10/13/2026
Eek! Two more sleeps! Looks like the Lord has blessed us with beautiful weather for the parade on Thursday! 🙏☀️
We are still so excited about our 2026 Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal, 94-years-young and “original” Bobcat Mom, Alma Jo Scott! Please see the below excerpt from an article featuring Alma Jo as submitted to Celina Lifestyle magazine in 2022. Wonderful story with rich Celina football history!
* Also see table in picture below. That is the exact table referenced in the article with some former Board members in 2022.
“Feeding the Bobcats:
The Origins of Bobcat Moms
‘A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.’ - Marcus Garvey
In 1970 a new football coach was hired in Celina. His name was Gerald Browder. Coach Browder’s contract went into effect on a very hot August day, and he let any boy interested in playing for him know they had better be on the field that afternoon at four o’clock sharp. About twenty boys showed up ranging from fourteen to eighteen years of age. The boys were curious and eager to meet their new head coach. They were also convinced that there was no way he could possibly be as hard on them as the former. After an afternoon of 100-yard ‘belly crawls’ and ‘wind sprints,’ the boys quickly learned they were mistaken. As nine o’clock approached, the boys found themselves praying for the darkness that might come and save them. When they thought the worst was behind them, Coach Browder walked over behind the press-box and turned on the lights. ‘Line-up, gentlemen. We’re not done here.’ Coach wanted to see what he had…and who would come back.
The boys were tired, disgruntled, and questioning their future in the Celina football program. They were hungry and dehydrated, too, as water breaks at this time were a rare treat. The seniors huddled-up after the first practice trying to determine their next step. They all ended up at Alma Jo Scott’s house right down from the old Admin building. It was a central location for all the boys in town and they knew the door was never locked. Alma Jo had three boys to feed and it was well known there was always food around for the taking. Oftentimes players would come in unannounced and help themselves to a slice of chocolate cake. There were also no sisters, which was important because while the boys didn’t mind fraternizing with the opposite s*x after a game on Friday nights, this night was different. It was a meeting of sorts. Some boys were at the table, some lying on the floor. It was about eleven o’clock at night. The question at hand- are we going back tomorrow? ‘If you quit, I’ll quit.’ ‘If I quit my daddy will whip me.’ In the midst of the conversation, Alma Jo plopped down some Doritos and hot sauce and began making sweet tea. The next morning at seven sharp all but one player showed up for practice. That second night, like before, they all ended up at the Scott house. This time Alma was ready with some cakes in addition to the Doritos and hot sauce, and of course, sweet tea. The team says that’s when their season really began.
As football season went on, the boys continued to meet at the Scott house. Alma would make stew, red beans, and cornbread. Other football moms started sending cakes and more treats. Eventually the boys started rotating houses, but one thing remained constant, the Bobcat moms feeding the Bobcats. ‘I remember eventually we went from my house, to the Huddleston house to the Glendenning house. And they had sisters so the girls started coming around,’ said Keith Scott, one of Alma Jo’s three boys. ‘You have to remember we didn’t have a Dairy Queen or Sonic or anything and if you wanted a cheeseburger or a pizza you had to drive to McKinney. None of us wanted to do that after a game, especially an away game, so we met at a home knowing we’d get fed.’ This tradition gained traction and continued for the next several years.”
And it still continues on TODAY! Thank you, Alma Jo, for laying a foundation for us to build on for decades to come! Blessed to be Bobcats! 🧡🧡🧡🧡
