Lewis came off the bench to tackle him in the 1954 Cotton Bowl.
'He could take his’n and beat yours’n, and then he could take yours’n and beat his’n.'
-- Former Oilers head coach Bum Phillips on Don Shula
'I've found that prayer works best when you have big players.'
-- Knute Rockne, Notre Dame
'They beat us like a tied-up goat.'
-- Texas Tech's Spike Dykes
'Always remember that Goliath was a 40-point favorite over David.'
-- Shug Jordan, Auburn
'Football is not a contact sport, it is a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport.'
-- Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State
'In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in Bear Bryant.'
-- Wally Butts, Georgia
'Football is only a game. Spiritual things are eternal. Nevertheless, beat Texas.'
-- church sign in Arkansas before 1969 Shootout
'Son, you've got a good engine, but your hands aren't on the steering wheel.'
-- Bobby Bowden, Florida State
'Gentlemen, it is better for you to have died a small boy than to fumble this football.'
-- Bobby Dodd, Georgia Tech
If these phrases get you thinking about great football moments you have experienced, then maybe the
Touchdown Club of Houston
is for you.
Community-Service Projects
The TD Club assists area high schools through community-service projects. The Club has awarded more than $180,000 in scholarships to almost 250 high schoolers in Greater Houston in the past 13 years, and have given out about $170,000 in weights and weight equipment to 34 Greater Houston high schools in the past eight years. The high schools receiving weights are Booker T. Washington, Forest Brook, Reagan, Smiley and Houston Sterling in 2002; Kashmere, Madison, Scarborough, Wheatley and Worthing in 2003; Milby, Northbrook and Westbury in 2004; Furr, Sharpstown and Houston Austin in 2005; Willowridge, Jones, Sam Houston, Aldine and Yates in 2006; Eisenhower, Houston Lamar, Pasadena and Scarborough (again) in 2007; in 2008, Dulles, Furr (again) South Houston and Spring Woods; in 2009, Booker T. Washington (again), Hightower, Spring and Waltrip; in 2010, Alief Hastings and Jeff Davis; and in 2011, Alief Elsik, Reagan (again) and Bellaire.
Sean's Shoes
The TD Club has teamed up with the Houston Texans' Sean Washington, the team's director of player development, to distribute excess cleats and tennis shoes to high schools in the area. The Texans players receive multiple shoes that they cannot use each season, and the TD Club funnels those shoes to needy high schools. So far, schools assisted are in HISD, Fort Bend ISD, Lamar Consolidated ISD, Anahuac, C.E. King, Goose Creek ISD, Bridge City, Pasadena ISD and Spring Branch schools Northbrook and Spring Woods.
Upcoming Programs
High School Spring Sports Scholar-Athlete Dinner, presented by DeeDee and Wallis Marsh, 7 p.m., Wed., May 23, 2012, JW Marriott, 5150 Westheimer at Sage
Come celebrate what is right with high school athletics, when we award scholarships based on academics, athletic prowess and citizenship, as embodied by extra-curricular activities.
Tickets to the gala are $45 each. Tables are 10 seats each, and cost $450 (regular table sponsor), $500 (bronze sponsorship), $1,000 (silver sponsorship), $1,500 (gold sponsorship) and $2,500 (platinum sponsorship). Premium table sponsors will have their names in the paper program, and will sit on the first few rows.
To pay for tickets, please call the TD Club's Neal Farmer at his home office at 713-849-9860, or e-mail houtdclub@att.net.
Below are the names of the finalists for this year's Spring Sports Scholar-Athlete Dinner. Coaches, please inform your student-athletes. Parents, administrators, clergy, godparents, teachers, superintendents, school board members, etc., are encouraged to attend this feel-good event, as you will be stunned at what these kids have accomplished.
Students will sit at the head table and eat for free, and are asked to wear business clothing. (We ask that all the boys wear coat and tie.) All others need to purchase tickets and will sit in the audience.
PARENTS: Before you purchase tickets, please double-check with the athletic coordinator at your school to see if your school will buy tickets for you. We cannot refund money for tickets sold; we ask that all tickets be paid in advance.
Please check the seating chart before the day of the event to make sure that your money for tickets has been received. To view seating, click on the "Seating Chart" link on the left side of this homepage. We employ assigned seating, with tables given in chronological order of money received. There will be a table sign with your name or your school's name on it, so only you or your representatives may sit at that particular table.
There are finalists in each sport, with one winner in each sport announced live at the event; We ask each winner to give a short acceptance speech. The winner of each category will receive a $500 college scholarship. Also, an Outstanding Female Scholar-Athlete and an Outstanding Male Scholar-Athlete will be named.
