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MEMORIAL A wise and
trusted teacher, guide and friend.
The word is used to often these days but few attain the true meaning.
Paul Aubrey has been a mentor, a roll model, a leader and a great man his entire
life. Those who have been touched by Paul will never forget his influence.
High School wrestling was struggling to make a name for it self in the early
70’s. Football coaches had not yet understood the benefits of the program.
Amarillo and El Paso were going steady due to their proximity with wrestling
strongholds in Oklahoma and New Mexico, but Dallas needed someone to step up and
carry the ball. Paul Aubrey stepped up.
Paul had been a NCAA Champion at the University of Oklahoma and was a pilot for
Braniff Airlines. During his time between flights, Paul went from school to
school talking the virtues of wrestling. Several schools started club programs
to test the waters. One such school was R. L. Turner. Paul convinced then A.D.
Jim Arnold to allow him to start a program and in 1970 wrestling was born at
Turner.
Paul committed time almost every day for practice and almost every weekend from
October to March were spent in a gym with his team. Coaching and teaching his
team. He recruited another pilot friend Don Hadden to help when his job took him
away from the sport and the kids he cared so much for.
When the school couldn’t afford to buy the team a mat, Paul bought a truck load
of Christmas trees to sell and raise money for a mat. Paul and his team stayed
at the school, at night to sell the trees from the parking lot. The team got
their mat.
When he wanted his young team to gain some needed experience, he and Don would
load up the team and head for Oklahoma to wrestle. Gas, hotels and food for the
team, all paid for by Paul and Don.
But it wasn’t just the time and money that he gladly donated, it was the life
lessons, the encouragement and the sportsmanship that he taught each young man
that came to the team wanting be a wrestler. He gave as much to the not-so-great
as he did those with some ability. He wouldn’t let us quit, not on ourselves or
on the team.
Wrestling was growing and gaining in popularity when the administration became
concerned that one of there teams was being coached by a non-employee of the
school district. They offered him a contract to coach the team. He respectfully
declined their money. They needed him under contract so he countered with a $1
per year contract if that would keep the team at Turner. The sport grew until
the school finally had to hire a full time coach.
Paul set his sites on getting wrestling accepted by the UIL in Texas. He and
several others made petition after petition to the state for sanctioning.
Finally, some 20 years after he started the team at Turner, wrestling was
adopted by the state.
And some 20 years later, Paul still lived in Carrollton and there is still a
wresting tournament held at R. L. Turner named after the founding father.
There are 2 things I know are absolutely true with regards to Paul Aubrey.
First, wrestling would not be where it is today in the state of Texas without
the efforts of Paul Aubrey. Second, I am a better person today for having had
him as my mentor, my roll model.
Paul Aubrey died Tuesday of cancer. Our prayers go out to Coach Aubrey's family.
There have been few like him.
Bob Pickens - Former R. L. Turner Wrestler |
Carrollton-Farmers
Branch TXGenWeb