From Coach Kotrola's death certificate #66395
Name: ALVIN ENGLEBERT KOTROLA
Birth is 7 Nov 1911 -- tombstone reads 1910 ~~ born Granger, Williamson Co, TX
Died 1 Oct 1967 - 23200 Hempstead Hwy (Hwy 290)
Father was Henry J. Kotrola
Mother was __?__ Vitek
Informant was his son Jerry Kotrola
Was a WW II veteran
Name of cemetery on D/C is Granger Brethern Cemetery - Granger, Texas
From the Houston Chronicle Newspaper 3 Oct 1967
COACH OF "CINDERELLA" MUSTANGS
KOTROLAS' RITES WEDNESDAY
Alvin E. (Bull) Kotrola, who was killed in a head-on automobile collision along with his wife Maryanne, Sunday night was the Texas High School Coach of the Year in 1954
That was the year his "Cindrella" Stephen F. Austin Mustangs won only one of their first five games, then captured the next 7 to advance to the state 4 A football finals.
THEY LOST TO COACH Chuck Moser's Abilene Eagles in the last 56 seconds at Jeppesen Stadium 14-7.
Kotrola, 56, who once played tackle for the late Pete Cawthron at Texas Tech, retired from coaching in the fall of 1957 and became assistant principal at Austin High.
No team in the Houston school district has advanced so far in the state playoff since the "Cinderella" team.
Kotrola, a native of Granger, produced several Southwest Conference stars, including Vince Matthews, who quarterbacked the state finalists and later led Texas to a victory over Oklahoma.
OTHER KOTROLA-coached athletes were Babe Dreymala of Texas, Randy Sims and Buddy Payne of Texas A&M, Ted Crenwelge and Gil Bartosh of TCU and Buddy Welborn of Navy.
Bull, a big gruff-voiced man, developed Bartosh at Granger High before his Austin tenure.
Bartosh, one of the Frogs' all-time greats, is now the backfield coach at Rice University. He started his coaching career on Kotrola's Austin staff.
KOTROLA IS survived by two sons, Jerry Kotrola of Houston and Joe Sheldon Kotrola of Honolulu, Hawaii and a daughter, Mrs. Ednauna Owens of Scotland.
Service for the Kotrolas will be held at 10 A.M. Wednesday at the South Main Baptist Church, with the Rev Luke N. Ates officiating. Bull's burial will be in Taylor, Texas.
The Houston Funeral Home, 1401 Crawford, is making arrangements. All members of the Houston School Board will be honorary pallbearers.
Coach Kotrola was the coach when I attended Stephen F. Austin (class of 1954) It was a wonderful happy time to live in Houston TX and attend football games. I was in the Scottish Brigade Drill Team so got to attend all at- home games. We got to attend an out of town game that year traveling by train to Austin Texas to play their Austin High school. The band and the drill team performed and our team won the game 14-0. The football team, the band, the drill team and many teachers and fans all rode the train to and from the game. (submitted by Betty Lang Walker)
-------------------------
Name: ALVIN ENGLEBERT KOTROLA
Birth is 7 Nov 1911 -- tombstone reads 1910 ~~ born Granger, Williamson Co, TX
Died 1 Oct 1967 - 23200 Hempstead Hwy (Hwy 290)
Father was Henry J. Kotrola
Mother was __?__ Vitek
Informant was his son Jerry Kotrola
Was a WW II veteran
Name of cemetery on D/C is Granger Brethern Cemetery - Granger, Texas
From the Houston Chronicle Newspaper 3 Oct 1967
COACH OF "CINDERELLA" MUSTANGS
KOTROLAS' RITES WEDNESDAY
Alvin E. (Bull) Kotrola, who was killed in a head-on automobile collision along with his wife Maryanne, Sunday night was the Texas High School Coach of the Year in 1954
That was the year his "Cindrella" Stephen F. Austin Mustangs won only one of their first five games, then captured the next 7 to advance to the state 4 A football finals.
THEY LOST TO COACH Chuck Moser's Abilene Eagles in the last 56 seconds at Jeppesen Stadium 14-7.
