The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center presents an evening with author and historian Michael Hurd discussing his work, Thursday Night Lights: The Story of Black High School Football in Texas, at 7 p.m. on Sept. 19.
As part of the event, Center staff will offer a special viewing of newspapers and other historic records spotlighting area black high school teams. Hurd’s book will be available for purchase with the opportunity for the author to sign copies for guests after his talk.
Published in 2017, Thursday Night Lights details the history of football programs at Texas’ all-black high schools from 1920-1970 as part of the Prairie View Interscholastic League. The book was named by Texas Observer magazine as one of the 30 best books about Texas for the 2010-2019 decade and by the Houston Chronicle as one of the 30 most essential books about Texas.
Hurd is retired director of the Texas Institute for Preservation of History and Culture at Prairie View A&M University and, as a sportswriter, was a member of the 1982 founding staff of USA Today. He has also written for the Austin-American Statesman, The Houston Post and Yahoo Sports. His work, Black College Football, 1892-1992, is the only book that comprehensively documents the legacies of football programs at historically black colleges.
Because of his extensive research and writing on black college football, Hurd is recognized as an expert on the subject and currently serves on the selection committee for the Black College Football Hall of Fame. He is also member of the Texas Institute of Letters, an honor society that celebrates Texas literature and recognizes distinctive literary achievements.
The Center welcomes guests of all ages for this engaging presentation about black high school football in Texas. The event is free and open to the public with no registration required.
The Sam Houston Center is a component of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and serves as the official regional historical resource depository for the 10 Southeast Texas counties of Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto and Tyler. The Center’s primary mission is to collect, preserve and provide access to historically significant state and local government records and publications of the designated region and secondarily to serve as a library of Texana and genealogical resources.
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides Texans access to the information needed to be informed, productive citizens by preserving the archival record of Texas; enhancing the service capacity of public, academic and school libraries; assisting public agencies in the maintenance of their records; and meeting the reading needs of Texans with disabilities. For more information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov.