Heel or Hero? Half an Inch Can Make the Difference...

Rusty Russell's philosophy of coaching can be gleaned from Channel 8 interview conducted in Dallas in his retirement years when he and Nita enjoyed watching football games from the comfort of their home. He was 86 at the time of the interview.

"Half an inch one way or the other can make a heel or a hero out of you," he often said to his kids in teaching them the importance of doing your best.

"I worked 24 hours a day if necessary...to prepare a team to win a ball game. I wanted to do everything possible, of course I made a lot of mistakes. If it didn't turn out right I didn't lose any sleep, I sat down and ate a good meal and went to sleep and I believe in that. I tell my kids and I always have, you give your best, you give your all out there and when you do that, you don't have to apologize to anybody. That's my ticket."

1940 Team...

The September 1940 team included: front row, left to right, Ray Coulter, Billy Joe Cagle, Dewitt Coulter, Curtis Robbins, Floyd Lewis, Cecil Moseley and Leonard Roach; back row, left to right: Hardy Brown, Clyde Roberts, C.D. Sealey and Basel Smith.

JUST IN THIS PHOTO OF 11, the accomplishments beyond The Home are amazing. Ray Coulter and DeWitt Coulter are in the Texas High School Hall of Fame, and Dewitt is also in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Brownie Lewis was a starter at SMU and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Billy Joe Cagle enlisted and served at Iwo Jima, was wounded twice, and received two separate Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star. He played on scholarship at the University of Tulsa and was named All-Conference. Clyde Roberts went to North Texas on a football scholarship, enlisted in the Marines, started as a Private and ended up a Lt. Colonel. He was decorated 11 times after serving in WWII, Korea,Vietnam, and among those awards, was the Bronze Star. Hardy Brown was named All-Conference at Tulsa, then played 12 years of pro football. C.D. "Wheatie" Sealey was decorated and wounded in WWII and then served as a coach and educator for 40 years in Fort Worth. Doug Lord isn't in that photo but was on that team and went on to manage a World Boxing Champion, gain a bachelors and graduate degree and attain the level of Brigadier General in the Air Force.