Posted 12:59 am Sunday, June 22, 2008
Former ET Football Coach Joins Hall Of Champions
By CHRIS PARRY
Staff Writer
For 35 years, Royce West has been a fixture on high school football sidelines and track ovals.
Before retiring in 1996, West was responsible for starting the track and field program at Kerens, coaching Winona to the state semifinals and leading Waskom to its best season in school history. And he led Fort Worth Polytechnic’s sprint relay team to a state title. Other stops for West included Terrell, Lindale, Sulphur Springs, Marshall and Liberty City (Sabine High School).
Before retiring in 1996, West was responsible for starting the track and field program at Kerens, coaching Winona to the state semifinals and leading Waskom to its best season in school history. And he led Fort Worth Polytechnic’s sprint relay team to a state title. Other stops for West included Terrell, Lindale, Sulphur Springs, Marshall and Liberty City (Sabine High School).
West was also a defensive line coach at East Texas Sate University (now Texas A&M-Commerce), molding future All-Pros Harvey Banks Martin (Cowboys) and Dwight White (Steelers) into eventual Super Bowl champions. During his time at East Texas State, the team won the Lone Star Championship.
But prior to all of this, West was a two-way lineman helping Stamford High School win 35 consecutive games and two state championships. He also helped Baylor achieve one of its biggest victories ever before continuing on to the NFL with the Denver Broncos.
At Stamford, West was under the tutelage of coaching legend Gordon Wood. Wood still holds the state record for most state championships as a coach with nine.
At Stamford, West was under the tutelage of coaching legend Gordon Wood. Wood still holds the state record for most state championships as a coach with nine.
Wood’s first two state crowns, though, were achieved at Stamford.
In 2000, three years before Wood died at the age of 89, the city of Brownwood decided to honor Wood’s former players with a Hall of Champions. The first few years were solely devoted to former Brownwood players, but in 2004, the Hall opened its doors to all of the players Wood had coached.
In 2000, three years before Wood died at the age of 89, the city of Brownwood decided to honor Wood’s former players with a Hall of Champions. The first few years were solely devoted to former Brownwood players, but in 2004, the Hall opened its doors to all of the players Wood had coached.
It took just four years before West received his phone call.
“I was thrilled. I broke down,” West said. “My brother (Kenneth) was his offensive line coach and when he told me I had been inducted, I was beside myself. It was just such a thrill.”
“I was thrilled. I broke down,” West said. “My brother (Kenneth) was his offensive line coach and when he told me I had been inducted, I was beside myself. It was just such a thrill.”
FORMER FOOTBALL GREATS: The 2008 inductees into the Gordon Wood Hall of Champions included Tyler’s Royce West (second from left). The others (from left) were Tyler Tabor, Glen West, Perry Young and Kirk Wall. Royce West played for the legendary Gordon Wood at Stamford.
Besides the accolades above, any questions of West’s importance to Gordon Wood’s team success are answered on page 450 of Wood’s autobiography, “
Coach of the Century.”
Written by John Carver, Wood lists the best players of five decades of coaching, at every position.
At defensive tackle is the name Royce West.
Wood furthered that choice with his autograph of the book for West. It says, “To Royce, you were one of the finest All-Around football players I ever coached!”
West traveled to Brownwood in May for the Eighth Annual Gordon Wood Hall of Champions induction ceremony.
“How did Coach Wood win nine state championships? He was the best motivator I ever had coach me,” West told the audience.
In 1955, Stamford began a winning streak that still stands as one of the top 10 in Texas history. The Bulldogs captured state titles in 1955 and 1956.
West’s fondest high school memory was of Stamford’s come-from-behind win over New London (now West Rusk). Stamford was trailing New London 12-0 at halftime when the players filed into the locker room with Coach Wood in toe.
“He came in and to talk to us. He just said, ‘If we don’t get busy, we’re fixing to get beat,’ And just walked out,” West recalled. “We came out and Mike McClellan, who was a state sprint champion, broke on a draw play and scored to make it 12-7. Then our fullback, Don Watts, ran over a defensive back, but as the back hit him, he broke his collar bone. Watts continued to run until he scored the touchdown. That was a big win for us.”
After graduating from Stamford, West continued his career at Baylor. The Bear alum’s fondest memory is a road win at LSU.
“It was the first time they’d lost at home in eight years. That was when they had these Chinese bandits down there … that was a real big victory as far as college.
“They had a sign above the stands that said ‘Welcome to Death Valley.’ We couldn’t get over that. That was all we could think about. We managed to beat them 6-3 and it was an all-night job. I played defensive end on defense and that was when you played both ways.”
While at Baylor, West met the woman who would become his wife, Syntha Traughber. She hailed from Gladewater, which explains how a West Texas native has since spent his days in East Texas.
He graduated from Baylor and played a year in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. A hamstring injury ended his playing career and began his coaching career at Terrell.
Through the years, West was at the helm of many winning seasons. He looks fondly on those, but also has regrets on how he handled his teams — adding he should’ve followed Coach Wood’s model more.
“I had a drill before a game where I would get my very best player to say our pledge before calisthenics. ‘We pledge to go all out every play for victory,’” West continued. “I also played Rocky at halftime to get them fired up for the second half.
“But in high school, Coach Wood would have the pep squad come into the locker room, and we’d turn out the lights and they would sing ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ We were ready to chew nails when we hit the field after that.”
West also wishes he’d adopted Wood’s wing-T offense more.
“The guy that used to be at John Tyler, Allen Wilson, he ran Coach Wood’s offense and still does it, and he’s been very successful,” West said. “There is also a guy down here at Liberty-Eylau and they still run Coach Wood’s offense, and they run it just about as well as how Coach Wood did it.”
Wilson won a state title at John Tyler in 1994 using the wing-T offense. Pat Brady earned coach of the year honors after leading Liberty-Eylau to a state title in 2006.
At the completion of West’s speech at the Gordon Wood Hall of Champions induction ceremony, West added “Here’s to you Coach Wood, this one is for you.”
West resides in Tyler with his wife, Dr. Syntha Traughber West, as they approach their 47th wedding anniversary.
Notes:
Also inducted into the Hall of Champions this year, along with West were: Kirk Wall (Brownwood grad who started on Lions’ 1965 state title team), Tyler Tabor (Brownwood quarterback for 1981 state championship team), Perry Young (member of Brownwood 1967 and 1969 state championship teams), and Glen West, Royce’s nephew who is currently the head football coach at Brenham.
