About the LFA

Having played pee wee football many years ago here in Lewisville and now active as a coach and board member, I have seen many changes at Lake Park. So I thought it would be interesting to do a little research and include a “History of the Lewisville Football Association” if you will call it, here on the web site. If any of the following information is not accurate or if additional information is available, please email the LFA so this may be updated.The LFA got its start in 1971, due to the hard work and dedication of three gentlemen, Bill McFarling, John Wood and Dave Nelson. The league was first setup as tackle only for kids between the ages of 7 and 12. Cheerleading was a separate organization. The league was divided into four age divisions: 7/8, 9, 10, and 11/ 12 year olds. Later, when the 5/6 flag division was added, the 9 & 10 year olds were combined as one division.The original plan was to form three leagues, Lewisville, Lake Dallas, and Farmers Branch. The 3 leagues would compete throughout the year and at the end of the season a four team playoff.

Upon completion of the City Championship game, commonly known as the Walt Garrison Bowl, the top teams would then get a chance to compete against other cities. With the abundance of leagues today, bowl games can be played near by, but in the early days trips to Oklahoma were not uncommon. The league was even approached by a league from Mexico City!

With the uncertainty on how many kids to expect that first year, one of the major hurdles was how do you provide equipment for all the kids. The answer was simple, they didn’t. There was only enough money to purchase equipment for the 7-8 year old division. The other 3 divisions had to buy their own. By implementing a fundraiser, the league was able to purchase additional equipment the for the 9 and 10 year old divisions the very next year. The fundraiser, which is still used today, makes it possible to keep registration costs down and still provide TOP quality equipment to the kids.

I remember playing pee wee football as if it were yesterday. I can still visualize Mike Grimes, Bob Bauhannon, Boyd Burris, Gary Cox, and Ron Ingram pacing the sidelines. These guys have all contributed to the development and continued success of the league, their efforts and hard work have not gone unnoticed! Those Saturday games back in the 70’s were often time wild and crazy. Scores would soar into the 70’s as the good teams were really good and the bad…well, they tried hard. All the games were played on one field. We’d kickoff at 8:00 and the last game would sometime finish around midnight.

This last year in August of 2001, the football field was named in honor of the late Jay Causey. Ron Ingram and Gary Cox drafted a team in 1982 that had no coach at the time. They were able to talk Jay into coaching it. Jay went on to win his first of many City Championships that year. During the 2000 season, after his passing, all the players wore a JC sticker on their helmets in his honor. I still wear mine on the back of my hat. Jay will be greatly missed.

Today, the LFA is 1,000 kids strong and getting bigger and better each year. Lake Dallas has been part of the league for many years now and also contributes to its success.

Written by Al Meyers

Purpose

The purposes for which the Association is organized are to promote the highest ideals of sportsmanship, fellowship, and Americanism through charitable and educational activities; to provide fun, recreation, and competition for all participants, regardless of race, creed, or color; to provide and promote a supervised football program for eligible participants, and an opportunity for adult members to voluntarily coach, supervise, instruct, or otherwise participate in the activities of the Association.

 

Motto

“Putting the Youth First, Through Fun, Recreation, and Competition”, is the motto of Lewisville Football Association (LFA).  All actions and decisions will be predicated on the advancement of this attitude.