Twelve Mighty Orphans By Jim Dent

GreenSquared · December 29, 2007

After reading FFR's book review on GMG, I received this book as a Christmas gift. I just finished it and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Texas high school football. What these kids from the Masonic orphanage in Forth Worth overcame and the success they enjoyed is unbelievable. Go Mighty Mites!

Get the book!

P.S. Many thanks to Rick for the tip.

Go Mean Green!

BleedGreen64 · December 29, 2007

They had some really good football teams in the 50's. We (Ferris) tied them 0-0 in our bi district game in 1959. They ere big (for class and tought and led by a big strong fast running back named Doak Walker - not the one of SMU fame.

My kids were unaware that orphanages had athletic teams but Buckners in Dallas was alway a tough game too.

Ferris won our district 7 years in arow beating teams like Desoto, Cedar Hill, Wilmer-Hutchins, Midlothian, Rockwall,and Forney so we knew ehat tough was as we were normally the team with the smallest players.

FirefightnRick · December 30, 2007

Apparantly they had some good teams in the 60's as well per a post on Jim Dent's website.

Glad you liked the book. I gave two of them out for presents this Christmas as well. One morning after I get off duty I'm going to have

to go by the campus and see if I can get in to check it out. I've been riding by it on a firetruck for 12 years now but have never been on campus before. Just something I gotta go see.

Rick

Varsity · December 30, 2007

I received that book for Christmas as well and I also finished it last night.

It is not a well written book and it is full of errors but the story is so compelling that it is interesting.

I met Dewitt Coulter in the 1980s through his daughter in Houston and a nicer man you will never meet. We used to talk about Masonic Home as well as his days in the pros. I bought several pieces of art he did for the CFL. He died just last October.

Funny thing about the book is that Dent missed the story of Hardy Brown's reunion with his mother in Tulsa that's why he chose to go to college there. Hardy Brown was one of only two men to play in the NFL, AFL, CFL and the AAFC.

FirefightnRick · December 30, 2007

I received that book for Christmas as well and I also finished it last night.
It is not a well written book and it is full of errors but the story is so compelling that it is interesting.
I met Dewitt Coulter in the 1980s through his daughter in Houston and a nicer man you will never meet. We used to talk about Masonic Home as well as his days in the pros. I bought several pieces of art he did for the CFL. He died just last October.
Funny thing about the book is that Dent missed the story of Hardy Brown's reunion with his mother in Tulsa that's why he chose to go to college there. Hardy Brown was one of only two men to play in the NFL, AFL, CFL and the AAFC.

I understand the inaccuracies but they are small and do not take away from the overall accomplishments of their program or from coach Russell. But could you explain what you mean about "..not a well written book.."? It kept my attention throughout, and as I posted before I played against one of their little league teams, I am from Fort Worth and live there 1/3rd of my life currently, had a cousin attend there and work near there so I may be biased. But I'm interested in your oppinion and why?

Do you think this book will follow "Junction Boys" and become a movie?

Rick

SilverEagle · December 30, 2007

I understand the inaccuracies but they are small and do not take away from the overall accomplishments of their program or from coach Russell. But could you explain what you mean about "..not a well written book.."? It kept my attention throughout, and as I posted before I played against one of their little league teams, I am from Fort Worth and live there 1/3rd of my life currently, had a cousin attend there and work near there so I may be biased. But I'm interested in your oppinion and why?
Do you think this book will follow "Junction Boys" and become a movie?
Rick

With a name like "Twelve Mighty Orphans" and Hollywoods penchant for making "underdog" movies, I think it has a better than average chance of being a movie.

Varsity · December 31, 2007

I understand the inaccuracies but they are small and do not take away from the overall accomplishments of their program or from coach Russell. But could you explain what you mean about "..not a well written book.."? It kept my attention throughout, and as I posted before I played against one of their little league teams, I am from Fort Worth and live there 1/3rd of my life currently, had a cousin attend there and work near there so I may be biased. But I'm interested in your oppinion and why?
Do you think this book will follow "Junction Boys" and become a movie?
Rick

As a writer I am a fan of good writing. Maybe I should have said Dent's writing was simple and very basic. By telling a good story in an interesting way you enhance the reading experience. Dent doesn't do that. In fact large portions of the book read like he is trying to sell it as a screen play. The story itself is compelling. I've known about the Mighty Mites for a long time and this gives us a look inside the orphanage which has always facinated me, but he smoothed out a lot of wrinkles in his book and made those kids look more like the "Little Rascals" as they were referred to and only aluded to the severe trauma many of them suffered from. The traumatized nature of their lives and "caloused atttitudes" as he refers to them was the secret to their sucess. Also, the real Rusty Russell was a far more complex man that the one Dent portrays.

As for the inaccuracies some of them are glaring and the huge gaps in Hardy Brown's story as well as the stories of several others are pretty bad.

Still, I enjoyed it.

I wouldn't be surprised if Hollywood jumped on it. As a period piece it would be expensive to produce but i'd like to see it.

Rick, as a Ft. Worth boy, wouldn't you rather see a movie about Joe Don Looney?

FirefightnRick · December 31, 2007

Rick, as a Ft. Worth boy, wouldn't you rather see a movie about Joe Don Looney?

Absolutely not!

Rick

VideoEagle · December 31, 2007

Do you think this book will follow "Junction Boys" and become a movie?
Rick

A treatment of the Masonic Home football story made some rounds in the late 80s-early90s, but never found enough interest. I don’t remember who wrote the treatment, but I do remember he’d lived at Masonic Home well after the story took place.

shutter · December 31, 2007

Anyone know Jim's mailing address or web site? I am a old friend of his from the the 80s and just found out that he is doing some time in TDC.

shutter

GoMeanGreen1999 · January 2, 2008

Well I guess I need to go out and buy this book, as so many of you have enjoyed it. I did enjoy the "Junction Boys."

FirefightnRick · January 2, 2008

Well I guess I need to go out and buy this book, as so many of you have enjoyed it. I did enjoy the "Junction Boys."

Junction boys was great.

Rick

Cowtown · January 3, 2008

I read it a couple of months ago. It is a real easy read, the story is interesting, especially for those with Ft Worth ties, but the little quotes sprinkled through out drove me crazy. I am sure that Dent felt that he needed to add all that color out of respect for the guys he interviewed, but man they about sent me over the edge.

But it is worth reading.

I think it would translate well into film, but since the story takes place over about a decade I dont see how they could make it into a single movie. Maybe ESPN will pick it up as a mini series.

January 3, 2008

He *was* doing time for multiple drunk driving convictions. However, he is out now and on his book tour. He said that his last interview (before this tour) was done over the phone while locked up..

January 3, 2008

It is not a well written book and it is full of errors but the story is so compelling that it is interesting.

I liked the story as well.

However, I am on your side. The writing was so simple and all over the place. It was pretty tedious to read in some of the chapters. The paragraphs would start with a story, then end with repeating something that had already been said on the previous page.

Oh well. I enjoyed it. It was a quick read. Just so happened that I finished while on a road trip to Colorado (taking that "small winding asphalt road 287 from Ft. Worth to Amarillo"). I liked reading about familiar locations in this area.