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Whilst watching channel 8 news tonight, I got a real blast from the past. Channel 8 ran a brief story about Plano honoring their very first state championship football team. The 1965 team that beat Edna in the 2-A (now class 4-A) championship game. They also noted that it was Plano's first integrated football team. Why is this relevant to North Texas football? Well their coach that year was Tom Gray (I bet everyone assumed it was the legendary John Clark....but no). Here is a brief bio of Tom Gray from one of their web-sites. "Tom Gray Gray was born in 1930 and coached football at McKinney for four years before coming to Plano. While serving as coach and athletic director at Plano from 1959-65, Gray amassed a 64-19-3 record. Gray won district championships in 1961, 64 and 65, which was the year Gray established integration on the team. However, that year is also remembered for another reason. In 1965, Plano went 14-1 and defeated Edna 20-17 in the Class 2A State Championship, to claim its first title. After resigning from Plano, Gray went on to lead Mesquite to its first state title game as well. Before becoming a coach, Gray played halfback for San Angelo Junior College and North Texas. During that time, he acquired the nickname Potty, because his build, 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds, was similar to that of a pot." From the 1952 Yucca... http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61021/m1/241/?q=gray http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61021/m1/244/?q=gray It appears he played in the same backfield with the legendary Ken Bahnsen and Ray Renfro http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61021/m1/243/?q=renfro How does this relate to me? Well being from Decatur, I saw both of those first two Plano championship teams. Decatur also fielded it's first integrated team in 1965. I believe that the two first players of color on that Plano team were John Griggs (RB/LB) and a Lineman named Robinson(?). The first player of color on the 1965 Decatur team was Ray Russell who played guard that year where is was all district, and then switched to end where he was also all-district. Plano began that memorable season beating Decatur 27-13 in their (at the time) brand new stadium that was located east of 75. Coaching Decatur that year was Bill Davis, who ended up coaching at L.D. Bell HS. The next year (66) Decatur got it's revenge and beat Plano 7-6. A new assistant on that 66 Decatur coaching staff was a former North Texas football player.....Neal Wilson. Many of you Lewisville HS graduates might remember him. #15 bottom left. http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61033/m1/338/?q=wilson