The Prairie View Interscholastic League (PVIL) was the organization that governed academic and athletic competitions between African-American high schools in Texas for much of the 20th century. The organization's structure and operations were similar to the

University Interscholastic League The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, musical, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest organi ...

(UIL) and it disbanded shortly after the UIL admitted black high schools in the 1960s. A number of former PVIL football players were inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

after successful professional careers.

History

The Texas Interscholastic League of Colored Schools (TILCS) was formed in 1920 by the

Colored Teachers State Association of Texas The Colored Teachers State Association of Texas (CTSAT) was created in 1884 to unite black educators across the state of Texas. The main goals were to create equality in the public school system under Jim Crow Laws, Jim Crow laws and to establish a ...

and the Negro School Division of the State Department of Education. In 1923, TILCS came under the control of Prairie View A & M College and its name became the Prairie View Interscholastic League. PVIL competitions included athletic events,

extemporaneous speaking Extemporaneous Speaking (Extemp, or EXT) is a speech delivery style/speaking style, and a term that identifies a specific forensic competition. The competition is a speech event based on research and original analysis, done with a limited-prepar ...

declamation Declamation (from the Latin: ''declamatio'') is an artistic form of public speaking. It is a dramatic oration designed to express through articulation, emphasis and gesture the full sense of the text being conveyed. History In Ancient Rome, decla ...

and music. By 1927, 300 schools belonged to the PVIL. In 1939 Yates High School (Houston) coach Andrew "Pat" Patterson asked the principal of Yates, William S. Holland, to meet with E. B. Evans, the president of Prairie View A&M, to discuss regulating American football and establishing a football league.Sherrod, Rick. ''Texas High School Football Dynasties'' (Sports History Series).

The History Press The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

, 2013. , 9781609496128. p
7273
Rick Sherrod, author of ''Texas High School Football Dynasties'', described Patterson as the "architect" of the PVIL football league.Sherrod, Rick. ''Texas High School Football Dynasties'' (Sports History Series).

, 2013. , 9781609496128. p
72
Initially only schools in urban areas were a part of the football league. Originally there were 21 schools, but the membership expanded to the point where schools needed to be divided into conferences based on their sizes. The league was divided into 1A and 2A conferences by 1948. Conferences 3A and 4A were established by 1952 and in 1960, respectively.Sherrod, Rick. ''Texas High School Football Dynasties'' (Sports History Series).

, 2013. , 9781609496128. p
73
In 1964, discussions began on the possibility of UIL admission for black Texas high schools. The PVIL began to merge with the UIL, and schools in urban areas played their last PVIL football seasons in 1966. All sports competition transitioned to the UIL by the spring of 1970 and the organization disbanded that year. The Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association (PVILCA), an organization for former PVIL coaches and athletes, was later formed to preserve the league's history and to honor its participants. League memorabilia is displayed is at a community center run by

The University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

Notable participants

Houston Chronicle All-Time PVIL Football Team

The

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

named a team of all-time PVIL football players in a 1992 list. Mel Farr

Charley Taylor Charles Robert Taylor (September 28, 1941 – February 19, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college foo ...

, Dalworth High School (Grand Prairie), wide receiver^† *

Warren Wells Warren Wells (November 14, 1942 – December 27, 2018) was an American college and professional football player, who played wide receiver for five seasons, with the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders. He had success with the Raiders with one 1,00 ...

, Beaumont

Hebert High School Hebert High School was a traditionally black high school in the South Park Independent School District in Beaumont, Texas, US. It was founded in the early 20th century to serve the black community, and became an accredited high school in 1923. In r ...

, wide receiver *

Cliff Branch Clifford Branch Jr. (August 1, 1948 – August 3, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders during his entire 14-year National Football League (NFL) career. He won three NF ...

, Houston Worthing High School, wide receiver *

Jerry LeVias Jerry LeVias (born September 5, 1946) is a former American football player. He played college football at Southern Methodist University (SMU). He played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) with the Houston Oilers and in the N ...

