One left his mark as a coach and the other helped lead his team to the Class 4A football state title and into the history books as a player nearly 50 years ago.
Although the late Pat Shannon's teams at Jefferson never won a state championship during his nine-year tenure as the Mustangs' football coach from 1956-64, he is one of the iconic figures in San Antonio high school sports history.
Johnny Roland fueled Corpus Christi Miller's offense as an All-State running back in 1960 when the Buccaneers, coached by 33-year-old Pete Ragus, became the first integrated team to win a University Interscholastic League state title.
Shannon, who died in 2002, and Roland are among eight former players and coaches who will be inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Waco.
The ceremonies will be held at the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus.
Tommy Nobis, who played linebacker and tight end under Shannon from 1959-61 and went on to stellar college and pro careers, will be among the Jefferson contingent attending the event.
"This is a great honor for a great coach," said Nobis, an All-America linebacker and guard at Texas before getting picked by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1966 NFL draft. "What I remember about Coach Shannon is that he was always neat and well groomed, and his shoes were shined.
"Coach Shannon led by example with his appearance and the way he lived his life. He demanded the same from his players. He always said, 'If you don't have yourself in order, how are you going to help this football team?' He believed in basic principles that built character."
Jefferson won six district titles and five of the first six city championships in San Antonio from 1956-61 under Shannon, who coached at Edison for five seasons before taking over the Mustangs' program. Edison recorded two 10-0 seasons under Shannon, who began his coaching career at Pleasanton in 1940.
He later coached at Emerson Junior High before moving on to Tech High School, which was renamed Fox Tech.
A no-nonsense disciplinarian, Shannon drove his players hard and demanded their best on and off the field.
"There was no gray area, no give-and-take, with Coach Shannon," said Nobis, who lives in Atlanta. "He wasn't going to change. But as time went on, you understood what he was talking about when that discipline started to pay off. That discipline is what got me through Jefferson and Texas."
David Sims and Tom Murrah, both offensive guards, played under Shannon and graduated from Jefferson with Nobis in 1962. They also plan to be at Saturday's Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
"The thing I remember about Mr. Shannon was that he always wore a coat and tie on campus when he wasn't on the field coaching," said Murrah, who lives in Missouri City near Houston. "His appearance was very special. He was also big into preparation. He was going to do everything he could do to have us ready to play.
"Mr. Shannon was not big on words, but he let you know that you were fortunate to be representing the school. He did not pass out a lot of compliments, but when he did, you felt like you were floating on a cloud."
Sims, who lives in San Antonio, recalled how awed he was by Shannon when he played for him.
"I thought the man walked on water," he said. "Mr. Shannon and my father (J.L. Sims) were my role models. We didn't have a lot of civil liberties when we played for Mr. Shannon, but he taught us how important discipline was. When I played for the first time as a freshman at West Texas, I wrote him a letter the next day to thank him. I really credited him for my success."
Shannon, who was 85 when he died, was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
Roland, who splits time living in Chicago and St. Louis, said it will be gratifying to return to the city where Miller won the state championship. The Bucs beat Wichita Falls 13-6 at Baylor Stadium, now Floyd Casey Stadium.
"I'll be 2-0 in Waco," Roland said Friday. "I have great memories of my days at Miller. Our 1960 team had great character and outstanding leadership. We also had a great coaching staff."< /p>
The 1960 Bucs finished 13-1, losing only to Galveston Ball in the fourth game of the season. They beat Jefferson twice that year, xx-xx in a nondistrict game and xx-xx in the state quarterfinals.
Roland praised Ragus, now retired and living in Lubbock.
"He was the right guy for the right situation at the right time,"> Roland said. "He cared about us on the field and off the field. We respected him because we knew he respected us. We were a very close team and our families were very close, too."
Ragus, 81, said he would take Roland over any running back in any era.
"Besides being highly talented, Johnny is one of the toughest backs to ever play the game," Ragus said. "He could run, block and catch the ball. Another great thing about him was that he was a great team leader. He didn't say much, but he led by example.
"Nobody ever worked harder than Johnny. Put it all together - talent, toughness, attitude, work ethic and leadership - and you have one of the greatest backs to play high school football anywhere. He was a pleasure to coach."
Roland, 65, went on to an All-America career as a running back and defensive back under coach Dan Devine at Missouri. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, Roland was NFL Rookie of the Year in 1966. He played seven seasons with the Cardinals before finishing his career with the New York Giants in 1973.
Roland, a longtime NFL assistant coach and a member of the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl XX championship coaching staff, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
