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

by Jim Dent

Russell and the Mighty Mites enjoyed an early success that was unmatched. But it also came with a measure of frustration. Thousands attended the games, but it seemed the Masons were toiling in relative obscurity. The Fort Worth Press and Star-Telegram barely covered their games. Class-B teams were considered second-class citizens that did not even play for a state championship. The best you could hope for in the minor leagues was to ascend to the regional championship game, and even then the sporting press normally ignored you. Meanwhile, the big schools like Central and Polytechnic always landed on the front page. What the sportswriters failed to recognize was that the Masonic Home was rapidly outgrowing the competition. By 1930, very few of the small country schools could stay on the field with Russell’s team. This occurred in spite of the fact that the orphans were badly outweighed. Truly, the grasshoppers were getting the best of the giants. For the 1930 season, Russell managed to add two big-league schools to the schedule. The Home managed to tie Fort Worth North Side 6–6 and Central 7–7. The only loss of the season was to a junior college team by the score of 6–0.