Owls honor their most faithful fans

By Julio Vega, Amarillo Globe-News

Prior to last Thursday’s kickoff, the 11 Hedley football players kneeled down in front of 20 people. The folks weren’t just random Hedley fans, but the legacy of two very specific Hedley fans that had been a staple of the Owls’ sidelines for decades, Buford and Geraldine Holland. The game that followed was almost an afterthought, especially when most fans knew how it was going to end.

But the game went on, with Follett downing Hedley 54-6 after three quarters due to the mercy rule in a District 1-1A Division II contest. The Panthers (10-0, 4-0) secured their undefeated mark, while the Owls (8-2, 2-2) enjoyed one of the program’s best campaigns in years. Plenty of touchdowns were scored, but the loudest cheer of the night came from the home crowd as Hedley put up its only score in the final seconds of the first half. But those two very special fans were missing from the home sideline, their cheers not heard but felt. Buford Holland passed away October 15, 2021, while his wife, Geraldine, died nearly two years prior on December 8, 2019.

Both were honored for their longtime fandom and impact on the community of Hedley. It was the first home game for the Owls since Buford Holland passed away, and the final game of the Hedley season, marking the end of an era. But at the same time, a new beginning. The Owls won eight games this season, something that had never been done prior and could happen next fall with the team graduating one senior. Though barely connected to the Hollands at all, the timing may have been a sign from the universe.

Everyone knew the couple. They were always at football and basketball games, community events and were active with their neighbors and immersed in the community. The Hollands had four children, Darrell, Glyndol, Lynn and Gail, who all graduated from Hedley. They also have grandchildren and great-grandchildren who went through Hedley. They left their mark in the town of less than 300. And it will continue.

Gail Hill (formerly Holland) said after she and all her siblings graduated and moved on from Hedley, her parents found their calling in being the parents and grandparents of the Hedley community.

“They just loved to go to games and see the kids,” Hill said. “That was just their life. They enjoyed seeing the kids and supporting the school. That was just what they did.”

Grandson Lynn Holland, named for his late uncle, even went as far as to make a six-part documentary, highlighting the various aspects of their lives and the pillars they lived by: simplicity, community, hard work, commitment, and family. Lynn Holland said he started filming parts of the documentary starting in 2015 but started really working on it in the final weeks of his grandfather’s life.

“We played the documentary for the family after Buford’s funeral,” he said. “It really brought us all together. That will go down as one of the proudest moments of my life. The process of working on the documentary transformed me by revealing what was truly important in life.”

Buford and Geraldine Buford lived a simple, yet enjoyable life, but their impact has been felt across the community – young and old. Despite the lopsided scoreline and the curtain falling on Hedley’s season Thursday, the Holland’s impact went far beyond their presence on the sideline and in the community.

Hedley assistant coach Eric Alston grew up with the Hollands on the sidelines. He played in front of them, then eventually returned to coach on the sidelines for the Owls.

“When you look over and don’t see them, there’s just a hole over there,” Alston said. “They represented that small-town support. They were always here, even when they had no family to support. They were here to support us, the team, the town. For us, that means a lot.”