Darrell Dean Tully was an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player and coach

Coach (sport)

In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

. He graduated from Eastland High School in 1935 and went on to play at East Texas State

Texas A&M University–Commerce

Texas A&M University–Commerce is a state university located in Commerce, Texas and a member of the Texas A&M University System, the second largest university within the system behind Texas A&M University in College Station....

. A 7th round selection in the 1939 NFL Draft

1939 NFL Draft

The 1939 National Football League Draft was held on December 9, 1938.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...

, Tully played one season for the Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

. Later Tully became head

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 football

High school football

High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

 coach and athletic director

Athletic director

An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...

 at Spring Branch High School from 1957 until 1964. In 1964 Tully became full time athletic director for the Spring Branch Independent School District

Spring Branch Independent School District

Spring Branch Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Hedwig Village, Texas, United States. The district serves portions of western Houston. It also serves several small municipalities known as the Memorial Villages in its jurisdiction, such as Hedwig Village and Spring...

 and remained in that capacity until his retirement in 1978. He has the Darrell Tully Stadium in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

named in his honor.