Page 39 - 2017-media-guide

Tony Heath leaves strong legacy and

lasting memories

by Dr. David Davis
WHEN IT COMES to putting in perspective what Tony Heath has meant to the Pearland Oilers
football program and the overall impact he has had at Pearland High School and the Pearland
community, the adjectives and emotions are difficult to put into words.

It is hard to imagine that the 2017 high school football season will begin
without Tony Heath at the helm of the Oilers, but that time has sadly
come, but not after reflecting that the Pearland football story is
one of the greatest stories in Texas football folklore.

Looking at the numbers is what really puts things into a proper
perspective.

The numbers for Heath are spectacular as he closes out a 20-year
coaching career with a 195-53 mark that includes one state champi-
onship, one state finals appearance, four state semifinals, four region-
al titles, and eight shared or outright district championships.

Plus -- over 130 players signed letters-of-intent to continue their
education and playing careers under Heath's guidance as a re-
ward for their success on the field and in the classroom.

"I can remember making our goal in 1997 to win just one game,"
Heath said. "Not that we didn't want to win every game, but at that
time, the goal was to teach the kids how to win."

Heath inherited a program that had a 19-game losing streak and
the Oilers hadn't won a district game in three years. They were
coming off a 0-10 season in 1996 so Heath didn't promise a win-
ning season, a district championship, or a trip to the playoffs. The
goal was to win one game and develop a win one game at a time mentality. Pearland lost the first
six games to run the losing streak to 25 games before the Oilers beat Pasadena 24-13
on October 17, 1997 for Heath's first win as the Oilers' head coach.

"We taught win one game at a time from the very beginning and it is still true
to this day," Heath said.

Since 20 years is now in the books, it is important to take a look a Pearland
football where it was 20 years prior to the arrival of Heath.

From 1977 to 1996, Pearland compiled an anemic 43-156-1
mark while making the playoffs only once in 1986. In fact,
the Oilers only made the playoffs once each decade start-
ing in 1950 when Pearland was 11-1. The Oilers finished
with a perfect 10-0 season, won their first playoff game,
and then lost the following week.

The Oilers made the post-season again in 1962 fin-
ishing the season at 10-1. That Pearland team posted
the last perfect 10-0 season before the Oilers next

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