#42 Chan Priest

Chan Priest grew up in the small town of San Saba, Texas, where his father was the Head Football Coach of the Armadillos.  We talk in depth about the history of "The Graveyard" (the football field in San Saba) and  Coach Priest tells a great story about the time his father and older brother (who were strong influences on his life), were involved in an altercation (which emanated from Mason, TX.) between the two and a couple of chain crew cowboys in the land of the Punchers, which from the sound of it, likely would have been a main event at the old Dallas Sportatorium.  Coach Priest played football at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, and headed out to New Mexico to begin a career as a game warden.  He ended up following in his father's footsteps instead, and coaching a year in New Mexico, before returning to Texas and going to work at Early High School.  From Early, Coach Priest headed to De Leon, and went to work for Coach Jack Waggoner, where the Bearcats won the 1975 state championship in football.  By 1980, Coach Priest was ready to fly out on his own, as he accepted the position of Head Football Coach of the Goldthwaite Eagles.  Coach Priest, and his staff (which included our previous guest, Coach Gary Proffitt), would take a football program out of the slumping seventies, ending a decade long playoff drought, to kick off the electric eighties!  After the Eagles won the 1985 UIL Football State Championship (and a great story about Coach Gordon Wood's halftime locker room visit on that night), Coach Proffitt goes on to discuss the time he followed legendary Coach Randy Allen, to become the HFC of the Ballinger Bearcats.  After 5 years at Ballinger, Coach Priest had won 98 football games (as a head football coach) in his first ten years, and he was riding high into Gatesville, Texas, as the newly hired leader of the Hornet football program.  Coach Priest won 16 games in 6 years at Gatesville and his story of of the time he spent in Gatesville is every bit as interesting, honest, and fun to listen to, as the great triumphs of his life and career.  Coach Priest is pictured above, to the right of Coach Gary Proffitt, following the 2009 UIL State Championship won by the Goldthwaite Eagles.  Coach Priest's description of the picture is as follows "Gary's 4th and my 5th. I started adding Gary's to mine after I retired. When you get over 60 you can do that."