Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football

by Jim Dent

Points came grudgingly in one of the most physical battles that anyone could ever remember. Players from both sides were limping off the field, and Russell wished he had more than twelve players to suit up. Thankfully for the Mites, the game was being controlled in the line by Masonic Home center Bob White, along with tackles Allie White and Paul Smith. Scoreless in the fourth quarter, the game now hinged on penetrations. At least it seemed that way. So the Mighty Mites tried to imagine that the twenty-yard line was actually the goal line. Perry Pickett completed a thirty-yarder to James Thrash that moved the ball to the Poly nineteen. The Mites led 2–1 in penetrations and managed to maintain that edge until the clock ticked down. Some believed it was the luck of the duck. But the sporting press in Fort Worth was convinced that it was more a matter of talent. Many were writing that the Mighty Mites were on their way back to the state championship game, and reasons abounded to support those opinions. The wide-open Russell passing offense, with Pickett completing passes all over the field, had taken Texas football by storm. The past three seasons, Pickett had grown up with the intricate system that was so far ahead of its time that opposing coaches worked night and day hoping to defense it.