Late A&I star was born too soon to play at UT
Austin native Ed Scott probably would have played football at the University of Texas if the Longhorns' program hadn't been lily-white when he graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1966.
Scott grew up dreaming of playing for the Longhorns, although he was told he had virtually no chance because he was African American. Still, he hoped things would change before it came time for him to play college ball.
Unfortunately for Scott, who died of a stroke last Tuesday in Austin at age 60, he graduated when the doors to the UT locker room were still closed to African Americans.
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Scott found a home at A&I, now Texas A&M-Kingsville, and reliable mentors in coach Gil Steinke, now deceased, and defensive coordinator Freddy Jonas.
“I loved both of those men and still think about them quite often,” Scott said. “Coach Steinke, he didn't care what color you were. He just cared about whether you could play.”
The Best
Bernard Scott was on top of the world Friday night.
The 24-year-old Abilene Christian University senior won the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the best player in Division II football, in Florence, Ala.
It was an unbelievable moment for the running back from Vernon. There he was basking in the limelight, when just three years ago Scott was out of football and heading down a dark path.
"I didn't think I would be playing ball again," Scott said, after he had been kicked off the Central Arkansas University team for disciplinary reasons in the spring of '05. He found himself back in Vernon and running with the wrong crowd.
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