On Dec. 18, 2021, head coach Jason Todd tweeted that South Oak Cliff’s story was written before the team had even kicked off in the Class 5A Division II state championship.
Four years later, Todd successfully added another chapter to that book, becoming the first Black head coach to win three Texas high school football UIL state championships when South Oak Cliff defeated Richmond Randle 35-19 in this year’s 5A Division II state final Saturday.
Later Saturday, two other Black coaches in the D-FW will attempt to match Todd by winning their third state championships in the University Interscholastic League: DeSoto head coach Claude Mathis and Duncanville head coach Reginald Samples.
“We’re kicking down a lot of doors,” Todd said. “I only expect to be the one with the only one with three for a couple more hours, but I know Coach Samp is gonna get it done, then Coach Mathis, I know he’s not gonna be left out the party. It’s gonna be a short-lived triumph, but I could always say I was the first.”
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Before integration in 1964, Black high school athletes exclusively participated in the Prairie View Interscholastic League. Seven head coaches won three state championships in the PVIL. No Black head coach has ever won four state titles in Texas.
PVIL head coaches with three state titlesWalter Day (Corsicana Jackson)Pat Patterson (Houston Yates)Johnny Peoples (Baytown Carver)RE Posey (Port Arthur Lincoln)Elmer Redd (Lufkin Dunbar)L. H. Ritcherson (Waco Moore)Raymond Timmons (Austin Anderson)Todd and SOC’s journey
Todd grew up in South Dallas and graduated from Lincoln, where he played for Samples. When he took over at South Oak Cliff in 2015, the school hadn’t reached the state semifinals since 1970.
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The coach said he wanted to turn an inner-city program into the best in the state. He hired coaches who, like him, grew up in Dallas ISD and could relate to the hardships its athletes faced.
South Oak Cliff’s field didn’t have lights, so players had to bus to stadiums throughout the district for practice. Deteriorating conditions on campus led to a student walk-out in 2016. As part of a Dallas ISD bond program, the school underwent a $52 million renovation, adding a practice field and a new weight room.
“A lot of my staff has played professionally or played at a high level at the college level,” Todd said. “And I’m the type of guy that when they bring knowledge in, we try to find out what exactly we can do to help our program be better.
“But back in the ’70s and probably early ’80s, they didn’t have those opportunities because everybody was confined to the same small pool of knowledge.”
AdvertisementRelated StoriesView MoreTexas high school football central: 2025 state championship game stories, photos and moreSouth Oak Cliff defeats Richmond Randle in the 5A Divison II state finalSouth Oak Cliff topples Randle in 5AII state final, winning third title in five yearsLIVE: DeSoto faces C.E. King in the 6A DII State final
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