Fannin County, Texas - Dodd City Basketball Newspaper Article
This newspaper article appeared in the: 
BONHAM DAILY FAVORITE 
1949-50 
Submitted by Peggy McElrath
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  FANNIN COUNTY, TEXAS USGENWEB ARCHIVES
        Submitted by:  Peggy McElrath
        BONHAM DAILY FAVORITE
        Wednesday, February 23, 1994, page 7
        by Richard Marchbanks
  
 
    Truman was president, Coco Cola was five cents a bottle and Dairy Queen
had yet to arrive in Bonham the last time the Dodd City Hornets boys team won
District.  
As I listened to John Fletcher reminisce about the years gone by I realized how much 
our priorities as a nation have changed; John explained that some of Dodd City's 
students had to help their family harvest cotton and were up to six weeks late starting 
back to school. This practice was common for all of Fannin County until the 60's. 
Cotton then was harvested by hand, not machinery. John stated "My parents didn't 
care if I played basketball or not, they just wanted me to be known as hardworking 
and honest." 
     Playing basketball for the 1949-50 team was quite different than for the 
1993-1994 team. John said,  "I told the players on this year's team that we had air 
too, but it wasn't Air Jordan, it was air through the shoe. 
 
"We had two basketballs to work with, they have about 40.
 We couldn't practice like they do now." 
 
The 1949-50 team was coached by Dodd City grad Glen Howard
 
 The starting five consisted of  
 John Fletcher (center), Sammy McElrath (forward), Mickey Hollis (forward),Bob Hawkins 
(guard), and Phillip Howard (guard). Stroud was the sixth man. The rest of the bench 
consisted of:
Herman Riddle, Leroy Munger, W. J. Sadler,A. V. Cobb and Billy McElrath. 
 
 Dodd City, a District 45-B powerhouse, as described by The Bonham Daily Favorite,
 was invited  to play in a District 7AA Tournament. District 7AA consisted of Bonham,
Sherman, Paris,Greenville, Dodd City and Leonard rounded out the eight team 
tournament. 
 
Dodd City won its first game soundly defeating Leonard 39 to 23 as Sam McElrath 
scored 20 points. The Hornets pushed the Sherman Bearcats to the limit before 
losing 41 to 44 in overtime. Dodd City had led nearly all the way and were up by
five with slightly more than a minute to go before  the game turned sour for the 
Hornets.  
 The headlines read as followed in the Feb. 13, 1950 of The Bonham Daily Favorite: 
         DODD CITY GRABS 45B TITLE WITH 46-41 WIN HERE.
  
    Dodd City played Quitman on the 23rd of February and were defeated 55 to 32. 
Mickey Hollis led the Hornets with 10 points. Several team members were sick 
and were unable to overcome the flu. 
 
    The 1949-50 team placed two members on the ALL DISTRICT TEAM. They were 
Sammy McElrath and  John Fletcher. The BDF described Fletcher as death under the 
basket while McElrath can hit the basket from far out. Both are good defensive men. 
The Hornets also placed Mickey Hollis on the second team with Bob Hawkins receiving 
honorable mention. 
 
 Several of Dodd City 49-50 team still live in the area. Several others are planning 
on traveling to watch the Dodd City 1993-94 team take on Gunter Thursday night 
in Sherman. 
 
 Of the starting five all but Sam McElrath, who died in 1968, plan on being on hand to 
cheer the Hornets on. Fletcher lives in Dodd City and is retired from Jewel T.  John 
moved back in 1981. Mickey Hollis, head of the University of Houston Math Department, 
will be traveling from Houston. 

 Bob Hawkins is retired from the Odessa ISD and will be traveling from Odessa. 
Phillip Howard, a resident of Lamasco, is retired from the Air Force. Several 
other teammates will also travel to cheer Dodd City on. 

    Thank you, John, for the information and annual you let me borrow. Go Hornets!!