Look at the faces of these football players from 102 years ago! They look like men, instead of schoolboys, even though they were only 15-16 years old! You can see the roughness and toughness in their faces!
That probably came from working on the farms and ranches around Devine since they were young boys; and their strength was from the farmwork they did, rather than a weight room! These tough-looking football players made up only the second team of football for Devine High School, when school only went to the 10th or 11th grade level.
Now look at their coach. Coach Soyars was not much older, being only 23 years old at the time. His team went 4-2-1 in only their second season, but they did not have a nickname.
That unique mascot name did not come for another year or so when Coach “Warhorse” Tate, a college student from San Marcos Normal School came to coach in Devine. But that is another story for another day, so stay tuned to The Devine News next week to learn more about Coach Tate and the Warhorses that bear his name, 100 year later! By Nancy Ehlinger Saathoff
*Devine High School 1922- Second Football Team : Front Row—Edgar Bailey, Joe Vance, Capt. Frank Vance, George Thompson, Matt Howard; Middle Row- Bill Morris, O.M ‘Thebo’ Redus, Allison Sims, Ted Vance, Hartley Howard, Frank Williamson; Back row-Coach Erwin Soyars, Jack Morris, Hugh Rose, Magness Lindsey, Lewis Taylor, and Douglas Lilly. *Check out the last names of the players. Some of these names may be familiar, as some descendants of these players still reside in Devine today.
