I have a confession to make: I’ve been binge-watching Friday Night Lights, the TV series about high school football in a small Texas town.
“Why in the world are you watching that?” a friend asked. “You don’t even like sports.”
My only excuse is that I like the photography and lighting and it reminds me of the scores of high school football games I covered. I always said I would rather cover high school sports than college or pro games because the players are real. They may have grandiose ideas about getting rich in the future, but on Friday night, it’s all about playing for their team, their school (and to get girls).
High school soap opera
Think of Friday Night Lights as a soap opera set in high school. It’s kind of like Glee, except they don’t break out in annoying singing and cavorting. I hate lip synching, particularly when the actors over-emote and look like a poodle passing peach pits in the close-ups.
Anyway, I scanned this pep rally a long time ago, but held off running it because a lot of the negatives were in really bad shape.
Coach Goodwin wasn’t Coach Taylor
NBC’s Coach Taylor character was a tough, but compassionate coach who managed to turn the role into an 2011 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and was nominated for another one in 2010.
As a non-jock, I generally flew beneath the radar of Cape Central’s Coach Goodwin. I didn’t get to see his compassionate side. I shared some of my phys ed experiences earlier.
Narrow ties and white socks era
It looks like white socks and narrow ties were the uniform of the day.
I recognize some folks
I have the luxury of being able to blow up the film like it was a crime scene photo on a TV show. When I enlarge it way, way up, I think I can pick out some of the members of the pep band: David Hahs, Lee Dahringer and John Ueleke. I’m pretty sure Joan Earley is sitting next to the band. You’ll just have to take my word for it. You CAN click on the photos to make them larger, but you won’t be able to take them up as much as I can with the raw film.
1965 Majorettes
The majorettes in the background were part of the Class of 1965, so these were probably taken in the fall of 1964 or early in 1965. I can’t remember when football season ended and basketball started. I don’t recognize the girls in the football uniforms.
If I hurry up and post this, I might be able to knock off the rest of Season 2 before I go to bed.
This weekend’s Parade magazine (boy, is IT ever getting thin) offered Three Cheers for Little League on its cover. It pointed out that the youth league celebrates its 75th anniversary on June 6.
