Four Father-Son Duos Who Forever Changed TXHSFB

In honor of Father's Day, we have undertaken the impossible task of naming the Mount Rushmore of most influential father-son duos in TXHSFB history. These families, while they could be considered the "best," are on this list because they changed the way the sport was played, coached, and covered. 

The selections are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Phil and Wes Danaher

If you based it on the record books alone, Phil and Wes Danaher are the most decorated father-son duo of all time. 

Phil is the state’s all-time leader in career wins (490), seasons as a head coach (48), and is tied with Highland Park’s Randy Allen at 93 playoff wins. Wes, a star running back in Phil’s signature Wing-T offense from 1992 to 1995, was the state’s second all-time rushing yards leader at the time of his graduation with 8,855. He also set a state record with 44 career 100-yard games. Phil’s other son, Cody, was also a prolific quarterback who went on to play for the Texas Longhorns.

But just listing numbers is a disservice to the Danaher family’s true impact on Texas high school football. Because just as important as what they did is where they did it – Corpus Christi Calallen. When Phil took over as head coach in 1984, Calallen hadn’t made the playoffs for 28 seasons. After a 5-4-1 record in his first season, Danaher’s teams made the playoffs every year from 1985 to 2021. Over the decades of sustained success, Danaher, along with other pioneers like the Detmer family, changed the type of pride South Texans took in their high school football. They helped to unlock a new geographic region for the sport’s growth, which is just as much a part of their legacy as the wins.

Todd and Riley Dodge

There’s one difference between the Dodge family and every other father-son duo on this list. If you only considered their playing careers, Todd and Riley would be mentioned. And, if you only considered their coaching careers, Todd and Riley would still be mentioned. But combine those resumes, and you get a duo on the Mount Rushmore of the most influential families in TXHSFB history.

Todd was a revolutionary quarterback at Port Arthur Jefferson. As a senior in 1980, he became the first high school player ever to break 3,000 passing yards in a single season. If you take a closer look at the stats, you realize the Yellow Jackets were playing a different sport than the rest of the state. Hall of Fame wide receiver Brent Duhon caught 92 passes for 1,375 yards and 19 touchdowns that year. That would’ve placed him as a top-five receiver in Class 6A football in each of the last five seasons, over 40 years later! 

If Todd was an outlier as a player, he brought the no-huddle spread into the mainstream as a head coach. He is the only head coach in TXHSFB history to three-peat as a state champion at two different schools. From 2002-06 at Southlake Carroll, the Dragons went 79-1 with five straight state championship appearances. The only loss was by one point, 16-15, in the Class 5A DII State Championship against Katy. Dodge then led Austin Westlake to three straight state championships from 2019 to 2021, starting a 54-consecutive-game winning streak that ended the year after he retired in 2022. The number of Dodge disciples who’ve gone on to star in college football and the NFL is almost as impressive as his historic on-field success. Dodge mentored 14-year NFL quarterback Chase Daniel and Alabama national champion Greg McElroy at Southlake Carroll, as well as Sugar Bowl champion quarterback Sam Ehlinger and two-time ACC Championship Game MVP Cade Klubnik at Austin Westlake. 

But Riley Dodge was the protege closest to Todd’s heart. The pair won a state championship together in 2006 at Southlake Carroll after Riley threw three second-half touchdown passes, including the legendary “puke-and-pass.” Riley threw for over 4,100 yards, ran for over 1,100 yards, and scored 67 total touchdowns that season, the first of back-to-back TXHSFB Player of the Year awards. 

Somehow, Riley’s coaching career at Southlake Carroll was just as illustrious as his playing career at the school. He became the fastest coach in state history to reach 100 wins, taking just 109 games, and reached two state championship games. He also built upon the Dodge quarterback tree by mentoring the nation’s No. 1-overall recruit, Quinn Ewers, who went on to lead the Texas Longhorns to the first two College Football Playoff appearances in program history.

Sam and Graham Harrell

The Dodge family probably has some qualms with what I’m about to say. But I’d argue that, in a vacuum, Sam and Graham Harrell are the best father-son quarterback-coach duo to ever win a state championship. 

Sam Harrell was a standout quarterback for the legendary Gordon Wood at Brownwood, and also served as an assistant on Wood’s staff for eight years after college. As a head coach, he never quite reached Wood’s 393 wins or nine state championships, but he’s arguably just as transformative to the sport. In 1999, Harrell’s Ennis teams became one of the first in TXHSFB history to wear wristbands with the play written on them. Where 99.9 percent of teams huddled, Ennis lined up in a formation and looked to the sideline for the call. 

Harrell led the Lions to a state title in 2000, 2001, and 2004. Picking your favorite state champion team is like choosing between your children, but it sure makes it easier when your child was the starting quarterback on the 2001 team. While Graham won the title as a sophomore, his senior year was the best of his career – and the best in state history up to that point. He set single-season records in 2003 with 334 completions for 4,825 yards and 67 touchdowns. At the time of his graduation, Graham was the all-time record holder with 12,532 passing yards and 167 passing touchdowns.  

Gary and Jeff Joseph

There are actually two different father-son combinations I could’ve put on this list from the Joseph family. I could’ve gone with Eddie Joseph and his son, Gary. In over two decades of service, Eddie built the Texas High School Coaches Organization into the largest organization of its kind in the nation, notably as executive vice president from 1992 to 2003. Gary has become one of the most successful Texas high school football coaches of all time, with a 286-31 record over 22 years at Katy High School. But I’m choosing Gary and Jeff Joseph for this list because they were the first active father-son head coaching duo to win a state championship. In 26 combined years of head coaching experience, a Joseph team has never won fewer than 10 games in a season. 

Gary’s story at Katy begins in 1982, when he arrived as a defensive coordinator on the legendary Mike Johnston’s inaugural staff. Today, Katy is a booming Houston suburb with nine high schools, and the Tigers are a TXHSFB blue blood. But, at the time, Katy’s sole high school didn’t even have a weight room. In Gary’s first four seasons, the Tigers only won eight total games. But, soon, the coaching staff’s culture – and Gary’s famed 3-4 ‘Weak Eagle’ defense – took root. Katy’s last losing season was in 1990. With Johnston as head coach and Gary as defensive coordinator, Katy won five state championships, including in 2000 when Jeff was a captain. After Johnston’s retirement, Gary became the head coach and took the Tigers to another level. In 22 seasons, Katy has won 20 district championships and reached nine state championship games. 

Jeff was an integral part in turning Katy into the dynasty everyone knows today as a state championship-winning team captain and former assistant coach. But he’s revitalized another blue blood program of his own at Port Neches-Groves. In four seasons, Jeff has compiled a 53-7 record. In 2023, the Indians won their first state championship since 1975. Jeff might not have his father’s longevity yet, but his early head coaching career has been so impactful because it restored one of the state’s proudest programs. In the 1970s and 1990s, the PNG faithful set numerous attendance records for high school games in Texas Stadium and the Astrodome. Now, their next generation of the purple swarm is doing the same at AT&T Stadium.

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

Ray and Marty Akins

Curtis and Darrell Barbay

Sonny Detmer and sons Ty and Koy

Dale and Whitney Keeling

Brad McCoy and his sons, Colt and Case

Chad and Chandler Morris

Wendell Robinson and his sons, Bo and Ty

Bob Shipley and his sons, Jordan and Jaxon

Joe Washington Sr. and Joe Washington Jr.