High school football has been called Texas's favorite pastime. If you follow the sport, you have heard of the Southlake Carroll Dragons. That is what happens when a district wins eight state football championships and three national high school championships. The Dragon tradition began in 1959 with the formation of the Carroll Independent School District. With the growth of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, families were attracted to Southlake and the school district's high academic standards and competitive football program. Some of the most successful Texas high school football coaches have blown their whistles in Dragon Stadium--Bob Ledbetter, Todd Dodge, Hal Wasson, and others have kept the Dragons in the record books.
Connie Cooley grew up in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. She is the president of the Southlake Historical Society and the author of Images of America: Southlake. Created in 1992, the Southlake Historical Society seeks to promote the preservation, understanding, and appreciation of Southlake history.