Permian High School
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| Permian High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Odessa, Texas USA |
|
| Information | |
| School district | Ector County Independent School District |
| Principal | Bruce Davis |
| Type | Public |
| Grades | 10 - 12 |
| Athletics conference | District 2-5A |
| Mascot | Panther |
| Color(s) | Black and White |
| Established | 1959 |
| Nickname | Mojo |
| Homepage | Permian High School |
Permian High School is a public high school located in Odessa, Texas and is part of the Ector County Independent School District. It was the subject of the book Friday Night Lights which in turn inspired a movie and TV series of the same name.
As of 2006 the school principal of Permian High is Bruce Davis.
Contents |
[edit] History
Permian High school opened in 1959. Permian High is named for the Permian Basin, the geological formation in which Odessa is located.
[edit] Activities
[edit] Football
High school football has long been extremely popular in Texas. The story of Permian High School's 1988 Permian Panthers team and its run towards the state championship was the subject of the best-selling book Friday Night Lights, published in 1990. A movie based on the book was made in 2004 and the NBC television network airs a TV series loosely based on the school and book. Roy Williams, the current starting wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, went to school for Permian and was in the movie.
The team, whose rallying cry is "MOJO," won the Texas state championship in the 4A classification (the state's largest until 1980) in 1965 and 1972 and the 5A classification in 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991 and was declared the unofficial national champion in 1972 and 1989.
Permian plays its home football games at Ratliff Stadium.
Permian's archrivals are the Odessa Bronchos.
[edit] Coaching history
| Years | Coach | Record | Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-present | Darren Allman | 26-10 | .722 | Regional Finalists 2x |
| 2003-2004 | Scott Smith | 10-10 | .500 | No Playoffs |
| 2000-2002 | T. J. Mills | 15-15 | .500 | No Playoffs |
| 1994-1999 | Randy Mayes | 45-25-1 | .641 | State Finalist |
| 1990-1993 | Tam Hollingshead | 43-4-2 | .898 | State Champions |
| 1986-1989 | Gary Gaines | 46-7-1 | .861 | State Champions and National Champions |
| 1973-1985 | John Wilkins | 148-16-7 | .888 | State Champions 2x and State Finalist 4x |
| 1971-1972 | Gil Bartosh | 23-1-0 | .958 | State Champions and National Champions |
| 1965-1970 | Gene Mayfield | 62-10-2 | .851 | State Champions and State Finalist 2x |
| 1962-1964 | Jim Cashion | 15-15-0 | .500 | No Playoffs |
| 1959-1961 | Ted Dawson | 21-10-0 | .645 | Bi-District Finalist |
| 442-123-12 | .776 |
Source: "Little SWC" composite football coaching records 1951-present. FridayNightHistory.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
[edit] School bands
Permian is also home to the musical talents of the Permian High School Band which is a member of the U.I.L.
- Marching Band Director: Mr. Michael Watts - has won the state marching contest once in 1982.
- Symphonic Band Director: Mr. Michael Watts
- Concert Band Director: Mr. John Carroll - The Concert Band has taken the position of second band.
- Wind Band Director: Jim Fry - The "third" band at Permian.
- Jazz Band Director: John Carroll
- Rock Band- now defunct
[edit] Cabaret
The Permian Band hosts an annual concert during the spring term featuring all bands at Permian as well as the Junior high bands from the local feeder schools. The Cabaret has been held in past years at the MCM Grande FunDome hotel, but more recently it has been held at the CAF Hangar at the Midland International Airport in Midland, Texas.
[edit] Awards
The band has "Outstanding Band" awards at the following:
- The Tri-State Music Festival in Oklahoma
- The Buccaneer Music Festival in Corpus Christi
- The La Mesa Tournament of Bands in California
- The Mountain States Music Festival in Phoenix
- The Contraband Days Festival in Louisiana
- The Blossom Festival in Colorado
- Six Flags Over America Festival in St. Louis
- Winterpark Music Festival in Colorado
- Music Fest in Orlando
- South Padre Music Festival
- Blue Bonnet Festival in Houston
[edit] Satin Strings
Founded by Charles Nail, Satin Strings is an elite strolling strings organization. The members of the group "stroll" (carry their instruments while performing), including the cellists, but excluding the bass player.
Satin Strings is regularly asks to play at major State and National functions.
- In 1994, Satin Strings played at the D-Day celebrations in Paris, France.
- This performance led to an invitation issued by Rudy Giuliani to play at the Inauguration of President Clinton for his second term in office (1997)
- Satin Strings also played for the Inauguration of the Governor of Chihuahua Mexico in 1998.
- In 2001, the group was invited back to Washington, D.C. to perform at the first inauguration of President George W. Bush.
- The Satin Strings performed for the Tournement of Roses Directors' banquet in December of 2003. This performance included a solo serenade by senior violist Brett Bagwell for conductor/composer John Williams.
- In 2005, the group was invited back to Washington, D.C. once again to perform at the second inauguration of President George W. Bush.
[edit] Notable alumni
- K. Michael Conaway, usually known as Congressman Mike Conaway, represents the 11th Congressional district of Texas.[1]
- Britt Hager, former NFL linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams; [2]
- JM J. Bullock, television actor; [3] [4] [5]
- Kimberly Kay Smith, actress and model
- Raymond Benson, author; most recently, for the official James Bond novels; [6]
- Roy Williams, former Longhorn and NFL player for the Detroit Lions
- Toby Stevenson, 1995 graduate, 2004 Olympic silver medalist. [7];
- Stoney Case, former quarterback for several NFL teams.
- Mehul Thakker, 1995 graduate, Green Party candidate for California State Treasurer 2006.
- Lloyd Hill, 1990 graduate, Texas Tech single season and career receptions and receiving yards record holder
- Felice Wafer, pen name Mechelle Avey, author
- Peggy Meek Venable, former Reagan Administration official and currently public policy advocate, writer and speaker
[edit] Bibliography
- Bissinger, H.G. (1991). Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream. New York: HarperPerennial. ISBN 0-06-097406-0.
- McCally, Regina W. (1986). The Secret of Mojo: The Story of the Odessa, Texas, Permian High School Football Team. Fort Worth: McCally.
[edit] External links
- Permian High School website
- Permian High School alumni website
- ODESSAPERMIAN.COM - Official Home of The Permian Panthers
- MojoLand - Founding Site of Odessa Permian Football
- Permian High School profile provided by schooltree.org
- Ratliff Stadium provided by KylGrafX.com
- Ratliff Stadium provided by TexasBob.com
- Friday Night Lights at the Internet Movie Database
