Ties to National Football League run deep in Daingerfield

By TONI WALKER

DAINGERFIELD – Of the thousands of high school football players, very few play college ball. Even fewer advance to the professional level. According to NCAA.com, approximately 6.8 percent of high school football players advance to the NCAA. The percentage drops to 1.5 percent of NCAA athletes advancing to the professional level, according to the same website. Daingerfield High School boasts 13 former athletes who have played in the National Football League (NFL), and one who currently serves as a coach. This week, The Steel Country Bee will continue to focus on the Tigers who have played or coached in the NFL.

Thomas Everett-DHS Class of 1983: Everett played seven different positions with the Tigers, including quarterback, and is currently the only Daingerfield Tiger to have had his high school jersey number retired. Everett’s four year career at Baylor was highlighted by many plays, including a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown in an upset win over the Texas Longhorns during his sophomore season. As a senior, he was selected to receive the Jim Thorpe Award. (1986 was the first year the award was given to the top defensive back in college football.) Everett was the first to receive the award. Everett was chosen to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2015, thanks in part to his twice being selected as First Team All-American while at Baylor.

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