, Beaumont Hebert High School, end *

Gene Upshaw Eugene Thurman Upshaw Jr. (August 15, 1945 – August 20, 2008), also known as "Uptown Gene" and "Highway 63", was an American professional football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) and later the National Foot ...

, Robstown High School, offensive lineman^† *

Marvin Upshaw Marvin Allen "Marv" Upshaw (born November 22, 1946 in Robstown, Texas) is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. He played nine seasons for the Cleveland Browns (1968–1969), the Kansas City Chiefs (1970� ...

, Robstown High School, offensive lineman *

Ernie Ladd Ernest Ladd (November 28, 1938 – March 10, 2007), nicknamed "The Big Cat", was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd attended Grambling State University on a basketball sc ...

, Orange High School, offensive lineman * Clarence Williams, Sweeny Carver High School, offensive lineman * Otis Taylor, Houston Worthing High School, quarterback * Gene Washington, Baytown Carver High School, running back *

Duane Thomas Duane Julius Thomas (born June 21, 1947) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at West Texas State University. Early yea ...

Lincoln High School (Dallas) Lincoln High School is public high school located in Dallas, Texas (USA) which enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. Lincoln's magnet school offers Radio/Television/Film, Print Journalism, and H ...

, running back *

Tody Smith Lawrence Edward Smith (December 24, 1948 – July 18, 1999) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University ...

, Beaumont

Charlton-Pollard High School Charlton-Pollard High School was a segregated high school for black students,Rienstra, Ellen Walker and Judith Walker Linsley (Beaumont Chamber of Commerce). ''Historic Beaumont: An Illustrated History''. HPN Books, 2003. , 9781893619289. p82 oper ...

, defensive lineman *

Bubba Smith Charles Aaron Smith (February 28, 1945 – August 3, 2011), commonly known as Bubba Smith, was an American football defensive end and actor. He first came into prominence at Michigan State University, where he twice earned All-American hon ...

, Beaumont Charlton-Pollard High School, defensive lineman *

Joe Greene Charles Edward Greene (born September 24, 1946), better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1 ...

, Temple Dunbar High School, defensive lineman^† *

Harvey Martin Harvey Banks Martin (November 16, 1950 – December 24, 2001) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 until 1983. He starred at South Oak Cliff ...

South Oak Cliff High School South Oak Cliff High School (colloquially referred to as SOC, pronounced "sock") is a public secondary school located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas, United States. South Oak Cliff High School enrolls students in grades 9- 12 and is a ...

(Dallas), defensive lineman * Dick Lane, Austin Anderson High School, linebacker^† *

Tony Guillory Anthony Guillory (November 10, 1942 – July 27, 2021) was an American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 through 1969. He attended the black Hebert High School in Beaumont, Texas, and played college ...

, Beaumont Hebert High School, linebacker *

Emmitt Thomas Emmitt Earl Thomas (born June 3, 1943) is a former American football coach and cornerback. He most recently served as the defensive backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played in college at the now def ...

Angleton High School Angleton High School is a public high school located just outside the city of Angleton, Texas, United States in unincorporated Brazoria County. It is classified as a 5A school by the University Interscholastic League (UIL). It is a part of the ...

, linebacker^† *

Mel Farr Melvin Farr (November 3, 1944 – August 3, 2015) was an American professional football player and businessman. A native of Beaumont, Texas, Farr played college football as a halfback on the 1965 and 1966 UCLA Bruins football teams that were ...

, Beaumont Hebert High School, defensive back *

Miller Farr Miller Farr Jr. (April 8, 1943 – July 18, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for 10 seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). Farr attended Wichita State Univ ...

, Beaumont Hebert High School, defensive back *

Ken Houston Kenneth Ray Houston (born November 12, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...

, Lufkin Dunbar High School, defensive back^† *

Abner Haynes Abner Haynes (born September 19, 1937) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the American Football League (AFL). Early years and integration of major college football in Texas Born in Denton, Texas, Hay ...

, Dallas Lincoln High School, defensive back ^† Inducted into

References

{{reflist High school sports associations in the United States Sports organizations established in 1920 Sports in Texas