Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association
"Remembering the Past With Pride"
PVIL Athletes
James Cash was the brightest star for coach Robert Hughes at Fort Worth I.M. Terrell High School and became the first black athlete at TCU in 1965. After TCU he went on to a distinguished business career. See his story here.
In 1992 the Houston Chronicle selected an all-time PVIL team. Listed below are the first team offensive and defensive selections:
Offense
- WR -- Charley Taylor, Grand Prairie
- WR -- Warren Wells, Beaumont Hebert
- WR -- Cliff Branch, Houston Worthing
- End -- Jerry Levias, Beaumont Hebert
- Line -- Gene Upshaw, Robstown
- Line -- Marvin Upshaw, Robstown
- Line -- Ernie Ladd, Orange
- Line -- Clarence Williams, Sweeny Carver
- QB -- Otis Taylor, Houston Worthing
- Back -- Gene Washington, Baytown Carver
- Back -- Duane Thomas, Dallas Lincoln
Defense
- Line -- Toby Smith, Beaumont Charlton-Pollard
- Line -- Bubba Smith, Beaumont Charlton-Pollard
- Line -- Joe Greene, Temple Dunbar
- Line -- Harvey Martin, Dallas South Oak Cliff
- LB -- Dick Lane, Austin Anderson
- LB -- Tony Gillory, Beaumont Hebert
- LB -- Emmitt Thomas, Angleton
- Back -- Mel Farr, Beaumont Hebert
- Back -- Miller Farr, Beaumont Hebert
- Back -- Ken Houston, Lufkin Dunbar
- Back -- Abner Haynes, Dallas Lincoln
There are six former PVIL football players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
- Joe Greene (Pittsburgh Steelers) - Temple (Dunbar)
- Gene Upshaw (Oakland Raiders) - Robstown
- Dick "Night Train" Lane (Detroit Lions) - Austin (Anderson)
- Charley Taylor (Washington Redskins) - Grand Prairie (Dalworth)
- Emmitt Thomas (Kansas City Chiefs) - Angleton (Marshall)
- Ken Houston (Washington Redskins) - Lufkin (Dunbar)
Notes
- Running back Ollie Matson of Houston Yates starred at the University of San Francisco and, in 1951, was the first black Texan to receive Heisman votes.
- Beaumont Charlton-Pollard lineman Bubba Smith starred at Michigan State and became the No. 1 overall pick of the 1967 NFL draft (Baltimore Colts), one of five players from PVIL schools taken that year as an NFL team’s first choice. The others were running back Mel Farr (Hebert), wide receiver Gene Washington (Baytown Carver), lineman Gene Upshaw (Robstown), and running back Willie Ellison (Lockhart Carver).
- The PVIL-sponsored Chocolate Bowl in 1939, matched the black state champions from Texas (Temple Dunbar) against their counterparts from Louisiana (Bogalusa).
- In basketball, Houston Worthing’s David Lattin was a valuable center on the Texas Western team that upset Kentucky in the 1966 NCAA national championship game and was featured in the book and hit movie, "Glory Road".
- Albert L. Breed - Basketball
- Ben "B.J." Dukes, Sr. - Basketball
- Oscar Willie Fresch, Jr. - Basketball
- David Marks - Basketball
- Thomas J. Valley - Basketball
- Charles Douglas Crenshaw - Track
- William Montgomery - Track
- Verna M. Reece Powers - Track
- Kenneth St. Julian - Track
- Donald Bennett - Tennis
- George Adams - Football
- Howard O’Neal Aldridge - Football
- Max Anderson - Football
- Charles "Poppa Charlie" Brooks - Football
- Clarence Caldwell - Football
- Louis C. Carr - Football
- Rev. Jimmie L. Cobbin - Football
- Orsby Crenshaw - Football
- Elgin G. Davis - Football
- Charles Elder - Football
- Charles Harris - Football
- Arthur Ray Henderson - Football
- Warnie Hill - Football
- Leodia Jones - Football
- Willie R. Lagway - Football
- Theophilus Houston Land - Football
- Jeff Lewis, Jr. - Football
- Marcus Moseley - Football
- Bobby Mosley - Football
- Roy Dean Phillips - Football
- Lee O. President - Football
- Wesley D. Ratcliff - Football
- Joseph Summerfield - Football
- Jerrell "Tank" Washington - Football
- Edd Lewis White - Football
