Wylie High School (Abilene, Texas)

Wylie High School is a public high school located in the far southern portion (often called Wylie)^[1] of Abilene, Texas, United States and classified as a 4A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Wylie Independent School District located in northeastern Taylor County. In 2008, Wylie High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School.^[2] In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.^[3]

In order to avoid confusion with the Wylie High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex suburb of Wylie, the school is commonly referred to as Abilene Wylie.

History

The history of Wylie ISD dates back to the early 20th century. While records show that a Wylie school district was designated as early as 1888, it wasn't until 1902 that a school was organized.^[4] Mary V. Wiley, widow of pioneer J.J. Wylie, donated two acres of land for the construction of a new school. Three prominent citizens each contributed $120 for the purchase of materials and residents pooled their talents to erect a twenty-by-thirty foot building for use as both a school and a church.^[4]

In its first year (1902), the campus was a private school with an enrollment of 13 students.^[5] The school, then called District No. 11, became a public school in 1903. A post office opened in the community a year later under the name Sambo. The school's name was changed from District No. 11 to Sambo School. Due to an increasing student population, a new school was built in 1915 on land donated by Mrs. Wylie.^[5] She requested that the school's name be changed to Wylie in honor of her late husband, which was done.^[6] A series of bond elections were held during the 1920s. The first, in 1924, funded the construction of a new brick school that opened in 1925. The second bond election was held in 1927 that approved the construction of two additional classrooms and a dining room for the home economics department.^[5]

The 1930s saw a number of smaller school districts consolidate with Wylie. The Neill school district did so in 1931, followed by Iberis in 1933. That year, the district expanded from ten to eleven grades. In 1935, Buffalo Gap began sending its tenth and eleventh graders to Wylie, which continued until 1978 when Buffalo Gap consolidated with Jim Ned. Potosi began sending its eleventh grade students to Wylie in 1937 and Cedar Creek closed and began sending its students to Wylie as well.^[5] The Bulldog mascot and the colors purple and gold were officially adopted in 191967. Potosi, which had been sending its secondary school students to Wylie since the late 1930s, fully consolidated with the district in 1949.

A bond election passed in 1962 that called for the addition of two buildings and other improvements. By 1964, a total of 466 students were enrolled in the district. As Abilene grew and annexed land from Wylie into its school district, Wylie residents voted to become an independent school district in 1968.^[5] Butterfield School, located between the communities of Caps and View, consolidated with Wylie ISD in 1978.^[7] A bond election held that same year passed, which funded the construction of a new high school campus on Farm Road 707 (Beltway South).^[5]

The district continued to grow and a new middle school (presently Wylie Intermediate School) opened in 1984. A year later, enrollment stood at 1,550. In 1986, an intermediate campus opened on Hardwick Road (present-day Wylie Elementary School). A larger high school campus on Antilley Road opened in 1994 and the previous high school was converted into the district's junior high school.^[5]

Wylie schools celebrated the district's 100th anniversary in 2002. At the end of the 2005-2006 school year, Butterfield School closed, reducing the number of schools from six to five.^[7]

Athletics

The Wylie Bulldogs compete in the following sports - ^[8]

Cross Country, Volleyball, Football, Basketball, Swimming, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, Track, Softball & Baseball

• UIL Lone Star Cup Champions ^[9]
  • 2001(3A), 2006(3A)

State Titles

• Girls Basketball - ^[10]
  • 1970(1A), 1990(3A),2011(3A) 2012(3A)
• Baseball - ^[11]
  • 2016(4A)
• Football - ^[12]
  • 2004(3A/D1)
• Boys Golf - ^[13]
  • 1987(3A), 1992(3A)
• Team Tennis - ^[14]
  • 2014(4A)
• Volleyball - ^[15]
  • 2012(3A)

State finalists

• Boys Basketball - ^[16]
  • 2007(3A), 2013(3A)
• Girls Basketball - ^[10]
  • 2001(3A), 2006(3A), 2010(3A), 2015(4A)
• Football - ^[17]
  • 2000(3A/D1), 2009(3A/D1)

Football

Wylie's football team is regarded as one of the best teams in Division 3A/4A. Under the leadership of future NFL quarterback Case Keenum, the Bulldogs won the Division 3A-1 State Championship in 2004. The Bulldogs one again reached the 3A State Championship game in 2009, but were defeated by Gilmer High School. The Bulldogs have made numerous postseason appearances during their history and are regarded as one of the most powerful teams in their respective division.

Marching Band - 2002 UIL State Finalist as well as appearances in 1994, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Notable alumni

• Case Keenum, record-setting quarterback of the Houston Cougars football team and quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams football team
• Ty O'Neal, actor: Mighty Ducks D3, American Outlaws
• Gordon Wood, 396 wins, 91 losses, and 15 ties in 43 seasons as a Texas high school head football coach

Riley Hedge, student-athlete. Class of 2016. State champion. Currently works for an international oil and gas company. He makes like a billion dollars a year.

References

External links

• Wylie High School
• Wylie ISD
• Wyliesports.com

Coordinates: 32°22′32″N 99°46′59″W / 32.37556°N 99.78306°W / 32.37556; -99.78306