PD Athletic Achievements

PD Athletic Achievements

Palo Duro competes in UIL 5A Division 1, football, basketball, wrestling, soccer, swimming, track

State Titles:

• Boys Basketball: 1956 (3A)
• Girls Wrestling: 2001 and 2003

Boys Basketball

• Austin Johnson, former PD basketball star (2001–2005), is Amarillo ISD’s all-time leading scorer with 2,602 career points.

• He recorded two 44-point games and achieved a quadruple-double: 24 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 steals

• Johnson led the Dons to the Class 4A state tournament, earned three District MVPs, and was a two-time All-State selection.

• He later played for the University of Oklahoma, starting 105 games and helping the Sooners reach the Elite Eight in 2009 alongside Blake Griffin

 

Track & Field Highlights

• 100m record: Nathan Stotts ran 10.62 seconds in 2016

• 200m record: Montrel Meander clocked 21.55 seconds in 2012

• 400m record: Clay Waggoner ran 48.35 seconds in 2006

PD Athletic Achievements

• Distance standout Hassan Abdi ran the 1600m in 4:21.75 in 2013

Dick Bivins Stadium

• High School Football Hub: It serves as the home field for all four Amarillo Independent School District (AISD) high schools—Amarillo High, Caprock High, Tascosa High, and Palo Duro High. It's a central venue for regular season and playoff games
• Historic FieldTurf Installation: In 1998, Dick Bivins Stadium became the first stadium in the world to install FieldTurf, a next-generation artificial turf that mimics natural grass using sand and rubber infill. This was a groundbreaking move in sports field technology at the time
• Track and Field Destination: The stadium is also a major site for track and field events, hosting one of the premier meets in Texas.
• Soccer Venue: All four AISD varsity soccer teams use the stadium, making it a year-round athletic facility beyond just football
• Below-Ground Playing Field: The field is set below ground level, with 41 rows of bleachers offering a unique viewing experience for up to 15,000 spectators
• Modern Upgrades: A major renovation in 2004–2005 included infrastructure improvements and the addition of a video scoreboard

If you liked the above, you probably will like...

Bi-District - Abilene Cooper Game

Cooper Advances with 17-0 Triumph

Abilene Cooper's Gary Choate gave the cougars the spark they needed when he stole the football from Palo Duro’s Ralph Scott midway through the third period. Abilene Cooper, the states number one Class AAAA unit, went on to a 17-0 Bi-District victory over the mistake plague Don's before a crowd of over 15,000 in Dick Stadium.

The cougars held PD to just 100 yards rushing in the game and took full advantage of three fumble recoveries and one pass interception. The winners picked up 196 yards on the ground and added 63 through the air as Richard Mildred connected on 7 of 14 pass attempts.

By winning, Abilene Cooper moves on to the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs and will meet El Paso Coronado next Friday night at 7:30 PM in the border city. Palo Duro ended its most successful season in history with a 9-1 mark.

After a scoreless first quarter which saw Cooper dominate by running 20 plays to PD’s 11, the cougars went ahead 3-0 with 4:04 left in the half on John Villareal's 31 yard field goal. Cooper kept the Dons in pretty much of a hole throughout.

Click here for More Abilene Cooper Game

Ruth's '69 Sport's Scrapbook

Doug's Baseball Memory

Also, there's gobs of sports photos.  Click on the Photo Gallery top right hand link