Former Pearland head coach Tony Heath honored at Texas Bowl

    It has been eight years since former Pearland head coach Tony Heath retired after 20 years at the helm of the Oilers football fortunes.
    Heath retired after the 2016 season that saw the Oilers conclude their 17th straight year in the post-season which began in 2000. Pearland closed out 2024 with their 25th consecutive year in the playoffs under now Pearland head coach B.J. Gotte.
    Though it has been eight years since Heath roamed the sidelines, the former coach, who had been honored with multiple accolades in the past, was once again in the limelight at this year’s Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium before Baylor and LSU kicked off to battle for the title.
    Prior to the game, Heath was inducted in the Texas Bowl Gridiron Legends which honors individuals who have made a significant contribution to the game of football in the state of Texas — either at the high school, collegiate or professional level.
    The 2024 class features Pro Football Hall of Famer’s Eric Dickerson and John Randle, two sport Baylor Bear and All-American linebacker, James Francis, three-time All American kicker at Texas A&M and Pro Bowl New England Patriots kicker, Tony Franklin and legendary head football coach at Pearland High School, Tony Heath.
    The 2024 class joins 100 other Gridiron Legends who have been inducted since the Bowl’s inception in 2006, including Texas greats Earl Campbell, Joe Greene, Andre Ware, Bum Phillips, Jim Nantz, John David Crow, Andre Johnson, Bruce Matthews and Dave Campbell among others.
    Heath joins some of football greats and deservedly so.
    During Heath’s 20 years at Pearland, he took a football program that had the reputation of being the favorite Homecoming opponent to a program that became one of the top teams in the state of Texas.
    The Oilers were a team that made the playoffs only once each decade from 1950 to 1999.
    Pearland won a playoff game in 1950 and didn’t win another one until the Oilers beat Deer Park 35-13 in the Astrodome in 2000 — 50 years later and Heath and his coaching staff orchestrated the incredible turnaround in Pearland history.
    Beginning in 1989 he joined the La Marque High School staff and was a part of four state championship appearances which included back-to-back state championships (’95 and ’96) during his eight-year tenure.
    In 1997, Heath was hired as Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator at Pearland High School. He inherited a football team that had a 9-90-1 record over the previous ten seasons and led them to the playoffs in his very first season (1997).
    After missing the playoffs in ’98 and ‘99, he led the Oilers to the playoffs each season since 2000 – a streak that spanned 17 seasons.
    During that span, the Oilers made six trips to the regional finals, four to the state semifinals and two to the state championship.
    The 2010 Oiler squad was the Class 5A Team of the Year and set a new Pearland record at 16-0 and won the school’s first Class 5A Division I State Championship by defeating then No. 1 nationally ranked Euless Trinity 28-24.
    His final record was 195-53, making him the winningest coach in Pearland history.
    Over the course of his tenure at Pearland, he received numerous awards and accolades: 2001 Houston Chronicle Coach of the Year, Touchdown Club of Houston Coach of the Year Finalist from 2000 – 2008, Touchdown Club’s Coach of the Year in 2010, District Coach of the Year in 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010.
    Perhaps Heath’s influence over thousands of Pearland student-athletes over the course of 20 years could also be added to his legacy plus the scores of athletes that were able to advance to play at the collegiate level while getting a coveted education for their future.
    Heath has served on the Board of Directors for both the Greater Houston (President) and Texas High School Coaches Associations and was inducted into the Ronnie Bell Hall of Honor in 2012.
    He also had the privilege of coaching in the Bayou Bowl in 2003, 2007 and 2009.
    Heath is now working full-time as a business development manager for Hellas Construction and recently joined Athlete Training and Health as a senior consultant.