Thursday Night Lights: Panel Discussion

We are honored to have Michael Hurd the guest-curator of the Thursday Night Lights exhibit and author of the book on which it is based lead a panel discussion about the African American men and boys who coached and played football at the state’s all-Black high schools from 1920-1970. Michael Hurd is a writer and historian, an Air Force Vietnam veteran, and the former director for the Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture at Prairie View A&M University. His book Black College Football, 1892-1992, is the only work that comprehensively documents the legacies of football programs at historically Black colleges. His 2017 book, Thursday Night Lights; The Story of Black High School Football in Texas, covers the history of football programs at Black high schools in Texas during segregation from 1920 – 1970. The PVIL or Prairie View Interscholastic League was the organization that governed the academic and athletic competitions between African-American high schools in Texas for much for the 20th century. It was created as a counterpart to the University Interscholastic League (UIL) that only served white high schools at the time. The panel discussion will feature past football players and coaches who competed in the PVIL and will speak on their experiences in the league.