Kotrola, 56, who once played tackle for the late Pete Cawthron at Texas Tech, retired from coaching in the fall of 1957 and became assistant principal at Austin High.
No team in the Houston school district has advanced so far in the state playoff since the "Cinderella" team.
Kotrola, a native of Granger, produced several Southwest Conference stars, including Vince Matthews, who quarterbacked the state finalists and later led Texas to a victory over Oklahoma.
OTHER KOTROLA-coached athletes were Babe Dreymala of Texas, Randy Sims and Buddy Payne of Texas A&M, Ted Crenwelge and Gil Bartosh of TCU and Buddy Welborn of Navy.
Bull, a big gruff-voiced man, developed Bartosh at Granger High before his Austin tenure.
Bartosh, one of the Frogs' all-time greats, is now the backfield coach at Rice University. He started his coaching career on Kotrola's Austin staff.
KOTROLA IS survived by two sons, Jerry Kotrola of Houston and Joe Sheldon Kotrola of Honolulu, Hawaii and a daughter, Mrs. Ednauna Owens of Scotland.
Service for the Kotrolas will be held at 10 A.M. Wednesday at the South Main Baptist Church, with the Rev Luke N. Ates officiating. Bull's burial will be in Taylor, Texas.
The Houston Funeral Home, 1401 Crawford, is making arrangements. All members of the Houston School Board will be honorary pallbearers.
Coach Kotrola was the coach when I attended Stephen F. Austin (class of 1954) It was a wonderful happy time to live in Houston TX and attend football games. I was in the Scottish Brigade Drill Team so got to attend all at- home games. We got to attend an out of town game that year traveling by train to Austin Texas to play their Austin High school. The band and the drill team performed and our team won the game 14-0. The football team, the band, the drill team and many teachers and fans all rode the train to and from the game. (submitted by Betty Lang Walker)
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From Coach Kotrola's death certificate #66395
Name: ALVIN ENGLEBERT KOTROLA
Birth is 7 Nov 1911 -- tombstone reads 1910 ~~ born Granger, Williamson Co, TX
Died 1 Oct 1967 - 23200 Hempstead Hwy (Hwy 290)
Father was Henry J. Kotrola
Mother was __?__ Vitek
Informant was his son Jerry Kotrola
Was a WW II veteran
Name of cemetery on D/C is Granger Brethern Cemetery - Granger, Texas
From the Houston Chronicle Newspaper 3 Oct 1967
COACH OF "CINDERELLA" MUSTANGS
KOTROLAS' RITES WEDNESDAY
Alvin E. (Bull) Kotrola, who was killed in a head-on automobile collision along with his wife Maryanne, Sunday night was the Texas High School Coach of the Year in 1954
That was the year his "Cindrella" Stephen F. Austin Mustangs won only one of their first five games, then captured the next 7 to advance to the state 4 A football finals.
THEY LOST TO COACH Chuck Moser's Abilene Eagles in the last 56 seconds at Jeppesen Stadium 14-7.
Kotrola, 56, who once played tackle for the late Pete Cawthron at Texas Tech, retired from coaching in the fall of 1957 and became assistant principal at Austin High.
No team in the Houston school district has advanced so far in the state playoff since the "Cinderella" team.
Kotrola, a native of Granger, produced several Southwest Conference stars, including Vince Matthews, who quarterbacked the state finalists and later led Texas to a victory over Oklahoma.
OTHER KOTROLA-coached athletes were Babe Dreymala of Texas, Randy Sims and Buddy Payne of Texas A&M, Ted Crenwelge and Gil Bartosh of TCU and Buddy Welborn of Navy.
Bull, a big gruff-voiced man, developed Bartosh at Granger High before his Austin tenure.
Bartosh, one of the Frogs' all-time greats, is now the backfield coach at Rice University. He started his coaching career on Kotrola's Austin staff.
KOTROLA IS survived by two sons, Jerry Kotrola of Houston and Joe Sheldon Kotrola of Honolulu, Hawaii and a daughter, Mrs. Ednauna Owens of Scotland.