BOYS
BASEBALL – Eric Abney, Fort Bend Austin; Daniel Moore, Bellaire; Gary Tesch, Cypress Woods; and Drew Tolson, Memorial
BASKETBALL – Thomas Long, Clements; Calvin Mitchell, South Houston; Hunter Pounds, Kingwood Park; and Rasheed Sulaimon, Strake Jesuit
GOLF – Brandon Reed, Eisenhower; Thomas Scaff, Stratford; Christopher Sorenson, Dobie; and Alex Trevino, Strake Jesuit
SWIMMING -- Joe Cavazos, Dobie; David Harlan, Katy Taylor; Michael Headlee, Summer Creek; and Edward Pritchard, Memorial
TENNIS -- Andrew Dinhobl, Pearland; Blake Schreiber, Stratford; Tony Tieu, Dobie; and Sid Venkataraman, Clements
TRACK -- Adrian Austin, Tomball; Fred Galloway, Booker T. Washington; Zackary Hertel, Jersey Village; and James Maxwell Tebbe, Memorial
SOCCER -- Richard Czaikowski, Lamar Consolidated; Charles Fly, Jersey Village; Kenny Lahart, Strake Jesuit; and Jacob Stercula, Clear Brook;
WRESTLING -- Devon Jackson, Bellaire; Travis Leiskau, Klein Oak; Sean Lofgren, Westside; and Clayton Mouser, Summer Creek
GIRLS
SOFTBALL -- Allison Artz, Jersey Village; Sydney Coffey, Spring Woods; Shelby Davis, Conroe; and Lauren Fairman, Cypress Lakes
BASKETBALL -- Ellen Anderson, Memorial; Deshera Duhon, Humble; Nicolette Nemons, Aldine; and Taylor Overshown, Eisenhower
CHEERLEADING – Ann Joost, Pasadena Memorial; Shannon Kelley, Stratford; Morgan Nacewski, Klein; and Taylor Provost, Clear Springs
GOLF -- Victoria Diggs, Clements; Karla Garcia, Davis; Mariesha Keys, Eisenhower; and Amanda Mire, Clear Creek
SWIMMING -- Eliza Ann Bornman, Memorial; Jordan Hunter, Lamar Consolidated; Meredith McKenzie, Bellaire; and Alyssa Solis, North Shore
TENNIS -- Atra Azad, Clear Springs; Laura Cardno, Clements; Miranda Rodriquez, Baytown Sterling; and Mariam Zein, Dulles
TRACK -- Francesca Ampudia, Booker T. Washington; Jordan Highsmith, Hightower; Imani Mark, La Porte; and Brittany Wooten, Tomball
SOCCER -- Kellie Barranco, Stratford; Rebecca Dunn, Memorial; Jordan Partin, Conroe; and Sarah Vaillancourt, The Woodlands
VOLLEYBALL (five finalists) Laura Hickman, Clear Creek; Summer Kisner, Clements; McKenzie Martin, Stratford; Chandler Morrow, Dulles; and Laura Smith, Lamar Consolidated
Go to Touchdown Houston on Facebook and ask to friend us, and we, of course, will say yes. Then you can see the photos from our events. You also can find out about upcoming TD Club events via Facebook. Join us, because we think this Facebook thing is going to be around for a while!
JOIN THE TD CLUB ON FACEBOOK
About The National Football Foundation: The Touchdown Club is the Houston chapter of the NFF. Founded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame -- a non-profit educational organization -- runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.; the NFF Hampshire Honor Society; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association; the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas; Play It Smart; and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.
For more information, please visit www.footballfoundation.org.
Seven schools took home trophies for the 2012 Comerica Bank Sportsmanship Awards, presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Winning first place in the Class 5A division was Cypress Lakes, with second by Dickinson and third by Bellaire. In the Class 4A Division, the first-place winner was New Caney, with Worthing second and Terry and Magnolia tying for third. Stafford won the Private School/Class 3A division, where only one award was given. At the luncheon where the awards were presented are, from left, FCA's Eric Anderson, TD Club president Benny Pace, Cypress Lakes coach Robert Blackshear (first place, Class 5A), New Caney coach Brady Pennington (first place, Class 4A), Stafford coach Bill Wilson (first place, Class 3A/Private Schools) and Comerica Bank VP Pamela Lovett.
Photo by Neal Farmer
2011 High School Awards Dinner Finalists:
Click on photograph below to view the
highlight DVD shown at our December event
