I have a few stories about recruiting and while on campus told to me by the old timers in the TD Club
Tidbit. While on freshman orientation in 1976 we visited the bookstore. Our guide said " if you go to the back you can see 4 years of books Warren McVea never picked up"
Just back from active duty, started with Fulbright and Jaworski, so first thing I did was buy season tickets. Saw Warren play as freshman against I believe it was Air Force. There for our first season, first game in Dome. Warren first started against Tulsa, flubbed a KO, and because they had discovered they could not grow grass beneath the dome had trouble finding his footing the whole game. But I was in East Lansing when Warren put on the show of the century. He was so fun to watch.
Nice story lol
The stories I was told by the folks in the trenches paints Wells differently, who is a TSU grad ironically. He had a mission and carried it out well.
As a kid, I was a reader of his columns and he actually detailed the recruiting tactics used.
Savoy Field hotel down town. Nuff said
Butch, I wonder if I am the only one who has no clue about what you are saying. It was not “nuff said.”
Not going to get into particulars but at one point it was said by folks close to the program that McVea had a suite there and also a summer job.
I only met McVea a couple of times and there is no doubt he was a gifted player and no doubt he played under an incredible amount of pressure being UH’s first black player.
But at the same time it is known he was well taken care of his years here
I have a great deal of respect for coach but there are some myths that have grown over the years that are just that, myths. One of them is that we didn’t “recruit” like the other SWC schools. That is not accurate we “recruited” with the best of them. The other was that coach won with inferior players that he did more with less. That is absolutely not true. In the late 60’s and early 70’s we had as many players drafted as any of the titans in this area of the country. We were really good.
We had a huge advantage in recruiting black athletes because we broke the color barrier AND we didn’t lie to them. We offered as much to the black kids as the white kids and we came through and kept our promises.
Harold’s in the Height…nuff said
Tru Dat…
We definitely cheated—like everyone else. My dad knew a coach who was close to Elmo’s family. Apparently TSU thought they would sign him. When the TSU coach got to the Wright residence to wrap things up, he saw brand new, plush flooring and furniture in the living room and realized that Elmo would be attending UH.
TSU recruited him when he was at Sweeny’s Carver High but after a spectacular senior season after playing his senior year at Sweeny lots of folks began recruiting Mo, including UT, Missouri and many others.
His mom did not want him to play football but to remain in the band lol.
He had a great senior season at Sweeny opening up the doors to big time recruitment.
Never heard the TSU story but wouldn’t doubt Elmos family were blessed. But I doubt the Tigers had any chance regardless
When his was putter hot?
RIP Harold…he was bigger than life. God knows, my Dad spent a lot of money there. And who can forget…
Dress 70
Talk 80
Shoot 90…when my putter’s hot…
Great great throwback.
Texas was recruiting him? They didn’t sign Whittier until '69, and Leaks was a freshman at UT the year after Elmo’s senior season at UH. It may well be that Texas just didn’t have any luck with black players in the 60s, but I thought Royal wasn’t really interested until it became obvious he had to be and started recruiting them in '69, a couple of years after Elmo signed with UH?
Many years ago CBY told me some of the big cigars in Austin informed DKR that they would not continue their support if he recruited any (racial pejorative). This is why Elmo signed with us. If the moderators feel this revelation is improper feel free to edit or remove.
Greg Pruitt was headed to TSU also but his head coach, a TSU alum who ended being head coach down the line, packaged him to Oklahoma at the last minute. Several others in the area did go to swac schools but left for places like Arizona State after being intimidated at the amount of talent they had to compete against. It was easier to play up and integrate than stay in the SWAC.
Between Elmer Redd, PV grad and Lloyd Wells, TSU grad, UH and other schools in the area probably owes both schools way more than we think lol.
But it shows you the power of the AA athlete and the lengths folks have taken and still do (overkill of facilities to illegal payments) to keep them from really looking.
Read A&M’s AA population is 3% - just why even go through that?
Texas never offered him a scholarship but they did come to Sweeny. But you are right they did not sign a black kid until they got the running back from Austin Reagan and I think he had to go to JC before joining the team in '69.
My point is that Elmo was very well thought of by some of the majors, especially out of the south. He wanted to stay close to home but he had other options. There was never any way he was ending up at TSU…
I think when USC came in and beat TU with OJ it opened some eyes in Austin, and then our tie with them got the board to listening to DKR…
I remember that phrase from Harold’s Clothing store ad. He was one of the sponsors of CBY’s football show.
Go Coogs !
Just as an aside…didn’t we get Robert Newhouse from Sweeny ?