Cuero of late has been awash in stories of the golden season of the 1974 Gobbler State Championship.
From the winning superstitions to the great Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach speaking at the athletic banquet, those who experienced the weekly games, on and off the field, have been recalling special details that sweetened the undefeated season. And only in reflection can the full impact of a historical era be seen.
This Friday, a special pre-game ceremony will honor the 1974 team and coaches starting promptly at 6 p.m. before the Gobbler home game with Corpus Christi Miller. School alumni are also encouraged to attend a reception at the high school cafeteria from 4-6 p.m.
With permission of team member and author Leslie Rabke, the following are excerpts of from “Cuero Gobbler Football – The Making of a Dynasty – 1969-1975”
1969 (3-6-1) –THE TRANSFORMATION
At the Gobbler Booster Club’s All Sports Banquet on April 8, 1969, Coach Bill Engle made an emotional speech to the hometown athletes revealing his departure as head of Gobblers athletics. He assigned them two directives : obey the rules of your sport, and play like brothers.
Moments later, Coach William Gilbreth of San Antonio was introduced as the new Head Football Coach and Athletic Director for Cuero ISD. Along with him was incoming line coach, Leland Powers. Unknown to the folks in attendance that evening, the community’s overall attitude toward athletics in Cuero was about to change.
Prior to ’69, the district had drizzled only minimally into the athletics coffers. Infrastructure was meager at best: third-hand uniforms and shoes, very limited equipment, virtually no weight program, and little if any off-season conditioning. Like pulling teeth, Buster began to build the underpinnings of the program – slowly at first, making do with the limited resources, but nudging ever forward never- the-less. Athletes of that era vividly remember his arduous off-season conditioning program, something the veterans were unfamiliar with prior to that time.
Exactly what Coach Gilbreth diagnosed in those early practices is unknown, but he pioneered a new philosophy in Cuero’s football program. He was staunchly resolved to field the very best athletes – period. It didn’t matter the color of your skin, whether your parents were employees of the school, whether your father was the mayor or president of the school board - if an athlete came in with the proper attitude, had sufficient knowledge of the game, was physically up to the challenges of his program, and was willing to contribute as a team player, he could be a starter.
The ’69 football season was a rebuilding year and markedly lackluster, ending in November with an overall 3 wins, 6 losses, and 1 tie record. The Gobblers pulled out wins against familiar rivals Yoakum (38-0), Edna (19-0), and Pleasanton (21-12). The losses that year were respectable for the most part – Corpus Christi Moody (20-19), Brenham (28-14), Floresville (20-16), Beeville (17-16), Gonzales (7-6), Refugio (38-19), and the tie with Tuloso Midway (14-14). The football season was woefully indistinguishable from prior years, but the tide had changed – the Gilbreth era had dawned at Cuero, and the attitude in all sports was being overhauled at every level.
1970 (10-5) THE CINDERELLA SEASON … At the conclusion of week nine, standings in the 14-AAA East Zone had Cuero, Floresville, and Samuel Clemens with identical 3-1 records. The pressure was on to win the final game. The Gobblers’ dominating performance on both sides of the ball against the Apaches on Friday night resulted in solid 28-0 shutout. Unfortunately, Floresville defeated Pleasanton 28-3, and Clemens outlasted East Central 22-14. So, at the conclusion of district play that Friday night, the standings remained knotted – each team with identical 4-1 records.
Stories are still circulated around town how Buster and the other two head coaches met in the Dairy Queen parking lot in Nixon first thing Saturday morning. Each pulled a coin out of his pocket, and it was agreed that, after the flip, the odd man’s team would move on. Buster won the toss and the Floresville and Clemens seasons came to a rude and muffled conclusion. That single fortuitous coinflip would set in motion a playoff run suitable for a movie script.
… As a result of their storied run in the 1970 AAA playoffs, the Gobblers earned the nickname “The Cinderella Team.” In the week leading up to the championship game, media coverage of Cuero’s miraculous season often employed the illustrious “Cinderella” label.
The Gobblers’ first appearance in a AAA State Football Championship ended with a disappointing 14-0 loss to the number one ranked and defending state champion Brownwood Lions. Multiple justifications for the Gobblers’ defeat on that very cold day remain, however, the Cinderella season of 1970 will be forever remembered as the foundation that, in time, would become a Cuero football dynasty. More Next Week.
