After taking over the program in 1986, the mojo boosters gave Coach Gaines little time to sort things out. After two seasons of mediocre football, the Panthers were expected to take home the state championship in 1988. James "Boobie" Miles was coming off a stellar junior campaign and was drawing attention from major division one universities. Mike Winchell was a groomed senior who had been waiting for this season for the past 17 years. Ivory Christian was arguably the best defensive end in all of West Texas. The team was loaded and football crazed Odessa needed another state championship.
After a brutal preseason in the scorching Texas summer heat, Coach Gaines and his team were ready for the season. Hopes were high and the friday night lights were ready to shine. The first game of the season was against the Marshall Bulldogs. The Panthers were a better team and were not afraid to show it. They came out gunning. Boobie was making Barry Sandersesque moves. Winchell was throwing bombs. Ivory was making the QB eat dirt. The 1988 Permian Panthers season was off to a blistering start. Midway through the game, with the Panthers up more than 20 points, Coach Gaines wanted to get some of the younger guys some playing time. NOT WANTING TO OVERWORK Boobie, Gaines called the backup-backup (third string), Chris Comer's #.
Comer was living a simple life. He was third string running back for the best high school football team in West Texas. The starter was an all-american, and the backup was one of the toughest players and the son of a Permian legend. He wasnt going to see the field much this season. He was embracing his role and was looking forward to his first row seats to the Boobie show. Naturally, when Coach Gaines told him to get in, he was startled. After realizing he was actually about to go into the game, he gave Coach Gaines a nod and started to head onto the field. But before he could take two steps, Coach Gaines grabbed him by the shoulder pad and yanked him back. Comer, who thought he was supposed to enter the game was confused. After a second of silence Gaines asked Comer where his helmet was. That's right, Chris Comer was not wearing a helmet. He was ready to head out into a Texas high school football game without a helmet. After scrambling the sidelines in search of his helment, Comer came up empty handed. Gaines was forced to put Boobie in to run out the clock.
The Panthers lined up like every other play they had run the ball. Center snaps, Winchell hands off to Miles, and the fans enjoy the show. Unfortunately, this play didn't follow the script. Boobie took the handoff left but there was no hole. Using his supreme athletic ability, Boobie cut back right, only to find the weak side linebacker waiting for him. Boom. Crack. Snap. Bye Bye ACL. Bye Bye college football. The Boobie Miles project was over.
You could hear a pin drop at Ratliff Stadium as Boobie lay on the turf in excruciating pain. The entire town was in awe as they watched their Mona Lisa crumble into pieces. For the first time in his life, Boobie Miles was mortal. Coach Gaines knew that after this silence, a tornado of criticism was headed his way. Permian went on the win the game easily to start the season off 1-0 but the Boobie injury was looming over everything. The post game radio show was filled with angry fans criticizing Gaines for allowing Boobie to play at that point in the game.
My message to all those fans: go home and be quiet. Gaines didn't intend for Boobie to be in the game. He took him out for a reason. It wasnt Gaines's fault that Comer couldnt find his helmet. It wasnt Gaines's fault that Boobie tried to make another highlight reel run. It wasnt Gaines's fault that the weakside linebacker cracked Boobie's knee. It was an unfortunate string of events that led to the end of what could have been a spectacular career. But at the end of the day, that's football for you. Injuries happen. In fact, this injury gave us an opportunity to see what kind of coach Gaines really was (I probably could have coached the 1988 Permian Panthers to a Texas state championship with a healthy Boobie) and created a more unified team. With no more #45, Gaines adapted. He got Winchell's arm more involved in the offense and also discovered that when Comer was actually in the game, with a helmet on, he could play. Gaines implausibly led the Panthers to the state championship where they lost to an NFL ready Dallas Carter High School, all without Boobie. So before you bash Gary for the Boobie injury take a second to think about the situation and the eventual success of the team.
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