100 Greatest: No. 6 Player - Norm Evans

Players such as Norm Evans must deal with change when a new coach comes in, and it was no different during Earl Scott's first season at the helm of the Donna Redskins in 1960.

One of the big changes Scott made was moving eventual Super Bowl winner Norm Evans from fullback to offensive tackle.

"I don't think Norm liked it too much," Scott said. "Norm was a big guy, and I thought he would fit well on the line. Of course, he went on to have a lot of success on the line, which made me look like a super coach."

Scott was half-joking about how much he contributed to Evans' success, adding that Evans' achievements after graduating from Donna in 1961 can be attributed to his drive.

"He was a hard worker," Scott said.

Evans, who was named the sixth-best player to compete in the Rio Grande Valley, played on the line early in his high school career but was seeing plenty of playing time at fullback by his junior season.

"Coach Scott said, ‘I think you have a better chance of getting to the next level as a tackle,'" Evans said. "Reluctantly, I went. You couldn't really disagree with him. It was kind of like disagreeing with Coach (Don) Shula, you just didn't do it. But it worked out for the best."

Evans, who was a Class 2A all-state and all-District 16-2A tackle for the Redskins in 1960, later found college success at TCU and at the NFL level with Miami.

He was drafted in 1965 by the Houston Oilers. After one year with the Oilers, Evans was traded to the Miami Dolphins, spending 10 years in South Florida where he won two Super Bowls under the legendary Shula, competed in two Pro Bowls and was a member of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins Super Bowl champion team.

Evans was traded to the expansion Seattle Seahawks in 1976, finishing his career there in 1979. It was a long way from when he played tackle for the first time in his life as a freshman on the varsity team.

"There were a lot of guys who got kicked off the varsity team, so they brought me up," Scott said. "There was a player on the team named Champ Jones. He told me who to block on every play because I had never run that offense before. I came on the team on Thursday, and I played the whole game on Friday."

Richard Avila, who played with Evans as a junior and was a member of the 1961 state championship team, remembered Evans, also a defensive end, as a tough player.

"They moved me to the left side to play right behind Norm on defense," Avila said. "The coaches told me no one was going to get past Norm, so my job was going to be easy. I didn't know him very well because he was a year older, but from what I remember he was a good player."

His history and all he learned as a player growing up in the Valley is important to Evans. Evans credits his Donna coaches as showing him the path to gridiron success.

"My (junior varsity football) and basketball coach Royce Hassel, (assistant coach) Bennie La Prade and Earl Scott taught me the importance of working hard," Evans said. "The one thing I came away with from Donna was fundamentals. A lot of players nowadays don't have the fundamentals necessary to be successful. The fundamentals is what really helped me at the next level."

Peter Rasmussen covers high school football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via e-mail at prasmussen@themonitor.com.

WHY THEY VOTED

Here's a summary of Norm Evan's career, which played a major part in the player's ranking at No. 6:

Norm Evans was a Class 2A all-state honoree in 1960 and was named to the all-millennium team in 1999. Playing at  215 pounds during his high school years, Evans eventually grew to 235 pounds at TCU and to more than 250 pounds with the Miami Dolphins.

Evans played 10 seasons with Miami, one culminating in the only perfect season in NFL history, a 17-0 campaign in 1972.

As for his high school days, Evans won 27 games during four years, including nine for the Redskins' 32-2A championship team in 1960.

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 PLAYERS

1: TBA
AUG. 24

2: TBA
AUG. 23

3: TBA
AUG. 22

4: TBA
AUG. 21

5: TBA
AUG. 20

6: NORM EVANS
Donna

7: Lupe Rodriguez
Mission High

8: Nati Valdez
Mission High

9: jim Helms
San Benito

10: Jim Hudson
La Feria

11: Maurice Hunter
Harlingen High

12: George Strohmeyer
McAllen High

13: Roberto Garza
Rio Hondo

14: Mishak Rivas
Weslaco High

15: Tony Ellis
Brownsville Hanna

16: Bobby Ply
Mission High

17: Fred Edwards
Donna

18: Willie Crafts
Brownsville High

19: Jamaar Taylor
Mission High

20: Frank Hernandez
Mission High

21: Carlos Esquivel
Edinburg High

22: Jim Norris
Mercedes

23: Abel Gonzalez
Rio Grande City

24: John Mims
Mission High

25: Leo Araguz
Harlingen High

26: Juan Castillo
Port Isabel

27: Tommy Cox
La Feria

28: Jimmy Lawrence
Harlingen High

29: Luz Pedraza
Donna

30: Billy Garza
Brownsville Porter

31: Poppy Rodriguez
PSJA High

32: Jeremy Springer
Los Fresnos

33: Shon Flores
Port Isabel

34: Phil Hetrick
PSJA High

35: Joe Marichalar
Edcouch-Elsa

36: Alfredo Garza
Port Isabel

37: Charles LeGrange
Rio Grande City

38: Alfredo Lugo
Donna

(tie): Steve Alaniz
Edinburg High

40: Matt Gorges
Harlingen High

41: Justin Springer
Los Fresnos

(tie): Eliseo Pompa
Mission High

43: Donald Guillot
Port Isabel

44: Travis Sanders
Port Isabel

45: Gerald Lambert
McAllen High

(tie): Gonzalo Garcia
Brownsville High

(tie): John Lerma
Rio Grande City

48: Manny Gomez
Harlingen High

49: Donny Martin
Port Isabel

50: Robert Cortez
San Benito