The Crazy Kid
My Life as a Coach and Athletic Director in Garland, Texas
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I taught science my first year I was on the faculty at Garland. I took some science classes at North Texas, but I didn’t major in science. It showed, too — the first experiment I performed at Garland High School, I blew a kettle all the way through the ceiling! Miss Billie Nichols was the head of the science department at Garland High School at that time. She was a science teacher that we’d had all through school, so she knew me. When I found out I was going to teach science, I went to see her so I could get my textbook. She was around the school all the time, and she was there on August 15, which was the day we started football practice. I went up to her and said, “Miss Billie (I always called her Miss Billie), I need to borrow a science book.” She said, “May I ask, Homer, what you’d be doing with a science book?” I said, “Nobody’s told you?” She said, “Nobody’s told me what?” I said, “I’m going to be teaching science!” And she said, “I think you’re going to need a science book.” She was in the next room when I blew the kettle through the ceiling. She came in there and said, “What have you done?! What have you done?!” I couldn’t let the kids know I messed up, so I said, “Miss Billie, I was just showing the students what would happen if they failed to let the steam off of that kettle.” I knew the steam is what blew it through there. She said, “That’s alright, but did you have to tear up the ceiling?”
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About the Book
Homer B. Johnson has been a coach in the Garland, Texas, Indpendent School District since 1948 and the athletic director of the GISD sincd 1963. When you coach in one place for that long, you are bound to have a story or two to tell - and Homer definitely has one or two. As Homer spins through one classic story after another in this book, you will see why he has had the cultural impact that he has had on high school sports in Texas. From a sideline fistfight that fired up future Baltimore Colts star Bobby Boyd, to University of Texas star Marquise Goodwin dominating the high school state track meet wo years in a row, all of Homer's favorite stories are told here in his down home, unassuming fashion, with some added insight and testimonials from his peers. If you know Homer or have heard him speak, then you know that his storytelling ability is almost as legendary as Texas itself. If you have not met Homer or heard him speak, you are in for a real treat as you meet him for the first time and relive 60-plus years of Texas high school sports through his eyes.
About the Author
Homer B. Johnson is a graduate of Garland High School and of the University of North Texas, and has worked in the Garland ISD since 1948. He has been athletic director of the Garland ISD since 1963. He is a member of six Halls of Fame in Texas for his contributions to high school athletics. Derek Ray Johnson is a graduate of North Garland High School. He served as the sports editor for The Garland News for six years and has served as both an analyst and play-by-play man for Garland ISD football broadcasts on the radio. He currently lives in Rowlett, Texas, with his wife and two kids. Brian Honea is a graduate of South Garland High School. He wrote and edited for many newspaeprs in the Dallas area for 11 years, including four with The Garland News. He has previously published two non-fiction sports books, and he has a master's degree from Amberton University in Garland. He currently lives in Garland with his wife.