Twelve Mighty Orphans

Now, believe it or not, I’m not a big football fan, but this true life account of the Texas Masonic Home for Orphans, and it’s football team, is truly inspiring. The home barely had funds to house, feed and educate its population of about 150 orphans. But somehow they managed to field a football team, and even seriously challenge for the Texas State Championship for more than a decade, against far larger and richer schools. Since football is a secular”religion” in Texas, this was a huge story, and a source of great inspiration through the Depression, which was the orphans time of greatest glory. Jim Dent, who also wrote “The Junction Boys,” about Bear Bryant’s Texas A&M teams of the 50’s wrote this book. He doesn’t edit the stories of the players to contrive “happy endings” for all of their lives. It’s pretty gritty stuff at some points, but still a gripping read. Check it out..you won’t be sorry.