Title: Remembering Ted Scown

Subtitle: by Andrew Ross

Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Story:

Former Sul Ross center Andrew Ross sat down with Ted Scown in 2007 and discussed his football career in the 1940's and 50's.

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Ted Scown And Days Of Football Passed

In 1948, the Sul Ross State University Lobo football team accepted a bid to play in the third ever Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

It would be a long way by bus from Alpine to Orlando for the Lobos, but as former player Ted Scown put it: "It wasn't that bad of a deal."

And for the 1948 Lobos, it truly was not. In a season that ended with the Lobos as the only undefeated team in the football-crazed state of Texas, and one of only twenty-six in the nation, the diverse team of World War II veterans and young recruits who had missed the draft outscored their opponents 431 to 113.

Scown, who grew up in Monahans and has remained in Alpine after two years of service in the Korean conflict, was the nation's leading scorer at halfback for the Lobos, racking up twenty-four touchdowns in ten games. He earned a place on the Little All-American team for Divisions II and III NAIA players, along with guard John Waldrum.

Scown recalled the five day bus trip to Orlando that included a stop "somewhere between Del Rio and San Antonio" for a barbecue hosted by the family of a cheerleader.

When they reached the Tangerine Bowl, they suited up in mostly leather helmets "though we did have a few of the new plastic ones by then," Scown added.

They were to play the Murray State Thoroughbreds from Murray, Kentucky. The Lobos went up 21-0 early on but Murray State, led by their MVP Dale McDaniels fought back late and when it was all said and done the Lobos walked away with a 21-21 tie game.

Scown ended up splitting MVP honors with Murray State's McDaniels and came back to Alpine as humble as ever.

When asked how it felt to become the nation's leading scorer, an All-American, and a bowl-game MVP in only his sophomore season, Scown replied, "Oh, I felt 'bout the same."

But very few things are the same anymore. The Tangerine Bowl has become the Capital One Bowl and bigger names, like Peyton Manning, have held MVP honors. Helmets now have facemasks and instead of a seventy-five piece band, Sul Ross now has a few valiant volunteers.

Our football program no longer offers to give the same room, board, and tuition scholarships that the 1948-49 football team received (not to mention a monthly $10 stipend "to just kind of blow off," as Scown put it.)

What has remained unchanged however is the heart of the Lobo football team. This season has seen two stunning overtime wins and the Lobos have already matched last year's win total.