By the Numbers: Golden Era

As the decade came to an end in 1969, so did a cultural era.
For nearly 10 years, the United States had put up with a youthful movement of free love and free will.
But in the southern most tip of Texas, Brownsville wasn't too mindful of the counter culture movement or radical political activists.
At least not the hardcore high school football fans.
Thirty-nine years ago it was quarterback Desi Najera, defensive back Ruben Fernandez and the Amazing Brownsville Eagles that captured the Valley's heart.
The '69 Eagles are the focus of No. 39 on the Valley Morning Star's "By The Numbers" series.
"We were a team," Najera said. "There wasn't one or two guys that wanted to stand out individually. We were like a family."
Brownsville went 9-1 during the regular season that year losing only to PSJA.
The Eagles then beat a salty Corpus Christi Miller (25-15) club at Sams Stadium in a bi-district clash and later fell to Seguin (47-14) in the regional round, also at home.
But while their dominance in 1969 was the stuff of legend, the amazing Eagle's story began a couple of years earlier in 1967 when Najera, Fernandez and Co. were only sophomores.
Young and inexperienced at the varsity level, this tenacious group was thrust into the spotlight when nearly the entire team quit.
Joe Rodriguez took over for Jack Schultz in '67 but many of the players remained loyal to Schultz and left the team.
This opened the door for Najera and the others to be great.
But just not yet.
"We had a motto that year," said Rodriguez, now the Brownsville ISD athletic director. "Those who stay, will be champions. The next year we were competing for a district title and then there was 1969."
Other than Najera and Fernandez, Phil Goode, Lalo Sanchez, Joe Petrarca and Albert Treviño were also part of that sophomore bunch destined for greatness.
Najera and the Eagles suffered through a 0-9 season as sophomores. As juniors, the group improved and finished 6-4.
"We just grew together on the field," Najera said. "By the next year we saw the growth and maturity on the team and staff. We started recognizing everyone's abilities."
Najera said Rodriguez and his staff did a great job of handling the inexperienced bunch form the beginning.
Rodriguez was assisted by coaches like Tom Chavez, Eliseo Villarreal, Gonzalo Garcia, Willie Crafts and other young coaches who played in college and knew the game very well.
"They (coaches) knew what it took to win," Najera said. "They knew the talent we had on the team and they got the job done."
The coaches did their job during the first two years. But by the time 1969 rolled around, it was a collaborative Eagles' effort that took the Valley by storm.
Twenty-three of 24 sophomores remained through their senior season. And quitting was never really an option.
"A lot of that (discipline) came from home," said Najera, a former all-stater along with Fernandez. "We were dedicated. It was difficult but we just saw it as the way to do things. And at the end it paid off."
Brownsville was an offensive juggernaut in '69 led by Najera and jumped out to a 7-0 record. The Eagles outscored their opponents 266-75 in that seven-game span.
Then came the Bears, who beat the Eagles 27-22.
"We might have been overconfident from top to bottom and thought the season was over," said Najera, whose talent drew the attention and interest of legendary college coaches like Darrell Royal and Bear Bryant. "We got a rude awakening by PSJA."
After the PSJA loss, Brownsville beat Edinburg and Harlingen to clinch the district pennant and a spot in the postseason.
The Eagles were underdogs against Miller but Najera broke the Buccaneers' back when he scored on a 61-yard sprint in the fourth quarter. Fernandez gave Brownsville insurance with a 1-yard TD punch late in the game.
"It was a back-and-forth game," said Najera, now a coach at Word of God Outreach and Teaching Center. "There were about 13,000 at that game. We got a lot of support from the community."
Brownsville's magical run came to an end the next week against a bigger Seguin team at Sams Stadium.
The game was tied at 14 at the half but the Matador's size was too much in the second half.
Sophomore Johnny "O" Olvera was one of very few underclassmen on the team.
Other key players were Charlie Hernandez, Danny Salinas, Alfredo Garcia, Eddie De Los Santos and Albert Drumright.
The 1969 season ended and Najera went on to Play for Texas A&I in Kingsville.
But the legend still lives today when Valley football fans talk about the great ones.
"It was fun," Rodriguez said. "Desi and Ruben are two of the best athletes I've ever seen. I hadn't seen anyone like Desi until Billy Garza (Brownsville Porter, 2003). But Desi had more speed. He's legendary. "
As were the 1969 Brownsville Eagles.

By the Numbers is a periodic series that corresponds the number of days until the start of the 2008 Valley high school football season with a memorable athlete or moment. Today marks 39 days until kickoff.