Greetings, Lion fans, and it’s almost that time of year again. The Bible of football in Texas, Dave Campbell’s, has finally arrived. Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. It has been a staple of media coverage in the state since 1960. What began with Dave Campbell himself, a sportswriter and editor for the Waco Tribune Herald, and a small staff that included Mrs. Campbell, and began in the kitchen, has since evolved and exploded into the premiere magazine that now covers both football and basketball in Texas. The Southwest Conference, long the standard bearer, dissolved in 1996, after the departure of Arkansas to the SEC in the early 90’s, and followed by Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech, and Baylor into what had been the Big 8 Conference (now the Big XII), then changed again in 2012, when Texas A&M bolted for the SEC, now followed by Texas and Oklahoma in 2024.

Add to that the NFL coverage that saw the Oilers of Houston depart for Tennessee, the creation and rise of the Houston Texans in 2002, and the Dallas Cowboys changing ownership, and stadiums, twice, yet Dave Campbell’s Texas Football was there to mark the changes and explain it all to us.

Think that’s enough? Oh no, not even close. It’s often been said that football is a religion in Texas, and Texas High School football, it’s supreme church. From Class 6A all the way to 6 Man, both public and private schools. It was always a thing to see if your name was mentioned in the team thumbnail sketches, who made the Super Teams, and who was getting recruiting attention.

My father bought me my first copy in 1969, and I’ve bought one every year since then. Now, I wished I’d saved them. I still get excited to see what’s said about the Lions, the Aggies of Texas A&M, I have to see how Quanah (my alma mater), Vernon (still have lots of family there), Dallas Christian (my wife and my good friend, Brock Callaway are alums), and Muleshoe (one of my best friends in Quanah, David Wood, was head coach there for many years, and won state in 2008), are picked in their districts. Dad always wanted to know how they all were doing.

So, to the late Mr. Campbell, and to the staff he left in place, along with my friend Cory Hogue, who’s been a valuable resource and advisor during our own exploits here at The Wire……Thank You. You guys still get us ready to go late every summer.

Meanwhile, back in Commerce, America, the anticipation builds along with the questions about the 2023 season. One thing, though, is for certain. New Head Coach Clint Dolezel isn’t waiting around.

“Our motto is nobody cares…. they (fans) expect us to win, and that’s the way we live. “

Clint Dolezel

The 2023 Lions look to be carried by a defense that finished in the top 10 of ALL OF FCS, had they been eligible due to the transition period. The Blue Gang Mentality is alive and well, with defensive coordinator Kyle Williams retaining the vast majority of his staff. If offensive coordinator Bob Bounds, in partnership with Dolezel, can keep the offense healthy, the Lions could make some real noise this year in the Southland, despite a brutal four game opener to the schedule. Brian and I will have more details on this is the next couple of weeks on the Call the Roll Podcast, as well as here. What we can say for now is this……things look much brighter than you would expect and that is projected.

Finally….this will be my sixth full season covering Lion Athletics for The Wire. What began as pinch-hitting gig for Brian during the 2017 playoffs began an adventure that has been such a blast. Of course, it helps when Colby Carthel and his staff, and players like Luis Perez, Dominique Ramsey, Alex Shillow, Vincent Hobbs, and others play so well, and made me look a lot smarter than I am.

I wrote once that Commerce was much like the fictional bar Cheers for me. Truly, a place where everyone knows your name. It will be different this year. My daughter, Shelby, now has her bachelor’s degree and has moved on to bigger and better things. I’m still here. I was gone for a long while, but in 2011, I came back. When I think of this, I am reminded of one of the final exchanges between Sam Malone, the owner, and my favorite character, Norm Peterson, What Norm said then has stuck with me somehow.

Norm: “Sammy, I knew you’d come back. You can never be unfaithful to your one true love. You always come back to her.”

Sam: “Who’s that.?”

Norm: “Think about it, Sam.”

True enough, Norman. I fell in love with the place when I showed up in 1979, and after coming to my senses, I’ve come back, and have no plans to leave.

It’s almost time. 33 Days. See You at The Hawk.