The misfortunate history of Carter High should be a lesson to every school. After watching a movie about an incident at Carter, which happened in 1988 Oak Cliff Dallas, I thought it would be good to write about. Decisions we make today often times lead to the people we become tomorrow, and a bad one could make you lose a great opportunity.

Talent is a strong gift, but one’s own behavior can make their talent flourish or be hindered. The Carter High football team was known as The Cowboys; they had the best players ever! 1988 was the final year for coach Freddie James and his team, they were fighting really hard to win the state championship- but their fame led to bad behaviors and attitudes. Skipping class and always getting into trouble was normal for them and despite their championship being on the line, they continued with these actions. And somehow, their coach stood by their side throughout all of it. Six of the players loved to gamble, their coach James tried to stop their gambling but to no avail. This team seemed to be lucky with talent yet prone to making bad choices. The Cowboys never made the right decisions. They had the whole world at their feet and lost it so easily. Many sports athletes fall in such a position because they feel they are so good on the field that they can get away with more than the average person.

Teamwork makes the dream work. Coach Freddie believed in his team even after everything they had accomplished. He spent sleepless night thinking about them, he cared about them as if they were his own. “I think I’m losing them. You go out there and you defend your boys. Football is about making good decisions – and gambling don’t build character,” just imagine being present at that moment he said those words, you could feel the strong emotions that came with them.

Bad decisions can corrupt good character we say. On the day of the playoffs, coach James received a strange call while the boys were warming up. The call shared the news that the team was disqualified for having an ineligible player. Everyone was dumbfounded with such news. The call meant one of the players had not passed his Algebra course, which was against the state championship policy. But the individual player, Gary Edwards who played cornerback, passed the class and even proved it by showing his report card to his coach and principal. This controversy was deeply investigated and eventually became a court case. The investigation gave no evidence against the Cowboys, and so it gave them one more chance to win in the playoffs. And they did just that, they were the best team the state had ever seen and the heroes of their school. According to them, winning state championship wasn’t difficult.

But there was just one question, “Did Gray Edwards really pass his class?” This question lingered for some time. The University Interscholastic League and Texas Education Agency made an investigation towards Edwards’ grade. The Dallas Independent School District challenged the ruling of the TEA that prevented Edwards from playing, they eventually won the case in the district court.

Destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. This legal wrangling continued through the playoffs. And throughout it all, the boys were serious and focused. Cowboys went back on field and finally won the 1988 5A- state championship with a 31-14 win over Converse Judson which made the whole region of the state feel so joyful. Twenty-one of the cowboys had scholarships to colleges and about about six of them had the opportunity to play in the NFL. The players signed their college contracts on the national signing day February 8th, 1989, Derric Evans signed to Tennessee Vols from a hot tub in front of television cameras while the rest of the Cowboys signed to schools of their choice as normal players before the media.

Five days after winning the state championship, several players concocted a plan to rob a bank or a restaurant because on the the boys’ mothers refused to give him some spending. One of the young athletes put the plan into action and went on to rob a Mexican restaurant for $11,000.The day after their graduation, two more players stole $256 and a movie rental that cost $3.24 from a video exchange with a .22 revolver. All of this was to try and get money to show off at school; they tried to prove that they lived independently from their parents and paid for prom on their own. While they were escaping, a cop caught up with them and asked for an autograph because he was so proud and a big fan of their team. But the tragedy of the situation happens when the cop receives information from his headquarters about the robbery, which led to the boys’ arrest.

There comes a time when you realize you are on your own. And you can’t whine nor complain, you just have to deal with it, because in the end, disappointment is inevitable. The heroes of Carter High brought great shame onto themselves, their families and the people that loved them. The rest of the players that participated in the crime were later arrested. Judge Kendall was the one to handle the case of the Carter Cowboys, according to him, over the last 6 months the Cowboys had committed more robberies than one would could imagined. He sentenced each and every one, one after the other. Derric Evans, a defensive back who lost a scholarship to the University of Tennessee, was sentenced to a twenty-year term for his involvement in the four robberies. Gary Edwards, who had the grade controversy, was sentenced 16 years on three counts. As this went on, families were screaming and crying out loud. Keith Campbell had a 25-year term for his involvement in the four robberies. The rest of the players had their punishment and all equally harsh as well. This turned their life upside down, they lost a lot. Their future goals were ruined by their own decisions which this brings us to the end of the 1988 Carter Cowboys.

As seen in this story, bad decisions can turn one’s life into one of mistakes and regret. The story of the 1988 Carter Cowboys is also a lesson, when faced with a great opportunity, don’t throw away your shot because of poor decisions. Hard work pays off but the players had risked it all when they would go out and commit these crimes. They saw themselves as indestructible, that life was to be full of fame and easy living- but that is not the case. And they learned that the hard way. The moral of the story is that we should all make the rights decisions so we won’t have regrets tomorrow.
 

Sources about Carter high

http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2015/carter/

http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/the-real-story-of-the-1988-carter-high-football-team/

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/clarence-hill/article41693370.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/24/us/10-texas-athletes-are-sentenced-to-jail-terms-for-robberies.html

http://www.fox4news.com/news/723334-story

http://www.carterboyz.com/about%20the%20author.html

http://www.thecartercowboys.com/david%20w%20carter%20football%20history.html

https://app.nimia.com/video/595160/wfaa-carter-hs-1988-2

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/high-school/highschoolheadlines/2015/10/30/bad-habit-robbery-spree-just-kicks-1988-carter-football-team

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2waeXth3KA