Paul Tyson
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 25, 1886 Hope, Arkansas |
| Died | September 9, 1950 (aged 63) Brownwood, Texas |
| Playing career | |
| 1904–1907 | Addison-Randolph College |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1913–1942 | Waco High School |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 209-57-16 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1922, '25–'27 Texas State Championships 1927 Mythical National Championship |
|
Paul Leighton Tyson (October 25, 1886 – September 9, 1950) was an American football coach. He is one of the most successful high school football coaches of all time, winning four Texas state championships and one national championship in the 1920s. Knute Rockne called Tyson "one of the finest coaches I ever met, college or high school."
A native of Arkansas, Tyson enrolled at Addison-Randolph College in Waco, Texas, (later re-founded as Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas) in 1904, intending to become a doctor. He went to a football game, tried out for the team the next week and made the starting line-up. He also lettered in baseball. In 1908, Tyson graduated from Addison-Randolph, and went to Pritzker School of Medicine in Chicago to study medicine. While playing baseball there, he was reportedly offered a contract to pitch for a major league team, but turned it down.
Returning to Texas, Tyson taught biology in Tyler to supplement his income while studying medicine. While at Tyler, the children recruited him as their "football supervisor". After teaching two more terms at Denison High School, Tyson finally decided to give up medicine for sports, when he became a biology teacher and football coach at Waco High School.
Though starting his career with a 1–3–2 season in 1913, Tyson's Waco teams did not have a losing season in the following 27 years under his guidance. Their dominance, however, truly began in the 1920s. Waco played six straight championship games between 1922 and 1927, losing only two. In 1927, after beating Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School of Chardon, Ohio, 44-12 in a post-season game, Waco was recognized as a mythical national champion.
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