Coach Todd was born on October 10, 1941, in Terry County, TX (Far West Texas, near Plains). He attended Plains High School, where he was a standout athlete. He was offered a scholarship to Texas Tech, but chose instead to attend Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene and play for the legendary "Slingin'" Sammy Baugh. At Hardin-Simmons, he met and married the former Kay Loden. They celebrated 49 years of marriage this past August.
After the birth of their first child, Greg, in 1964, they moved to Dallas where Don began his coaching career at Atwell Junior High. He quickly moved up to the brand new David W. Carter High School. He and Kay had their second child, Jennafer, in 1968. While at Carter, Coach helped lead the 1971 football team to the state semi-finals. Shortly thereafter, he was hired by the University of Houston where he soon served as Defensive Coordinator until 1985.
Today, Don and Kay are enjoying retirement on their ranch west of Houston. They have two grown children, Greg and Jennafer, and two grandchildren, Kathryn and Cooper. Coach has had his health struggles but, true to form, he wakes up each day, reaches down, grabs a handful of grass and digs in for the fight! More importantly, he continues to follow and serve our Lord - both in triumph and trial.
There are few things he enjoys more than hearing from his former players, teammates, friends and family. So, we look forward to your posts!
Coach is turning 70 on October 10th! Please take a moment to leave him your birthday wishes and share a thought or memory with him. He'll be reading them all, when we present him with this Blog on his birthday! Also, unfortunately, only one person at a time can post, so if you are having difficulty getting in, it is likely that some else is finishing up. You can also send your post to Greg at senorsmokesalsa@yahoo.com and we will gladly post it for you!
