Judson High School

Judson High School
Location
Converse, Texas United States
Coordinates	29.509634°N 98.306707°W / 29.509634; -98.306707
Information
Type	Free public
Established	1959
School district	Judson Independent School District
Principal	Jesus Hernandez III
Grades	9 - 12
Enrollment	4670 (as of 2013)
Color(s)	Red & Grey
Athletics conference	District 27-5A
Mascot	Rockets
Website	Judson High School

Judson High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Converse, Texas. It was established in 1959 and is part of the Judson Independent School District. The school as well as the District were named after Moses Judson, who served on the Bexar County School Board from 1918 to 1939. His nephew Jack Judson was on the board when the decision was made to name the new rural high school Judson.

For a portion of its history up through 2010, Judson High School used a dual campus system wherein juniors and seniors attended the "Red Campus" and freshmen and sophomores attended the "Gray Campus." Previous to this dual campus system, Judson also had an atypical structure because it only housed grades 10-12 with the middle schools supporting grades 7-9. These structural departures from a typical high school system were due to efforts to accommodate the area's rapid population growth.

However, a single new school building now houses all the facilities with the exception of the agriculture facilities. The numerous original buildings which constituted the Red Campus were razed in 2011 to make way for the new athletic fields and tennis courts. The Gray Campus has been re-purposed into the Judson Middle School. The Performing Arts Center (PAC), which was constructed in 1998, houses the band, choir, orchestra, and drama classes. The PAC facility has a recital hall that seats 216 individuals, while the auditorium has 840 seats. The PAC facility is physically connected to Judson High School via vestibule.

The school newspaper is "The Fuel" and the yearbook is "The Rocket."

Judson was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 1999-2000.

Up until 2005, Judson was the sole high school within the Judson Independent School District (JISD). In 2005, the new Karen Wagner High School was launched which drew students from Judson. With Judson and Wagner, there are currently two main high schools in the JISD.

Athletics

Playing in the highest classification of the University Interscholastic League, the Judson Rocket athletic program has experienced significant success - particularly in football.

Football

The Judson Rocket football program emerged as a perennial power in the 1977 season under coach Jerry Sanders. Under his successor Frank Arnold, Judson won its first state championship. Arnold was succeeded by his former defensive coordinator D.W. Rutledge in 1984. D.W. Rutledge coached the Rockets until 2000 amassing a record of 198-31-5 and winning four state titles. In honor of D.W. Rutledge, the football stadium is named after him. Jim Rackley, a longtime assistant to Arnold and Rutledge for sixteen years, took over the program after the 2000 season. Rackley led the team to the state playoffs in nine of his eleven seasons and made three title appearances while winning one state championship. Mark Smith, formerly of Kerrville Tivy High School where he coached Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, assumed head coaching duties at Judson from 2012 through 2013. Sean McAuliffe replaced Mark Smith as head coach starting with the 2014 season.

Judson has made it to the state title game eleven (11) times: 1983, 1988, 1990, 1992-1993, 1995-1996, 1998, 2002, 2005, and 2007. Of these opportunities, Judson has claimed six (6) state titles by winning in 1983, 1988, 1992-1993, 1995, and 2002. With six (6) 5A state titles, Judson trails Katy High School's 7 titles, for the most 5A state titles (5A being Texas' largest public school classification at the time).

Judson holds the all-time Texas state record with thirty-eight (38) consecutive winning seasons from 1977 through 2014. Judson broke the previous record held by Plano Senior High School which was thirty-six (36) years. Whereas Plano's record is no longer active, Judson's record is still ongoing. During the streak, Judson has recorded an ~80% winning percentage with the worse full season record being 7-5 and the worse regular season record being 6-4 (this has happened 4 times). Judson is also the program with the highest winning percentage since the creation of the University Interscholastic League 5A and 6A classifications.

The following list details Judson's season records during the current streak (state championships denoted by asterisks and head coach noted in parentheses):

1977 10-1 (Sanders)

1978 10-2 (Sanders)

1979 10-1 (Sanders)

1980 6-4 (Arnold)

1981 7-3 (Arnold)

1982 14-1 (Arnold)

1983 15-1* (Arnold)

1984 11-2-1 (Rutledge)

1985 12-2 (Rutledge)

1986 12-1 (Rutledge)

1987 9-1-1 (Rutledge)

1988 15-1* (Rutledge)

1989 14-1 (Rutledge)

1990 14-2 (Rutledge)

1991 11-3 (Rutledge)

1992 14-1* (Rutledge)

1993 13-0-2* (Rutledge)

1994 10-3-1 (Rutledge)

1995 14-1* (Rutledge)

1996 13-2 (Rutledge)

1997 7-4 (Rutledge)

1998 14-1 (Rutledge)

1999 7-3 (Rutledge)

2000 8-3 (Rutledge)

2001 9-3 (Rackley)

2002 14-1* (Rackley)

2003 6-4 (Rackley)

2004 13-1 (Rackley)

2005 10-5 (Rackley)

2006 6-4 (Rackley)

2007 11-5 (Rackley)

2008 8-3 (Rackley)

2009 9-3 (Rackley)

2010 7-5 (Rackley)

2011 8-3 (Rackley)

2012 8-4 (Smith)

2013 11-3 (Smith)

2014 10-5 (McAuliffe)

Totals 400-93-5 for an ~80% winning percentage during the streak.

Since the program's inception, Judson's record is 453-187-10 for an ~70% winning percentage.

Basketball

The Judson Rocket boys basketball program has been a perennial contender under coach Michael Wacker. Judson has been to the UIL state tournament three times: 1992-1993, 2000-2001, and 2013-2014. In all three instances, Judson would lose to the eventual state champion. In 1993, Judson lost in the 5A boys state championship game to Fort Worth Dunbar. In 2001, Judson lost in the 5A boys semifinals game to Sugar Land Willowridge. Most recently, in 2014, Judson lost in the 5A boys state championship game to Galena Park North Shore while finishing with a Judson all-time best season record of 37-2.

Track & Field

The Judson Rocket track program has experienced significant recent success. The Judson boys team won the 2013 Texas 5A boys state track meet. The Judson girls team is the current state champions having won consecutive Texas 5A/6A girls state track meets in 2014 and 2015.

Wrestling

The wrestling program has also achieved recent excellence and has garnered an individual state title in the 140 lbs. weight class through Aaron Walker (2010-5th, 2011-1st, 2012-1st).

Notable alumni

Judson has produced multiple professional athletes including 9 NFL players.

• Mike Azzaro, American professional polo player
• Eric Brown, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans player
• Phillip Gaines, Kansas City Chiefs player (active)
• Derwin Gray, Indianapolis Colts player and evangelist
• Otis Grigsby, Miami Dolphins player Minnesota Vikings player
• Rob Housler, Arizona Cardinals player (active)
• Anthony Hutchinson Texas Tech Red Raiders, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots
• Mike Jinks, Texas Tech assistant coach
• Bert Richardson, incoming 2015 judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals; San Antonio lawyer
• Corey Sears, Houston Texans player
• Quintin Demps, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants player
• Chris McAllister, Baylor Bears, Houston Texans player (active)

Other notable alumni include:

• Kevin Robert Frost, CEO of AmFAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research

External links

• Judson High School Website
• Judson Independent School District Website
• Judson Football Season-by-Season