Hundreds of people gathered at the heart of Dallas on January 22 for a parade that commemorated the city’s first “South Oak Cliff Day,” designated by Mayor Eric Johnson in honor of South Oak Cliff High School’s Golden Bears football team.
The mayor coined the day of celebration after the Golden Bears earned their school its first state championship with a 23-14 win over Liberty Hill in the UIL Class 5A Division II title game in December. The win earned the first football title for a Dallas ISD school in 63 years.
The parade was led by a procession of Corvettes, followed by drill teams, cheerleaders, and more than twenty schools with bands. Together, they all marched through the streets of downtown Dallas heading to City Hall Plaza.
Per The DMN, supporters lined the sidewalk with cardboard cutouts of their favorite players. Some supporters painted the jersey numbers of their favorite players on both cheeks.
The team, city officials, and alumni were driven through the parade in trucks decorated with white, black, and gold balloons and streamers, that frequently honked as the procession went on.
Mayor Eric Johnson served as grand marshal for the parade. He surprised the team with a key to the city. Lauding the contribution of the team to the city and the world at large, he expressed that all of Dallas was proud of them. “I have the authority … to honor people who have made an extraordinary contribution to our world, our state, our nation and of course, this great city,” Mayor Johnson said.
The DMN reported that South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd shed tears as Mayor Johnson addressed the crowd. Todd said that the team has received “overwhelming” support from the city. However, he added that the immense support did not surprise him. “Dallas always shows up for its own,” he said.
Per The DMN, the South Oak Cliff football team trained voraciously and “overcame significant adversity both in and out of school to ultimately achieve this victory.” The mayor noted that the football team thrived the same way the South Oak Cliff neighborhood has “overcome historic inequities and banded together to make their community safer, stronger and more vibrant.”
South Oak Cliff High’s principal, Willie Johnson Jr., said that the process that brought the school to that point is what is most important to celebrate. “In 2017, South Oak was recognized as one of the most dysfunctional, failing schools across the state. Now, South Oak is recognized for outstanding academic programs and the No.1 state football team,” he said.
In a district project that was finished in January last year, the old, outdated campus was renovated with a new turf field. Per The DMN, Ashton Stoker, senior linebacker, said that the renovations took things up a notch for the team, as they felt like they were on an even playing field. Stoker said that even though it was a challenging year for each player due to long hours on the field, little time to spend with friends and family, and fluctuating COVID-19 cases, it was all worth it in the end.
