Former Lee Coach Names His Favorite Games/1993 vs. WB

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Olin names his favorite games over the years

By Dave Rogers

Published December 26, 2008

He coached 178 games at Robert E. Lee. Give him time and Dick Olin can recall details from each and every one.

Don’t ask him to rank them, though.

“There’s been so many great ones,†he said earlier this week. “We’ve had such good times.â€

As Olin prepared for Christmas in Baytown and a New Year’s move to take over the football program at Lewisville High, north of Dallas, he quickly rejected the notion of putting together his own personal top 10 list of Gander triumphs.

“I remember so much,†he said. “All the kids, all the plays. I just had a great time.â€

The second-winningest football coach in Baytown history at 106-78, Olin did manage to mention a few games for consideration. And maybe, just maybe, he favored one.

“Probably the most important win was our first one,†he said.

So, as a parting gift to the coach who led Lee to 11 playoff berths and six outright or shared district titles, consider this list of 10 memorable Olin-coached Gander games, in chronological order.

1. Lee 15, Texas City 10, 1993 – “Ganders win! Ganders win!†the headlines in The Baytown Sun said after Lee won its 1993 season opener, ending a 15-game losing streak that included Olin’s 0-10 first season in town.

Vaughn Innis rushed 20 times for 126 yards and Jermaine Alfred threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Hart for the winning points as the Ganders rebounded from a 10-0 third-quarter deficit.

“We had to beat Texas City,†Olin said, “and we had to drive down the field at the end to do it.â€

2. Lee 42, West Brook 19, 1993 – The Ganders were 0-for-5 in games against West Brook, including a 61-19 loss in Olin’s first season at Lee.

“Everybody said we’d never be able to beat West Brook,†Olin recalled. “James Brown (who later led Texas to a Big 12 title) was their quarterback and they beat us 61-19. The next year we were ahead of them 35-0 at halftime.â€

Innis rushed for 167 yards and four scores and Alfred threw for 221 yards with touchdown passes to Jason Riley and Hart.

3. Lee 29, Eisenhower 22, 1994 – It was Lee’s first playoff game under Olin. Alfred passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns and ran for the fourth.

“That was a huge game,†Olin said. “That was tremendous.â€

4. Lee 41, Texas City 18, 1997 – Texas City won the 1997 Class 4A Division I state title with a 14-1 record. Olin’s crew gave the Stingarees their lone loss in the season opener.

Robert Thomas and Michael Barron scored on fumble returns for Lee as Texas City coughed up seven turnovers in all. Lee quarterback Ell Roberson III ran for one TD and threw for another.

5. Lee 27, Aldine 21, 1997 – Lee’s defense stopped Aldine’s fourth-down try with 10 seconds and 27 yards to go to win the bidistrict game. Roberson ran for two TDs and threw for another and the Ganders qualified for their first playoff in the Astrodome under Olin.

A Lee assistant coach earned the ire of school district officials for printing up a T-shirt that read “Ganders in the Dome, Rangers stay home.â€

“That made Sterling people real mad,†Olin recalled.

6. Lee 56, Brazoswood 24, 1997 – “Ell Roberson just took over the game like I haven’t seen anybody do,†Olin recalled of Lee’s second-round win in the Astrodome. “He ran over people on the option and we did things we never did. Our kids thought they were in the NFL because they had been in an NFL locker room.

“I thought that ’97 group could’ve played for the state championship. We just made some mistakes (in losing to Hastings, 30-20, the next week). My son (Lake Tate) was a senior on that team. Those guys remain close today.â€

7. Lee 34, North Shore 31, 2000 – It is remembered as North Shore’s last regular season loss, but it was a must-win for a 4-5 Ganders team that needed it to reach the playoffs.

Sophomore Drew Tate passed for 234 yards and three touchdowns and Robert Carr added two long touchdown runs. Anthony Pagan’s late interception stopped North Shore’s comeback bid.

“That was tremendous,†Olin said. “Nobody gave us a snowball’s chance in heck.â€

8. Lee 62, Sterling 7, 2001 – It was the most points ever scored by an Olin team at Lee and the most surrendered by Sterling it its 42-year history.

Tate, Olin’s youngest son and future all-time Texas passing leader (now No. 3), tied a state record by passing for seven first-half scores and he added an eighth TD aerial in the second half.

9. Lee 37, Kingwood 31, 2002 – The Ganders needed help to make the playoffs on the final week of this regular season and got it -- a Port Arthur win over West Brook.

They also needed extra help from Tate, who, after rallying Lee to a lead with 37 seconds left, made a rare defensive appearance and picked off a Kingwood pass to preserve the victory.

“If you ask Drew what was the most fun he had, he’ll tell you it was intercepting that ball against Kingwood to put us in the playoffs,†Olin said.

10. North Shore 34, Lee 33, 2006 – The Ganders lost this bidistrict game on a missed extra point in the second overtime, but Olin treasures this one for the way his overmatched team battled.

Quarterback Jeremy Moses had missed nine games with a broken leg, but hobbled onto the field to pass for 365 yards and three touchdowns.

“If you’ve ever seen kids play with heart and fight their fannies off, that was the game.â€

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The Brook won the 94 game 44-29.