Regaling tales of Greyhounds past

COMMENTARY 

By VICTOR McCUTCHEN
Former SBCISD Educator
Greyhound Superfan

There is a “history-story” surrounding San Benito Greyhound Football that is so intense and powerful, it should not escape the people of San Benito.

I am one who has studied and followed the story pretty intently since 1971.

My long-range view is only one of the hundreds still in the minds of San Benito fans who live in various locations around the world today. There is a ‘Greyhound World’ that I have witnessed and might write about.

I spent 26 years (1971-1997) working as a teacher and counselor in the San Benito CISD. The San Benito News has kindly printed a good number of articles that I have submitted through the years. If this article is accepted, it will probably be the last, for alas, time is running out for this 83-year-old Greyhound enthusiast.

The history-story goes as follows: this article is about the history of Greyhound football. This is only one of the hundreds of stories in the minds of thousands of Greyhound fans throughout the world.

The Greyhound football long-range story is extraordinarily intense and powerful. My proud “Harlingen Cardinal wife” and I arrived in San Benito in 1971, and I spent the next 26 years employed as a teacher and counselor with the SBCISD.

My wife, Linda was determined that we would go to the Harlingen Cardinal games. I attended a couple of Cardinal games, and I quickly concluded that if the San Benito CISD was going to pay my bills, that I should go to the Greyhound games. Linda reluctantly agreed.

We arrived at Greyhound Stadium about 30 minutes before kick-off and noticed that many fans were not seated. Instead, they were standing in the area at both ends of the stadium and on the walkway in front of the first row of the seats.

The people were visiting, talking, laughing, and hugging. We found our seats and some of the people came to us smiling, welcoming us to Greyhound Stadium as two or three beautiful ladies gave my wife a hug. It was almost kick-off time before the mass of fans went to their seats.

My wife then said, “High school football has always been an important part of both of our lives, but I have never seen or felt such a wonderful atmosphere, and we are going to the Greyhound games.” “Goodbye Cardinals!”

It was the following week. Linda and I found ourselves anxious for Friday to come. We wondered if the same atmosphere could be possible again; and, indeed, we found the same wonderful family-like and loving atmosphere.

Everyone respected everyone else. Many things didn’t matter during this special time. It didn’t matter whether one was male or female; one’s religion didn’t matter; politics didn’t matter; race didn’t matter. The focus and the mindset of everyone seemed to be the same.

Next came an out-of-town game. It was in Weslaco, if memory serves correctly. What about an out-of-town game? Would the atmosphere be the same? Indeed it was. In fact, the big surprise was that the San Benito crowd was as large as the Weslaco crowd. This doesn’t happen with other high schools.

My question to many was, “What causes this unusual thing in San Benito and nowhere else?” There were several answers, but the story was slowly pieced together, and it was likely correct. In many of the conversations, the 1962 school year kept coming up.

What was so special about the 1962 year? The Greyhound football team was one of the top four teams in Texas. Things were written about the San Benito Greyhounds in the sports pages of the newspapers in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and others. If a team wins a state-championship, its fans own a special honor for the rest of their lives. It seemed that this might be possible for the Greyhounds. Could it happen?

The playoff situation was as follows: There were four great teams left in the playoffs. These were San Benito, Nederland, and two others. The written newspaper reports in major newspapers said that San Benito and Nederland were the two most powerful teams.

It was San Benito and Nederland. Hopes and dreams are coming to pass. The great day came.

The game was played in San Benito. Both teams were so equal that one could not tell which team might win as the game progressed. Game time was running out and San Benito was ahead with only seconds left to play. The Greyhounds were trying to run the clock out.

Then, suddenly, what was likely most dreaded happened. A freak movement put the ball in the hands of Nederland, and it was run all the way back for a Nederland touchdown. The Greyhounds lost.
It seems that the pain was so intense and could never be forgotten or go away. Some said that grown men were crying. This supposition is that this terrible event welded the San Benito fan base into a bond that could never be broken.

Things have never been the same. It is now 2024 and that bond still holds, to a large extent. The San Benito fan base, players, and ex-players hold onto this bond and never let it slip away. You have something special that no other high school has. This history is something that you own. Keep this bond forever. I had the privilege of being the stadium announcer for the Greyhound football games for three years. I am a Bible -believing Christian and thank God that he let me be part of Greyhound history.

The San Benito News has printed several articles that I submitted through the years. If this column is accepted, it will probably be the last. I am an 83-year-old man and a proud member of Greyhound history, and my time is swiftly running out. If I should write another article, it would be about the “Greyhound World,” which really exists and few know about. May God’s blessings be with all you readers!