History

Football Origin

"That first home game against the Bulldogs, played upon the banks of the Neches River, started Indian football down it's first ever "trail of victory".  A sportswriter who witnessed the game noted that "...attendance was good and much spirit manifested."  He also noted that the Port Neches squad played "fiercely"."

- Dr. Jon Buck Ford (Author Down Trails of Victory)

 

Since 1925, the Indians of Port Neches and Groves have been a strong presence on the Texas high school football scene.  In the 84 years of PN-G football, the Indians have compiled a 531-310-33 record*, won 23 district championships, 13 regional championships, appeared in 6 state championship games and won 3 state championships.  The 60th school to achieve 500 wins in Texas high school football history,  PN-G is among the top 10 percent of winning programs in all state classifications based on records kept by football historian Joe Lee Smith, and ranks in the top 2 percent in playoff success.  The long list of former PN-G players includes over 80 All-State and 3 All-American players.

* through 2009 season 
 

All-Time Head Coaches | All-Time Results | Playoff History | All-State and All-American | State Championships | Season Records | Hall of Honor | Down Trails of Victory | Glory Trails | 1975 State Champions
 
1925-1929
Port Neches High School played it's first football game against the Silsbee Tigers on Saturday afternoon, October 10, 1925.  The Indians outgained the opposing Tigers but lost the game 7-0.  Port Neches gained their first ever victory, and initial home win against the Nederland Bulldogs a few weeks later with a 13-7 victory.  The Indians won only nine games through the remainder of the decade, but established the fighting spirit that would become the trademark of future Port Neches-Groves football teams.
 
1930-1939
Head coaches I.B. Griffith, R.D. Hitt and Claude Stone led the Indians to a respectable 61-28-7 record. With three district championships, and a regional championship in 1934, the football program was well on it's way to even greater success.
 
1940-1949

Three district championships and back to back regional championships, including the only perfect season in PN-G history hilighted the decade.  Head coach Gene McCollum began building what would become a state power in football. The overall record for the decade was 57-34-5.
 
1950-1959
Three straight state championship appearances, and state championship wins in 1953 and 1955 established the Port Neches football program as a force to be reckoned with in Class AAA football.  Led by two great head coaches, Gene McCollum and Lewis Ford, Port Neches finished the decade with a 79-27-3 record.  Indian Stadium was built in the current location in 1951 with a seating capacity of 6,500.
 
1960-1969
District champions in 1961 and 1968, Head coaches Wilford Moore, O.A. "Bum" Phillips and Ken Watson led the Indians to a respectable 55-38-6 record.
 
1970-1979
Beginning with the offensive powerhouse of the early seventies that featured Jeff Bergeron and the Wishbone offense, to four straight semifinal appearances, two state final appearances, and a 1975 state championship win over Odessa Permian, the 1970s was the most successful and exciting decade of football in PN-G history.   Led by legendary head coach Doug Ethridge and a host of assistant coaches that went on to achieve greatness themselves,  the Indians of the 70s left behind a record of 93-24-1, multiple state attendance records, a #3 national ranking, and a place among the all-time great programs in Texas high school football history.
 
1980-1989
The eighties were an uncharacteristic struggle for the Indian football program until a dynamic coach with Nebraska roots arrived at the Reservation.  Head Coach Danny Malone revived a dormant program and quickly built a powerhouse team that shocked the area. Malone coached the Indians only two short years but in that time resurrected a proud football program setting the stage for the next decade of PN-G football.
 
1990-1999
The 1990s began with several challenging seasons in the 5A ranks, but  culminated with an exciting state championship assault in 1999.  Perhaps the most balanced and potent offense in Indian football history, the '99 Indians played for the 4A state championship against the Art Briles coached Stephenville Yellowjackets.   Playing before a record Astrodome crowd of 39,100, the Indians fell short of the championships trophy but finished as one of the most exciting teams in PN-G history.  Head Coach Matt Burnett was named Fox Sports 4A Coach of the Year after the 1999 season.  The Indians finished the decade with a 68-42 overall record and three district championships.
 
2000-2009

The Indians finished the decade with a 62-42 record and 4 district championships matching the 50s and 70s teams.  Coach Matt Burnett became the winningest coach in PN-G football history before stepping down with a 95-66 overall record in his 15 seasons as head coach.  Coach Brandon Faircloth took over the reins in 2009 as head coach and athletic director.  Faircloth and staff led the Indians to their best season since 1999, and only the 4th perfect regular season in PN-G history.  

Indian Stadium received a new turf field, all new home stands, new restroom and concession facilities for home and visitors, and a pressbox and high definition video board that brings a college atmosphere to The Reservation.  Along with an already impressive fieldhouse, Port Neches-Groves enjoys some of the best high school facilities in the state and nation.
 
2010-
With state-of-the-art facilities and a premier coaching staff in place, the horizon is bright.  Like former PN-G offensive coordinators Greg Davis and Mike Long, new head coach Brandon Faircloth brings an exciting brand of football that promises to keep the Indians on the Trail of Victory.
 


 

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