Service for the Kotrolas will be held at 10 A.M. Wednesday at the South Main Baptist Church, with the Rev Luke N. Ates officiating. Bull's burial will be in Taylor, Texas.
The Houston Funeral Home, 1401 Crawford, is making arrangements. All members of the Houston School Board will be honorary pallbearers.
Coach Kotrola was the coach when I attended Stephen F. Austin (class of 1954) It was a wonderful happy time to live in Houston TX and attend football games. I was in the Scottish Brigade Drill Team so got to attend all at- home games. We got to attend an out of town game that year traveling by train to Austin Texas to play their Austin High school. The band and the drill team performed and our team won the game 14-0. The football team, the band, the drill team and many teachers and fans all rode the train to and from the game. (submitted by Betty Lang Walker)
-------------------------
Name: ALVIN ENGLEBERT KOTROLA
Birth is 7 Nov 1911 -- tombstone reads 1910 ~~ born Granger, Williamson Co, TX
Died 1 Oct 1967 - 23200 Hempstead Hwy (Hwy 290)
Father was Henry J. Kotrola
Mother was __?__ Vitek
Informant was his son Jerry Kotrola
Was a WW II veteran
Name of cemetery on D/C is Granger Brethern Cemetery - Granger, Texas
From the Houston Chronicle Newspaper 3 Oct 1967
COACH OF "CINDERELLA" MUSTANGS
KOTROLAS' RITES WEDNESDAY
Alvin E. (Bull) Kotrola, who was killed in a head-on automobile collision along with his wife Maryanne, Sunday night was the Texas High School Coach of the Year in 1954
That was the year his "Cindrella" Stephen F. Austin Mustangs won only one of their first five games, then captured the next 7 to advance to the state 4 A football finals.
THEY LOST TO COACH Chuck Moser's Abilene Eagles in the last 56 seconds at Jeppesen Stadium 14-7.
Kotrola, 56, who once played tackle for the late Pete Cawthron at Texas Tech, retired from coaching in the fall of 1957 and became assistant principal at Austin High.
No team in the Houston school district has advanced so far in the state playoff since the "Cinderella" team.
Kotrola, a native of Granger, produced several Southwest Conference stars, including Vince Matthews, who quarterbacked the state finalists and later led Texas to a victory over Oklahoma.
OTHER KOTROLA-coached athletes were Babe Dreymala of Texas, Randy Sims and Buddy Payne of Texas A&M, Ted Crenwelge and Gil Bartosh of TCU and Buddy Welborn of Navy.
Bull, a big gruff-voiced man, developed Bartosh at Granger High before his Austin tenure.
Bartosh, one of the Frogs' all-time greats, is now the backfield coach at Rice University. He started his coaching career on Kotrola's Austin staff.
KOTROLA IS survived by two sons, Jerry Kotrola of Houston and Joe Sheldon Kotrola of Honolulu, Hawaii and a daughter, Mrs. Ednauna Owens of Scotland.
Service for the Kotrolas will be held at 10 A.M. Wednesday at the South Main Baptist Church, with the Rev Luke N. Ates officiating. Bull's burial will be in Taylor, Texas.
The Houston Funeral Home, 1401 Crawford, is making arrangements. All members of the Houston School Board will be honorary pallbearers.
Coach Kotrola was the coach when I attended Stephen F. Austin (class of 1954) It was a wonderful happy time to live in Houston TX and attend football games. I was in the Scottish Brigade Drill Team so got to attend all at- home games. We got to attend an out of town game that year traveling by train to Austin Texas to play their Austin High school. The band and the drill team performed and our team won the game 14-0. The football team, the band, the drill team and many teachers and fans all rode the train to and from the game. (submitted by Betty Lang Walker)
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Inscription
Alvin E. Kotrola
Gravesite Details
He is buried in the Kotrla family plot. In 1936 he changed the spelling of his name to include the extra "o" since everyone pronounced and spelled it that way. His son legally changed it back to the original spelling "Kotrla" in 1970.
Family Members
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