6 Man Football and a Night in Hico, Texas

While played in several states, and developed in 1934 by Coach Stephen Epler of Chester High School in Nebraska, the state of Texas is the epicenter of 6 Man Football. In 2009, there were just under 200 teams who played 6 Man. It is a variation of the 11 man football most of us are familiar with, especially developed for the small schools in rural areas who can not field a larger team. If you are interested take a minute and go to http://www.sixmanfootball.com/rules.php to get a feel for how the game is played. But the unique rules are a small part of what makes 6 Man special.

I took the picture in this article on November 24th, 2011 In Hico, Texas. A small city who's citizens believe that a local named "Brushy" Bill Roberts was, in reality  the outlaw "Billy the Kid". In fact there is a "Billy the Kid" Museum in the heart of Hico. The team in the white is from Lometa, Texas and they are about to kick an extra point as their playoff game against the Abbott Panthers was coming to an end. The kick was successful and it meant the team had just posted a score of 100. The problem is,their Panther opponents had already scored 118. The 218 points tied the highest score recorded in 6 Man but will be ranked second as the Trent Gorillas 132-86 win against the Novice Hornets ended due to the "Mercy Rule" after 3 1/2 quarters. And as high scoring as this match-up was, the preceding game earlier in the evening resulted in a 72-22 Richland Springs win over the Calvert Trojans. That game was called at halftime due to the same "Mercy Rule".