Ted Poe: “It is that time of the year, a time folks in Texas and in the South have been waiting for. It is called football season.…”

“It is that time of the year, a time folks in Texas and in the South have been waiting for. It is called football season. It has been said there are only two seasons in Texas: football season and spring football season. Football in Texas is its own religion. Whether you are watching the game under the Friday night lights, joining 25,000 of your closest friends on Saturday, or checking your watch in church to make sure your preacher gets you out on time on Sunday, there are more than a few prayers being said in the name of football on any given day in Texas. Just last week, I headed to Waco, Texas, with my entire family to watch my alma mater, the Abilene Christian Wildcats, take on the Baylor Bears. The outcome wasn't what we were hoping for, but there is nothing better than college football under a Texas sunset. Texans naturally believe everything is bigger and better in Texas-- because it is. My son, Kurt, started playing football when he was 8 years old, and I have watched him play every game from Humble, Texas, pee-wee football until he took the field wearing the purple and white of our alma mater, Abilene Christian University. From the beginning, Kurt played quarterback. Being the quarterback is one of those positions that is tough on parents. It is all the fame or all the blame. Every time I saw him take the field, I saw that same little 8-year-old boy full of determination.…”