The Mayor of Dallas will declare January 22 "South Oak Cliff Day," and the city will host a parade downtown that day to celebrate the high school's football championship. Last month, South Oak Cliff beat Central Texas' Liberty Hill High School, 23-14, to win Dallas ISD's first state championship since 1958.
Tuesday, the team met on the City Hall plaza for a rally.
"I'm not someone who likes to hear people say, 'We tried really hard,'" Mayor Eric Johnson said during the event. "Of course, you have to try hard and work hard to succeed in life, but I believe excellence has to be the ultimate goal. That's not true just in football. That's true in every aspect of life. South Oak Cliff represents all of that to me: a pursuit of excellence, fierce determination and undeniable grit."
"Those kids believed in us. We believed in them, and we overcame a lot of obstacles along the way," said Head Coach Jason Todd.
Todd said the team worked "a lot of days and nights" to earn the championship, saying they can now see the reward for their labor.
"We had a lot of adversities, but we never made excuses," he said.
NFL Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboy Charles Haley also spoke at the rally.
"My mama told me when I was young, 'If you want it, you've got to take it.' You all took it, but just remember, it ain't about football, it's about the game of life," Haley said.
Haley urged students to celebrate their championship but remain focused on their education.
"I went to college reading three grade levels behind. I had to stay there during the summer. The hardest thing I ever did in my life was get my college degree, but I got it," he said, with the crowd cheering. "And I earned it. Nobody gave it to me. What are you going to do? At any moment, you can change your life, but you've got to have the will."
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