Page 36 - Pearland High School Media Guide 2016

While other Texas cities built state pow-
ers in football, the people of Pearland
had never known what it really meant to
have a consistent winner year-after-year.
When Tony Heath came to Pearland High
School as the new head coach in 1997
-- the former La Marque assistant coach
knew that he faced the greatest chal-
lenge of his young coaching career.

Not only was this his first head coach-
ing job -- after waiting in the wings for
several years for this opportunity -- but
he was taking over one of the losingest football programs in the state
of Texas. He inherited a 17-game losing streak spanning back to 1995
when the Oilers registered their last win -- a 31-0 victory over Hous-
ton Austin in the third game of the season.

That 1995 team finished 2-8 and then the 1996 squad finished 0-10.

Heath didn’t promise a district championship or a winning season
his first year. In fact - he realistically stated, “I just want
to snap the losing streak and see my players get a
taste of what it means to win.”

There was another thing that Heath inherited and
that was very small fan support of his football
team.

That was to be expected considering that
looking back from 1990-to-1996 - prior to
Heath’s arrival -- the Oilers posted a pathetic
6-63-1 mark with three of those years at 0-10
each.

When the Oilers played at home - the routine
was simple. Watch Pearland get drilled in the
first half -- watch the band present a splendid
halftime show -- and then watch the majority of the crowd leave to go
home after the band’s performance as Pearlanders couldn’t stand to
watch another beating.

In fact - Pearland was known as a favorite homecoming oppo-

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