Tiny Gooch
Encyclopedia
John Aubrey "Tiny" Gooch (August 18, 1903 – April 21, 1986) was an all-around athlete at the University of Texas from 1925 to 1927, where he competed in American football
, wrestling and track and field.
, near Ennis
. He graduated from Ennis High School and enrolled at the University of Texas.
. At a Southwest Conference track meet, Gooch, who had a reputation for heckling his opponents, was warned by event official John W. Heisman (also the Rice football coach at the time) that he would be disqualified if he said one word to his chief opponent. Gooch reportedly sat down where he could be seen by his rival and held his lips together with his fingers. After his opponent fouled, Heisman chastised Gooch for violating orders, and Gooch replied, "I did exactly what you said. I not only sat down and didn't say anything but I held my mouth shut so I
couldn't."
Gooch was also selected as an All-Southwest Conference tackle while playing for the Longhorns football team. In September 1926, the Associated Press
reported that Gooch had reported for football practice "in splendid condition after wrestling all summer with blocks of ice." In November 1926, the Galveston Daily News wrote: "Gooch is another player who has improved rapidly this year. He formerly had difficulty in shifting his big feet, but apparently has overcome this disadvantage. Gooch is one of the hardest fighting tackles the Longhorns have had since the days of Eddie Bluestein. Moore and Gooch make a splendid combination." While attending Texas, Gooch was also the president of the "T" Association and a member of the Theta Xi
fraternity.
. He was associated for many years with the law firm of Cantey, Hanger, Gooch, Cravens and Scarborough. He was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers
and an active member of the Methodist Church. He was elected president of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce in 1959. At 6 feet, 7-1/2 inches, Gooch was acknowledged as "the tallest attorney in Texas" until 1950 when T. Armour Ball was admitted to the bar at 6 feet, 9 inches. As one of the chief lawyers for the Texas utilities, The Wall Street Journal wrote that Gooch was "considered the patron saint of Texas' electrical independence."
Gooch was also active in Republican Party politics and was selected as the keynote speaker for the 1956 GOP state convention in Houston. In 1961, he was rumored to be a possible Republican candidate for Governor of Texas.
Gooch died in April 1986. He was posthumously inducted into the Texas Longhorns Men's Hall of Honor in 1987.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, wrestling and track and field.
Early years
Gooch was born in Ellis County, TexasEllis County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 39,071 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
, near Ennis
Ennis, Texas
Ennis is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States, and a southeastern suburb of Dallas. The population was 16,045 at the 2000 census.In 1871, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad purchased of land in Ellis County at a price of , establishing the line's northern terminus. On May 8, 1872,...
. He graduated from Ennis High School and enrolled at the University of Texas.
Athlete
At the University of Texas, Gooch was a member of the Southwest Conference championship track teams from 1925 to 1927 and won the 1927 conference discus championship. He also won the Southwest Conference's 1926 heavyweight wrestling championship. He placed third in the discus at the 1927 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships1927 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships
The 1927 NCAA Track and Field Championships was the sixth NCAA track and field championship. The meet was held at Soldier's Field in Chicago, Illinois in June 1927.-Team scoring:...
. At a Southwest Conference track meet, Gooch, who had a reputation for heckling his opponents, was warned by event official John W. Heisman (also the Rice football coach at the time) that he would be disqualified if he said one word to his chief opponent. Gooch reportedly sat down where he could be seen by his rival and held his lips together with his fingers. After his opponent fouled, Heisman chastised Gooch for violating orders, and Gooch replied, "I did exactly what you said. I not only sat down and didn't say anything but I held my mouth shut so I
couldn't."
Gooch was also selected as an All-Southwest Conference tackle while playing for the Longhorns football team. In September 1926, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that Gooch had reported for football practice "in splendid condition after wrestling all summer with blocks of ice." In November 1926, the Galveston Daily News wrote: "Gooch is another player who has improved rapidly this year. He formerly had difficulty in shifting his big feet, but apparently has overcome this disadvantage. Gooch is one of the hardest fighting tackles the Longhorns have had since the days of Eddie Bluestein. Moore and Gooch make a splendid combination." While attending Texas, Gooch was also the president of the "T" Association and a member of the Theta Xi
Theta Xi
Theta Xi was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York on 29 April 1864. Theta Xi Fraternity was originally founded as an engineering fraternity, the first professional fraternity...
fraternity.
Legal and political career
Gooch later became a lawyer in Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. He was associated for many years with the law firm of Cantey, Hanger, Gooch, Cravens and Scarborough. He was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers
American College of Trial Lawyers
The American College of Trial Lawyers is a professional association of trial lawyers from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1950, the College is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession...
and an active member of the Methodist Church. He was elected president of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce in 1959. At 6 feet, 7-1/2 inches, Gooch was acknowledged as "the tallest attorney in Texas" until 1950 when T. Armour Ball was admitted to the bar at 6 feet, 9 inches. As one of the chief lawyers for the Texas utilities, The Wall Street Journal wrote that Gooch was "considered the patron saint of Texas' electrical independence."
Gooch was also active in Republican Party politics and was selected as the keynote speaker for the 1956 GOP state convention in Houston. In 1961, he was rumored to be a possible Republican candidate for Governor of Texas.
Track announcer
Gooch was also the announcer for the Texas Relays, the San Angelo Relays and other Texas track meets for more than 30 years. In 1961, a Kansas newspaper wrote that, at Texas track meets, Gooch was "as much an attraction" as the sprinters. He became well known for his "extemporaneous and humorous syntax behind the track mike." In the early days of the Texas Relays, he announced the four-mile relay event by telling the audience, "Each man will run or stagger one mile — the darned fools." In 1964, the Associated Press ran an "AP Spotlight" feature on Gooch noting:"Track in Texas has one thing working in its favor, however, in a giant of a man named J. A . ('Tiny') Gooch, who can make you hear him for miles even if the microphone should be out of commission. ... Gooch started announcing the Texas Relays back in 1927. He was a participant in the relay as a discus thrower. He would go over and heave the platter then hurry back and tell the people what was going on. ... He makes it a homey affair telling the fans the inside stuff in 'confidential' talks that carry up to the top of the stands."
Honors and death
Gooch was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1978.Gooch died in April 1986. He was posthumously inducted into the Texas Longhorns Men's Hall of Honor in 1987.