With members of the media looking on, the staff at Dave Campbell's Texas Football announced the 10-team field (at right) for the 2008 Texas Football Classic at a live press conference at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The inaugural Texas Football Classic, in 1999, featured a one-day tripleheader. The Texas Football Classic was then expanded to four games and two days in 2001 before expanding it again in 2004 to three days and five games.

Seven schools in the previous nine years of the Texas Football Classic have opened their schedules with a victory in the Texas Football Classic before eventually playing for a 5A or 4A state championship. Last fall, nine of the 10 Classic teams went on to make the playoffs.

Seven of the 10 teams in the 2008 Classic are coming off postseason appearances, including defending 4A Division II state champion Lake Travis. This year’s event also features the first-ever matchup between 3A teams (Burnet and Brownwood).

PHIL BLUE, Georgetown
Coach Blue has been and seen a lot of places during his 23-year tenure as a head coach in the state of Texas. Only four wins away from reaching the 100-win mark for his career, Blue broke into the coaching scene with a bang by winning a state championship with Texas Christian Academy in 1986 -- his first year on the job.

CHAD MORRIS, Lake Travis
Having led one team to a state championship, coach Morris now inherits a team that just accomplished the same feat. Coach Morris was named the new head coach at Lake Travis this spring after five successful years at Stephenville. In that time, Morris ran his career record to 137 wins and ust 37 losses. The pinacle was the 2000 season when he led Bay City to the 4A Division II title.

ANTHONY WOOD, Round Rock Westwood
In his first stop as head coach, Anthony Wood has helped turn Westwood High into a Central Texas contender. Entering his fourth season, coach Wood and the Warriors had their best showing in 2006, going 9-2. Last year the program scored wins over two eventual playoff teams in Temple and Austin High.

DAVID WETZEL, San Antonio Reagan
Coach Wetzel is coming off the best finish of his 12-year career, a 11-3 2007 season that ended in a loss to eventual state finalist Converse Judson. Such playoff runs are nothing new to Wetzel, who has taken his team to the postseason in six of his 11 years as a head coach.

DON CLAYTON, Katy Cinco Ranch
The 2008 season marks a decade of coach Clayton leading the Cinco Ranch Cougars, who are coming off their third playoff trip in the past four seasons. Cinco Ranch had its best season in program history under Clayton in 2006, going 11-2 before an overtime loss to Pearland in the regional semifinals.

RICHARD WHITAKER, Port Lavaca Calhoun
Coach Whitaker has led the Calhoun Sandcrabs to consecutive 9-3 seasons and back-to-back playoff trips, an incredible feat considering before his arrival in 2005, Calhoun had not made the playoffs since 1961. The strong seasons helped Whitaker, who also coached Kingsville from 1999 until 2005, run his all-time record to 52-43.

GILBERT LEAL, Mercedes
Coach Leal knows all about living down in the Valley -- he's been there since high school! A Harlingen grad, Leal has taken Mercedes to the playoffs in two of his three years at the helm and had his best finish last year when he finished second in a very competitive 32-4A district.

DOYLE WALKER, Burnet
Coach Walker had the difficult job of following longtime Burnet coach Bob Shipley in 2007, but he made significant strides in his first year, helping Burnet reach the postseason. It marked the fifth time a Walker-led team had made the playoffs.

STEVE FREEMAN, Brownwood
Coach Freeman has compiled one of the better head coaching resumes, compiling a career record of 112-55, including playoff trips in 11 of his 14 years. He has helped the Brownwood program maintain its position as one of the state's best during his 12-year tenure with the Lions.

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