100 Greatest - No. 5 Team: 1962 PSJA High

The PSJA Bears knew they had a good team. Led by a ferocious defense and star halfback B.R. "Poppy" Rodriguez, 1962 was going to be a season to remember in the tri-cities. Little did anyone know at the time the historical significance the team would have on the Rio Grande Valley.

Like the rest of South Texas, PSJA and its fans knew of Donna's run to the 1961 Class 2A state title. The Bears played Class 3A ball at the time, so there was no chance of a playoff meeting. The best PSJA could do was equal the Redskins' title run. The Bears, the No. 5 team in The Monitor's 100 Greatest series, came oh-so-close, losing in the state title game to Dumas.

Under the guidance of former assistant Charlie Williams, the '60 Bears pioneered the installation of two-platoon football at the school, and the '62 team perfected it. Instead of players playing both offense and defense, PSJA used its wealth of talent to the fullest. Thirteen Bears were chosen for the all-District 16-3A team. But before they could celebrate anything, they had to overcome San Benito and all-state tailback Jim Helms in the regular-season finale.

Helms and the Greyhounds ended PSJA's playoff hopes in 1961 with a 7-6 victory that clinched the 16-3A title and the accompanying postseason berth. Determined not to let that happen again, the Bears limited Helms to 38 yards and won an epic defensive struggle that ended in a scoreless tie. PSJA won the district crown and advanced to the 3A state playoffs by virtue of a 10-6 edge in first downs.

"I'd call our defense probably the best defense in the state of Texas," Rodriguez said. "Any time our offense had to go against our defense, it was an all-out war. I hated it. We had a tremendous defense. A lot of people forget that."

Williams, who is 77 and resides in Longview with his wife, Joy, remembers his defense well despite suffering from Alzheimer's.
"What memory I have of that team is we didn't give up but 42 points in the whole season in 1962, and we shut out the other team seven times," Williams said.

Backed by its rugged defense and an explosive offense, the Bears slipped past South San Antonio 29-22, whipped Austin Johnston 26-0 and then peeled past Orange 20-13 in the state semifinals, setting up a chance to repeat Donna's feat from the previous year.
Unfortunately for the Bears, the dream ended on the field at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Despite taking a 3-0 lead at halftime, PSJA couldn't hold off a Dumas team which outweighed it by approximately 50 pounds on the offensive and defensive lines in the frigid North Texas temperatures.

Despite the 14-3 loss, the Bears were the toast of the Rio Grande Valley. After such a smashing success in Williams' first year as coach, the PSJA community and the entire Valley knew some of the best football in the state was being played in deep South Texas. Williams and his staff, line coach Alton Slayton and defensive coordinator Harold Coates, instilled the belief in the Bears, and they overcame any perceived physical disadvantages on paper with heart and courage when they stepped on the field.

"A lot of us were fairly small compared to some of the other teams and slow," quarterback Carlos Vela said. "But our defense was extremely special because they kept us in the game all the time.

"It's something that gets more and more special as the years go by."

Todd Mavreles covers District 31-5A for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4451.

THE SERIES
With the 100th season of high school football in the Rio Grande Valley upon us, The Monitor will take a look at the top 25 coaches, top 25 teams and top 50 players of all time.

THE TEAMS
1: TBA
AUGUST 10

2: TBA
AUGUST 9

3: TBA
AUGUST 8

4: TBA
AUGUST 7

5: PSJA HIGH
1962

6: Mission High
1990

7: Weslaco High
1955

8: San Benito
1961

9: Edcouch-Elsa
1997

10: Donna
1935

11: Mercedes
1957

12: Port Isabel
1994

13: McAllen High
1952

14: Edinburg High
1999

15: Mission High
1987

16: Edinburg High
1953

17: Harlingen High
1989

18: Harlingen High
1994

19: Los Fresnos
2006

20: Edcouch-Elsa
2005

21: Port Isabel
1990

22: Port Isabel
2003

23: McAllen High
1975

24: Sharyland
1961

25: San Benito
2004

WHY THEY VOTED

The 1962 PSJA Bears were led by first-year coach Charlie Williams, who served as an assistant coach at the school the previous three seasons.

Halfback B.R. "Poppy" Rodriguez rushed for 1,730 yards on 351 attempts to lead the offense. PSJA's defense limited all-state halfback Jim Helms of San Benito to 38 yards during the final game of the regular season, a scoreless tie in which the Bears were awarded the victory by recording 10 first downs to the Greyhounds' six.

PSJA's 29-22 win over South San Antonio in bi-district was the first postseason win in school history.