The Permian Panthers football program is nothing to mess with

ODESSA, Texas — The Permian Panthers. One of probably the most storied football applications in West Texas.

“These kids are amazing,” Ratcliff Stadium PA Announcer Todd Berridge stated. “The coaches are amazing. Just the whole entire school is amazing and we have an awesome responsibility to defend that school. To defend that honor to defend the history of Permian High School.”

If you’re from Odessa, you understand the story of “Friday Night Lights”. First the 1990 book by Buzz Bissinger, then the movie starring Billy Bob Thornton in 2004. If you’re a highschool football fan, you understand the Permian Panthers in Odessa, TX.

But Permian is way over only a setting of one of the crucial well-known sports activities tales in e book and movie historical past. Permian has carved itself out a historical past of their very own.

“I’ve been following Permian since 1980,” Berridge stated. “And that was one of the years they won a state championship. So they’ve won six state championships. They’ve been to the championship game 11 times. They’ve been undefeated several times and won two national championships so it’s really easy to get in with black and white and be a panther. “

The football program isn’t the one standout of this faculty.

“All of the programs and Permian High School feed off of the football program, so when they’re successful, we’re successful,” Berridge stated, additionally being the orchestra instructor. “The band has been, you know, national champions. The orchestra has been state champions, national champions the choir, anybody who’s in Permian High School is just as a great success. And it feeds from the football program. They set the tone.”

The rallying cry for Permian High is MOJO, fairly random for a crew named the Permian Panthers. There’s been quite a few tales of how this phrase was originated, however let’s hear from an professional.

“Back in 1967, there was a few fans that started yelling Mojo at the game,” Berridge stated. “Nobody quite knew what they were talking about at the time. But it really didn’t take off until 1968 that the semifinal game, the Peppettes at the time had these bumper stickers that they were selling, and it said ‘The Mighty Mojo Panthers’, and the band spelled Mojo on the field first time in 1968, and it just took off from there. It was a kind of like a mystique thing. And every time Mojo was yelled it seemed like they were coming back from a huge deficit and came back in the fourth quarter to win the game.”

Friday evening, the Panthers performed their greatest rival Midland Legacy, previously Midland Lee, the crew Boobie Miles obtained injured in opposition to within the film (not true in actual life nevertheless). This has continued to be an enormous rivalry.

“This is a rivalry, we have respect to one another between the old Midland Lee program and the Permian program,” Berridge stated. “Tonight is the 66th meeting. Permian is 40-24-1 against them in the regular season in the playoffs, and they’ve even met in the playoffs three times. Permian owns a two and one record on that. You know, we don’t like each other but we have respect for one another as a program. They have three back to back state championships in Lee. The kids don’t like each other. The players don’t like each other. The fans don’t like each other. But in this time, we need rivalries, we need that thing to kick us in the rear and get us out to the ball games because it’s just so much fun to come out here on Ratiff Friday night.”

So regardless of what the e book or the film tells you, simply know the Friday Night Lights have been shining over the Permian Panthers for years upon years. Just ask their trophy case.