With a small decal on the back of their helmets, every football player carries on the field the legacy of lives lost too young.
Following the tragic July 4th floods at Camp Mystic, which claimed the lives of six children from the Park Cities, the football team felt called to action. As one of the most visible organizations in HPISD, the team decided to honor the memories of the girls by wearing each of their initials on their helmets. Acting in solidarity, the decals serve as a reminder after every pass and play of the lives lost in the summer.
“It kind of reminds you that at the end of the day it’s just a game. There’s so much more,” Athletic Director Jermemy Gilbert said.
Implementing the decals was a collaboration between the captains and coaches.
“[The idea] came from our captains,” Head Coach Randy Allen said. “They made the decal, and brought it to me and asked me if I’d approved it.”
Additionally, the football captains and their families ensured that the parents of the girls would support the team wearing the decal. After the idea was approved, each player was issued a decal.
“There’s 120 players in that locker room and they all got the decal,” Allen said. “The captains handed out the decals to each player and they put it on their helmets. I just wanted to make sure it was put in the same place on the helmet where everything looked uniform.”
Matching his players, Coach Allen has also chosen to wear a patch version of the decal on his blazer to games.
The decal itself is yellow, and cut in the shape of Texas. Written on the sticker are the initials of each of the girls from the Park Cities who died in the flooding. The decals sit on the lower back of each helmet.
“The decal is small and it’s not readily seen from the stands,” Allen said. “But the main thing is that it meant a lot to the parents and the families that lost loved ones and that was the whole purpose.”
At large, the community has embraced the opportunity to make the effort to remember the lives lost.
“I’ve definitely seen positive reactions. Some other [HPISD] teams in the area have seen them and asked if they could have some for their teams,” Coach Liedner said.
This is not the first time the team has chosen to acknowledge and honor pain in the community. In past seasons, football players have donned similar decals to show their support.
After Coach Allen’s father, a proud Scots supporter, passed away, Leidner says, the team acted similarly in wearing a decal to honor his memory.
Now as well, the team reminds every onlooker of the devastating loss in the community. Even on joyous Friday nights, the football team acted to remember the tragedy in their community, and offer support to those in pain.
“The thing that gives me comfort is knowing how strongly this community responds when people are hurting,” Gilbert said. “We’re going to make it. And we’re going to make it because we’re a strong community together.”
