The Harlandale-McCollum football game, better known as the Frontier Bowl, is the highlight of the season for the South Side high school rivals and their communities.
Friday night’s 46th clash between the Indians and Cowboys will have an added attraction that is sure to stir the memories and emotions of fans on both sides.
The press box at Harlandale Memorial Stadium will be named in honor of the late Max Konz, the public-address announcer at Harlandale and McCollum home football games for 46 years.
Most of Friday night’s halftime show will be a tribute to Konz, who became synonymous with Memorial Stadium and was one of the most beloved people in the history of the Harlandale Independent School District.
“Max meant a whole bunch to our district,” said Denny Smith, an HISD coach and administrator for 38 years before retiring. “Announcing those games was a passion for him, and it carried over to everybody else.”
Smith is the PA announcer for McCollum home games now, and former Harlandale assistant coach Robert Villafranca handles the duties for Harlandale games.
“I still have people ask me, ‘Why isn’t Max announcing tonight?’” Smith said.
Konz, who worked in the HISD as a coach, teacher and administrator for 30 years before retiring in 1986, died July 23, 2008, after a long illness. He was 81.
Konz was inducted into the HISD Hall of Fame in 1996.
He was the Harlandale district’s PA announcer from October 1958 until failing health forced him to give up the microphone after the 2003 season.
“It was very tough on my father when he had to give up announcing because Friday nights during football season, that was it for him,” his daughter, Debbie West, said Thursday. “If he were here today, he would be so proud that they’re naming the press box after him.
“I know he’ll be at the stadium in spirit, smiling and probably crying tears of joy. He was 6-foot-4, a big man, but he wasn’t afraid to cry. He just loved high school football. My brother (Max Konz III) and I are so grateful to the Harlandale district for doing this.”
Konz estimated he announced about 600 games before cellulitis in an ankle and knee problems forced him to quit because it was too difficult for him to walk up to the press box. He also had heart problems after he retired.
Harlandale athletic director Rudy De Los Santos has warm memories of Konz, who was a coach and teacher at all four junior high schools in the Harlandale district before becoming an administrator.
“What I remember about Max is his voice,” De Los Santos said. “He had a unique voice that carried across the stadium. He was a character, but he was always a coach.”
De Los Santos, a former head football coach at Harlandale High School, chuckled when he recalled Konz’s love for football.
“He wasn’t shy about giving you suggestions,” he said. “Before every game, he would give me a play that he thought would work against that week’s opponent. He always shared his knowledge of football. He never stopped being a coach.”
How Konz became the Harlandale district’s PA announcer is a story in itself, and was always good for a laugh years later.
“If people only knew how it started,” he would say, chuckling and shaking his head.
Konz was a teacher and coach at Terrell Wells Middle School when Harlandale athletic director Chuck Boggess “asked” him to announce the Brackenridge-Harlandale game on Oct. 1, 1958. Konz declined initially, saying he had a game to scout that night.
“I told him I couldn’t do it, that I didn’t know anything about announcing,” Konz told me in an interview in 2004.
Then, like a good comedian, Konz paused and chuckled before adding, “Then Mr. Boggess asked me, ‘Who signs your paycheck?’”
Konz announced the game that night and never missed a down until giving up the microphone before the 2004 season. He worked games at Harlandale Stadium, located on the Harlandale campus, for 10 years before Memorial Stadium opened in 1968.
Konz also announced HISD softball and soccer games in his later years.
“First and foremost, Max was a fan and that came through in the way he announced,” De Los Santos said. “He made the games come to life, and people looked forward to going to Memorial Stadium to hear Max Konz’s voice.”
One of the highlights of the Frontier Bowl was listening to Konz announce the scores of each game in the series. De Los Santos said fans made a point of getting to the stadium early because they didn’t want to miss that part of the pregame activities.
De Los Santos recalled that fans expressed disappointment when Konz quit announcing, and often asked when he was returning.
“Max wanted to come back,” De Los Santos said. “I don’t think he ever thought he wouldn’t do it anymore. He always said, ‘I’m getting better.’ But his health didn’t let him.”
Konz’s daughter recalled that her mother always was supportive of her father’s Friday night gig during football season.
“She knew better than to plan any social events for Friday nights during football season,” Debbie West said. “My mom knew how much he loved announcing. She used to say that if she wanted to hear Dad’s voice, all she had to do was open the patio door and listen for him.
Konz and his late wife, Shirley, lived in the Harlandale district, “a hop, skip and a jump” from Memorial Stadium, West said.
“My Dad loved the South Side,” West said. “He lived there and died there. He had so many friends. He was the kind of person who never met a stranger.”
Harlandale High School principal Rey Madrigal, who played football for the Indians and coached at his alma mater and McCollum, said Konz had a flair for describing what he saw on the field.
"He added a lot of excitement to the game," said Madrigal, who was inducted into the HISD Hall of Fame this week. "Growing up, I knew he was the voice of Harlandale Memorial Stadium. Max always will be honored and have a place in our district. Nobody will ever take his place."
Max Albert Konz Jr. was born Oct. 27, 1926 in Weimar. He played football while serving in the Navy from 1944 to 1946.
Konz signed a scholarship with Texas A&M after his discharge, playing three seasons with the Aggies before an ankle injury ended his career. A 1951 Southwest Texas graduate, he began his coaching career that fall as an assistant at Bandera.
He moved to Sabinal in 1952 to serve as high school principal. Konz returned to coaching in the fall of 1953, going to Carrizo Springs for a two-year stint as an assistant. He was an assistant coach for one year (1955-56) at Cotulla before taking a job in the Harlandale district.
He did them all well, but there's no doubt which one he enjoyed most. Konz always left his home two hours before a game, carrying notes with information and sayings that became part of the color of Harlandale and McCollum games.
Konz's signature signoff after games – “Good night, Sam, wherever you are” – became part of HISD lore. Only a handful of people knew he was referring to Sandra A. Soto, a McCollum graduate whose parents worked in the Harlandale district and were good friends with Konz and his wife.
Nicknamed “Sam” by Konz, Soto went to football games regularly with her parents and thought of Konz as family.
“He started saying, ‘Good night, Sam’ when I was a little girl and after I went off to college, he changed the line to “Good night, Sam, wherever you are,’” Soto said Friday. “It caught on.”
Soto, now 41, will be at Memorial Stadium on Friday night.
“I’m missing him right now and have a heavy heart, but I know he would be happy with this honor,” Soto said.
Kudos to De Los Santos, other HISD administrators and the board of trustees for honoring a man who brought so much joy to others.
sasoto said on November 7, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Thank you Mr. Flores for remembering Mr. Max Konz. The Harlandale ISD community was wonderful last night in providing a standing ovation for honoring a man who loved his community. He was a good man to his family and to his friends and I am reminded of how he touched my life with the following passage: “I have heard it has been said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return I know I believe that is true Because, I know I am who I am today because I knew you: So much of me is made of what I learned from you You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart And now whatever way our stories end I know you have re-written mine by being my friend:” "Good Night Max, we miss you but we will remember you!" ---Love “SAM”
melgo said on November 9, 2009 at 11:57 PM
Max will forever live on in the hearts of every student of our district that was privileged to hear his voice. No one can compare to him. This Indian will continue pass on her stories to the younger generations of this Tribe; for I believe he made every student feel like part of something greater when he announced the games. Band members, dance team or football players; you felt his pride in you. That was what this man so wonderful! Thank you for everything. Thank you for always sharing your unending love and pride with all of us.