An 80-year tradition has come to an end, as the Texas High School Coaches Association will eliminate its annual all-star football and basketball games. The all-star games are held in conjunction with the THSCA Convention and Coaching School, usually in late July.
A recently passed NCAA Bylaw (13.1.7.9.6) is the cause of the action. It prohibits Division I college football coaches from attending or speaking at a convention that has an all-star game affiliated with it.
The THSCA board of directors asked for an exemption but was denied by the NCAA Legislative Relief Waiver Committee. Burkburnett boys basketball coach Danny Nix has had several players participate in the game and is disappointed by the decision.
“I’m really shocked. We’ve had a lot of kids play in it,” he said. “It was such a well-run event; it was always attended well. It was so neat for everybody to cap off the coaching school in one of those games. They would always tell everyone it wasn’t the best all-star game in the state, but it really had a neat mesh of kids from small schools and big schools. I think that will be a big loss.”
Quanah head football coach Jason Sims was disappointed with the decision but understands it. “I hate that the NCAA won’t grant a waiver allowing their coaches to attend our convention because of the all-star game,” he said. “However, coaching school is professional development first and foremost. If this allows for quality lectures, I agree with the decision.” “I hate to see the game go. It was a great honor for players to be selected to play in it.”
The THSCA Board felt eliminating attendance by Division I college coaches would be detrimental to the success of the convention, which is the main source of income for the association. “This is not a decision we wanted to have to make at all. We felt our convention and all-star games were not a violation of the NCAA rule and took extra steps to separate the two events as best we could, but the Waiver Committee felt otherwise,” said THSCA Executive Director D.W. Rutledge.
This article was republished with permission from the publisher, Times Record News.