Legendary coach to be honored at sports awards

There isn't much more that can be said about the 1961 Donna Redskins, the Valley's only football state champions.

Interviews, documentaries and photographs have all delved into the subject of what made the '61 Redskins so great.

And while the players who worked tirelessly deserve a bulk of the credit, a huge part of that greatness was the man overseeing them: Coach Earl Scott.

For his accomplishments that go far beyond the state title with Donna, Scott is this year's recipient of the Robert Vela Lifetime Achievement Award.

Scott, who resides in Palm Valley, will be honored at the RGV All-Star Sports Awards on Tuesday, June 16 at Yeckel Auditorium on the campus of the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen.

"You know, it's always an honor and you don't ever seem to tire of it," Scott said with a laugh. "But it's great that they still remember me, as old as I am. I still have great memories and we still stay in touch with a lot of the players."

Scott, a native of Smithville who lettered in football at Southwest Texas State University, coached a total of nine seasons in the Rio Grande Valley, seven of those at Donna.

During Scott's tenure, the Redskins went an amazing 63-16-2, including the 2A state title in '61. Under Scott, Donna went to the playoffs five times in his seven years at the helm.

After leaving Donna after the '66 season, he coached two more seasons at Edinburg High (1967-68) before retiring from coaching and focusing on his citrus business.

"I watch a lot of football," he said when asked if he missed coaching. "But you get too old for that (laughs). Time passes. But my memories are great and (coaching) was something I'll always cherish."

In addition to the success on the field, Scott's offseason program set the foundation for those that followed.

The Redskins are credited with being the first Valley football program to institute weight lifting into their routine.

One of the lasting impressions of that '61 team was their strength and conditioning. The team generally wore down their opponents and had stamina and strength that lasted well into games.

"We started lifting weights at the junior high level on up," Scott recalled. "We didn't have the best facilities, but it was real obvious that the weights were really beneficial to our athletes."

However, Scott's on-field success is more than noteworthy.

He began his coaching career at Eagle Pass in 1953, achieving success with the Eagles before moving to Laredo Martin. After his stint with the Tigers, another successful turnaround effort, he moved to Donna, where more success soon followed.

Under Scott, the Redskins went 8-3 in '60 and lost in bi-district to Sinton in his first season.

Naturally, it was that magical run in '61 that etched his name in Valley football lore as one of the greatest coaches to roam a South Texas sideline.

Donna stumbled out of the gates at 0-2 in '61 before reeling off 13 straight wins to take the crown.

In the playoffs, the Redskins defeated Refugio (32-0), Devine (12-7), Sweeny (32-14), Brady (16-14) and Quanah 28-21 in the championship. All of those wins came on the road and with the Redskins listed as huge underdogs.

But as always, the players and what they've accomplished since then are what perhaps pleases Scott most.

"What I'm really proud of was the number of scholarships our guys had," he said. "We had 54 players earn college scholarships. Most of them would've never gone had it not been for football."

Armando Garza covers high school sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. He can be reached at 956-430-6255 or at armandog@valleystar.com.