The Wylie News (Wylie, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 31, 1994 Page: 46 of 64
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Page 14 - PIRATES PREVIEW - August 31,1994
Rich
From Page 13
his leadership as head coach of the
Wylie basketball program.
One day prior to the 1960 open-
ing game, Coach Hall was hired
and carried the team that year to a
dismal 0-10 record. Thus ended
the term of Coach Hall’s place in
Wylie football history.
Former Assistant Coach Troy
Maynard took over command of
the Wylie Pirates in 1961 and
brought
on James
Blue as
an
assist-
ant.
Coach
Maynard
imme-
diately
improved
the
team’s Maynard
record
two fold by accumulating a record
of 2-8 in District 13, Class 1A.
The Pirates continued their jaunt
across the local district for three
more years, highlighted by the
beginning of pre game bonfires
and parades in 1962, and the estab-
lishing of the Quarterback club in
1963. However, the football team
never won more than 2 games in
each of Coach Maynard’s three
seasons.
Things began to look up for the
1964, District 13 Class 1A football
program, when new Head Coach
Grady Burnett from Wheeler,
Texas rolled into town and began
running up the score on opposing
squads.
During that 1964 season, the
Wylie Pirates scored 290 points in
comparison to 88 points from the
opposition. However, they lost to
Frisco that year and Finished tied
for second in District 15. 1A. That
year’s record marked the best of
any of Coach Burnett’s 6 seasons.
GLORY DAYS
The Sixties were sweeping the
country, and Vietnam was plagu-
ing the airwaves night after night.
Back home in Wylie, mediocre
football teams were beginning to
grow into champions, and oppos-
ing teams were beginning to take
notice.
New leadership of the program
came in the form of Charles Bird-
song who took over in 1970. He
immediately took the team to a 9-1
season and went 4-1 in district 15,
Class 1A. The only loss was to
Farmersville, 12-0.
The first playoff season of the
1970’s erupted in 1971 when the
team went 9-0-1 in regular season,
eight of those wins being shut outs.
The Pirates beat Van Alstyne in the
Bi District Championship, but fell
to Crowley 30-0 at Hanby Stadium
in Mesquite in the second round.
Gerald Lloyd
Though his teams were victori-
ous, (Jerald Lloyd replaced Coach
Birdsong in 1972 when the Wylie
School District moved up from
Class 1A to Class 2A. Unfortu-
nately, Coach Birdsong took his
winning ways with him as the 1972
team recorded a depressing 1-9
season.
Luck was not part of Coach
Lloyd’s system, and his 0-10
record in 1973 was his Final oppor-
tunity to make his mark in Wylie
football history. His exit however,
uthered in a new era in the Pirate
football chronology.
A new regime took charge of the
Wylie football program, and the
man directing the troops was
Coach Jerry Shaffer. In two short
years. Coach Shaffer lifted the
team from the depths and made
them believers of their achieve-
ments.
When a new field opened up for
the team in 1976, the Pirates tore
up the grass that year with a 7-3
record, and advanced on to beat
Granbury in the Bi-District Cham-
pionship, 33-14. However, the
team took a trouncing against the
number one team in class 2A that
year, Bowie, 53-14, on Fouts Field
in Denton on December 2, 1976.
Regardless of the loss, this was just
the beginning of an incredible pre-
ceding year.
NEVER SAY NEVER
A stale publication, Texas Foot-
ball Magazine, found it in their
hearts to rank the local Pirates 6th
in the state in Class 2A in 1977 in
a preseason poll. The Associated
l*ress felt less generous and ranked
the squad 9th in their preseason
poll. What would eventually come
to pass was an embarrassment to
both predictions.
Opening the season with a big
win over then Class 3A Diamond
Hill, 53-14, the Pirates began their
quest for a state title. Two back to
back losses to Kaufman, and then
1A Farmersville by two points 14-
12, put just a small snag in an oth-
erwise blessed season.
The Pirates went on a 6 game
winning streak, and Finished off an
undefeated District 12 season to
meet Granbury in Weatherford lor
the Bi-District Championship.
Jerry Shaffer - 1077
In a close fought game, the
Pirates took the Final lead with less
than 3:00 minutes to play. A
touchdown pass from quarterback
Ronnie Cross to tight end Doug
Gollahon put the Pirates up 15-14.
and the extra point by Rock King
Finalized it 16-14. Grandbury fum-
bled on the ensuing kick off and
the Pirates recovered to solidify the
win and advance in the State Play-
offs. _
Please see Rich Page 15
Hooray
For
Pirate Football
JMktt Jfuraral Pome
508 ;p. pastors 442-2234
Wishing The Wylie Pirates
a successful season
V \ s
Ed's TV & VCR Service
101 W. Oak, Wylie 442-6174
Serving the Wylie-Sachse Area
•TV *Big Screen TV *VCR • Monitor Repairs
•Camcorders «Stereos
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Cook, Margaret. The Wylie News (Wylie, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 31, 1994, newspaper, August 31, 1994; Wylie, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth749438/m1/46/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Smith Public Library.