For generations, Seagoville High School football has been shaped by powerful runners, elusive open-field threats and versatile athletes capable of changing a game with one carry.
The depth of that tradition is reflected in the Shop in Seagoville community poll, which features 13 nominees spanning the 1950s through the 2000s: Toady Bearden, Jake Landess, Leon Tharp, David Travis, James Collier, Ricky Richards, Floyd Wells, Eli Escobar, John Livingston, Kelvin Eafon, Curtis Mann, Decory King and Troy Stoudermire.
Comparing players from different eras is never simple. Seasons varied in length, offensive systems changed and complete statistics were not preserved for every team. Some nominees built their cases through season totals, while others are remembered through individual games, postseason performances and all-district recognition.
Together, the 13 candidates explain why Seagoville has earned a reputation as “Running Back High.”
Toady Bearden
Bearden was one of the program’s first widely recognized backfield stars.
He earned first-team all-district honors in consecutive seasons, receiving recognition at quarterback in 1952 and halfback in 1953. The football history book describes him as a tailback-quarterback who earned first-team honors as both a freshman and sophomore.
His versatility was evident during a 19-7 victory over Kaufman in 1952, when he threw touchdown passes to Alvin Wells and Jake Landess. Bearden represents an era when the primary ball carrier was often also responsible for directing the offense.
Jake Landess
Landess established himself as one of the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s leading scorers during the 1953 season, finishing with 14 touchdowns.
His scoring ability had already been displayed a year earlier, when he crossed the goal line four times in Seagoville’s 47-0 victory over the Crozier Tech “B” team. He later scored three touchdowns in a narrow 21-20 loss to Wilmer-Hutchins in 1953.
Landess combined consistent production with the ability to deliver multiple-touchdown performances.
Leon Tharp
Tharp earned first-team All-District 11-AA honors in both 1956 and 1957, placing him among the most consistently honored backs of Seagoville’s championship-filled 1950s.
He rushed for 104 yards in a 20-14 victory over Richardson during the 1956 season. In the district championship-clinching game against Lancaster, Tharp delivered one of the defining performances of the era, rushing for 173 yards as Seagoville rolled to a 53-14 victory.
Tharp’s production helped the Dragons capture the District 11-AA championship and advance to the playoffs.
David Travis
Although the 1958 Dragons finished 3-7, Travis remained one of the district’s most productive players.
He scored nine touchdowns and earned second-team all-district recognition. His biggest documented performance came in a 57-6 victory over the Samuell “B” team, when he rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
Travis’ candidacy is strengthened by the fact that he continued producing during a difficult team season.
James Collier
Collier emerged as the centerpiece of Seagoville’s offense during the late 1970s.
As a first-team all-district tailback in 1977, he rushed for 1,225 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was again selected to the first team in 1978 and was named the district’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Collier scored three first-quarter touchdowns in a 36-0 victory over Forney in 1978. He also produced long scoring plays, including an 82-yard run against Gainesville and touchdown runs of 63 and 68 yards against Lancaster.
His combination of season-long production and explosive-play ability gives him one of the strongest résumés among the nominees.
Ricky Richards
Richards followed Collier and extended Seagoville’s tradition of elite running backs into the beginning of the 1980s.
He entered the 1980 season as a preseason All-State running back and responded by rushing for 1,400 yards. That performance earned him the District 6-AAAA Offensive Player of the Year award.
The previous season, Richards rushed for 163 yards on only 11 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 28-14 victory over Commerce. He also gained 122 yards in a comeback victory over Forney and scored on runs of 24 and 67 yards against Athens in 1980.
Richards combined high-end season totals with breakaway speed and scoring power.
Floyd Wells
Wells was described in the football history book as a powerful runner blessed with both size and speed. He was also a physical defensive standout.
One of his most memorable games came against Midlothian in 1982. Wells rushed for 99 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown that supplied the only score in Seagoville’s 7-0 victory.
He also rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown in a 13-0 shutout of Lincoln. Wells’ impact extended beyond the statistics because of the physical presence he provided on both sides of the football.
Eli Escobar
Escobar was one of Seagoville’s most complete two-way players.
In 1983, he earned first-team all-district recognition at both tailback and cornerback and was selected as the District 5-AAAA Most Valuable Player.
Escobar rushed 29 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns in a 25-15 victory over Bishop Lynch. Against North Dallas, he gained 143 yards on 23 carries, scored on a 10-yard run and returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown.
His candidacy is built not only on rushing production, but also on his ability to influence games as a runner, defender and scoring threat.
John Livingston
Livingston was the leading runner during one of the greatest periods in Seagoville football history.
A two-time first-team all-district tailback, he helped lead the Dragons to 17 victories in 21 games across the 1987 and 1988 seasons. The 1987 team completed an undefeated regular season.
Livingston rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown against Hillcrest in 1987. The following season, he produced 216 yards of offense and four touchdowns in a 57-7 victory over Woodrow Wilson.
He later rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries in a 51-0 victory over North Dallas.
Livingston’s combination of personal production and team success makes him a central figure in the debate.
Kelvin Eafon
Eafon produced some of the largest career rushing totals documented in Seagoville history.
He rushed for 1,478 yards in 1993, ranking 14th among Texas Class 4A rushers. Across the 1993 and 1994 seasons, he finished with approximately 3,300 career rushing yards while averaging an exceptional seven yards per carry.
Those numbers give Eafon one of the strongest statistical cases in the field. His résumé includes elite single-season production, sustained success over two years and one of the highest documented career totals among the nominees.
Curtis Mann
Mann powered the Dragons through their historic 1995 season, when Seagoville captured a district championship and advanced to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history.
He carried 28 times for 145 yards in the district-clinching victory over Lincoln. In the bi-district round, Mann rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns as Seagoville defeated Roosevelt 33-23 for its first playoff victory since 1950.
He then gained 147 yards and scored twice in a 20-20 playoff tie against Everman. Seagoville advanced on penetrations.
Across those three defining games, Mann accumulated 445 rushing yards and five touchdowns, becoming the offensive force behind one of the program’s most celebrated seasons.
Decory King
King represents Seagoville’s running-back tradition during the 2000s.
One of his strongest performances preserved in the football history book came against Bishop Lynch. King rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the Dragons’ 2006 matchup with the Friars.
Although the available book recaps do not provide a complete season total, his inclusion among the nominees reflects his place among the leading ball carriers of his era.
Troy Stoudermire
Stoudermire produced the largest documented single-season rushing total among the 13 nominees.
During his junior season at Seagoville, he rushed for 2,135 yards and scored 26 total touchdowns. He later attended Skyline for his senior season before continuing his football career at the University of Minnesota. Published career records credit his Seagoville season as the foundation of a career that eventually reached professional football.
The combination of more than 2,000 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns gives Stoudermire a compelling statistical argument despite spending only one varsity season with the Dragons.
Thirteen Different Cases for the Top Spot
Each nominee represents a different definition of greatness.
Bearden and Landess helped establish the tradition. Tharp contributed to a district championship. Travis produced despite a losing season. Collier and Richards earned district offensive-player honors. Wells brought power and two-way toughness. Escobar was a district MVP. Livingston led one of the program’s most successful teams. Eafon accumulated approximately 3,300 yards. Mann powered a historic playoff run. King represented the next generation, while Stoudermire delivered a 2,135-yard season.
The final choice depends on what voters value most: peak production, career totals, championships, postseason success, individual honors, versatility or impact on an era.
There may never be universal agreement on the greatest running back in Seagoville High School history. That uncertainty is what makes the Greatest Seagoville Dragons Running Back Poll—and the program’s remarkable backfield legacy—worth celebrating.
