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Jack Welch
More than 250 teams across Texas are playing six-man football. Not having enough students to compete with bigger school districts, small schools have chosen a different type of football to play. Different in how the game looks but nonetheless exciting.
It seems like small towns keep losing residents, which in turn makes school districts get smaller. Small public and private schools populate six-man football leagues. To qualify for a six-man district, schools must have fewer than 100 students. Smaller does not mean less though because six-man football is a very exciting game.
Six-man football has a set of rules that electrifies the game. These different rules generate different strategies. The field is smaller (80 yards by 40); all six players are eligible quarterbacks and receivers; first downs are 15 yards, not 10; and the ball must be tossed to another player before it can be run across the line of scrimmage. This makes a football game faster, higher scoring and very athletic.
Small communities like Strawn, Gordon, Walnut Springs and Zephyr come to life on Friday nights. These communities rival big high school cities. For the people of Strawn, Texas, high school football is a religion.
A television show was produced last year about the Greyhound football team. Community members showed their fever for another state title. They were playing for their third consecutive state championship. Just a stone’s throw away is another legendary six-man school, Gordon. The entire area is eaten up with football.
Six-man football was invented in 1934, by a high school coach from Chester, Nebraska named Stephen Epler. Epler wanted to find a way for his players to have the opportunity to play the game of football. 1938 saw the game make its way to the Lone Star state. In 1938, only 55 schools participated in six-man football. A year later, the number grew to 112 schools. Today there are over 260 schools participating.
Some towns like Katy, Friendswood, Dripping Springs, Copperas Cove, and Pearland at one time played six-man football. How does Texas compare to other states? By comparison, 19 teams play in New Mexico, 16 in Colorado and 15 in Montana, the only other states sanctioning state championships. Although a state championship is not sanctioned, Kansas and Nebraska also participate.
Two of the most notable NFL stars to play six-man football were Jack Pardee and Ed Sprinkle. Pardee grew up in Christoval, then became an All-American at Texas A&M University. He went on to become a two-time All-Pro with the Rams and Redskins.
Sprinkle played at Tuscola High School. He later became an All-Border Conference player at Hardin-Simmons University. Then he became a two-way star player for the Chicago Bears, playing in four Pro Bowls.
Look up your local sixman school districts and choose a game to go watch this fall. If you have never witnessed one of these games played, you are in for a treat. Fast, hard hitting and lots of scoring.
Thought for the week, “It's still football. There's still hard hits, blocking and tackling." Ben Fox
Dr. Jack Welch is an educator and college football coach. His doctorate is in educational administration, and he has been an educator, administrator, and football coach, mentoring young minds, for over 40 years. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching. He can be reached at jackwelch1975@ gmail.com.