Cecil "Honk" "Tex" Irvin
De Leon, The Heart of Texas
If there’s one thing Texans are crazy about, it’s football. There are no people who match the Texans’ fanaticism for high school and college football. The local game is more than just a competition between two competing schools; it’s also the time small-town Texans get together and to hang out with friends old and new, exchange news and gossip, and just have a good ol’ time.
De Leon is no exception. The De Leon High School Bearcats is one of the central institutions of the town. And in Bearcat history, the name that stands out has not one, but two nicknames: Cecil "Honk" "Tex" Irvin. In 1922, Irvin played for the Bearcats for one year as a freshman, and distinguished himself enough to wear striped-sleeve jersey of the senior players.
Irvin won a scholarship and headed for Davis & Elkins, a small town college on the western edge of the Allegheny Mountains. For four years, Honk played tackle and fullback, garnering All American honors in 1929. One of Honk’s most memorable games was a major upset of Navy in 1929. On the opening kickoff, Honk tackled the Navy ball carrier on the second yard line. Four plays later, he blocked the punt and recovered the ball for a touchdown. It won the game for Davis & Elkins.
After he graduated from college, Irvin joined the National Football League, playing for the Providence Steam Rollers. After the Steamrollers went defunct, Irvin joined the New York Giants. Honk was not a big, slow tackle. He ran extremely fast, despite the fact he weighed 230 lbs. In Irvin’s fourth and final season, the Giants made it to the NFL Championship.
In 1969, Cecil "Honk" "Tex" Irvin was inducted in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speech, Cecil Irvin said, "I believe football is more than a sport. I doubt it would have lived for a century if it had not been more than a sport. As trite as it may sound, I must say football does build character, and it does teach youngsters that first downs and touchdowns in life must be earned with individual and team effort."