Got an interview coming up with Louis Fite for my Memories of Texas Football page.

Wondering if some of you might have some inside scoops on Louis as he was a Waco kid?

I believe he was a year behind me in school. I graduated from Waco High in 1990.
If my memory serves, he was in the 7th grade at Lake Air Jr Hi (the same Lake Air Montessori building now) while I was in the 8th grade (the only 2 grades there at the time).
Our principal, Jay McCullough, would read the morning announcements. The football scores were always "The 8th graders lost a tough contest yesterday 31-6. The 7th grade won 59-12. Louis Fite scored seven touchdowns with contributions from <some other guys I don't remember>.".

The 9th grade was its own campus at the time, so we wouldn't be on the same campus again until I was a junior. By that time, I was doing other things and had no real time to notice football.

All I got. /csb

Let me know if you ever interview the only Waco product voted Texas high school player of the year; Alfred Anderson. I have some great stories of my 1979 Richfield teammate

Anyone have the video of him summersaulting into the end zone that ESPN showed? I couldnt find it online

Saw him play one game his senior year. Waco's version of Marshall Faulk. Surprised to have never heard of even a decent juco career despite the academic struggles.

what kind of academic struggles?

Fite was the prize catch of BU's recruiting class. A week or two after signing day, I was invited to the Waco Rotary Club to hear Max Emfinger speak (back in the day when he was the lead guru of Texas HS recruiting). Somebody asked him about Fite, and his reply was "He will never play a down of D1 college football."

Emfinger was right, Fite was the first of many of BU top blue chip recruits mainly under Reedy that failed to qualify academically and ended up at what was then Texas A&I, where he made the aforementioned somersault into the endzone that made ESPN and CNN in about 93 or 94.

whitetrash said:

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Fite was the prize catch of BU's recruiting class. A week or two after signing day, I was invited to the Waco Rotary Club to hear Max Emfinger speak (back in the day when he was the lead guru of Texas HS recruiting). Somebody asked him about Fite, and his reply was "He will never play a down of D1 college football."

Emfinger was right, Fite was the first of many of BU top blue chip recruits mainly under Reedy that failed to qualify academically and ended up at what was then Texas A&I, where he made the aforementioned somersault into the endzone that made ESPN and CNN in about 93 or 94.

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I have read that he was going to sign with Colorado Buffs too

I seem to recall his having signed with us on Signing Day of 91. He may have been recruited by Reedy but he was a Teaff era recruit.

Yes I recall, his having picked Baylor over Colorado which was a high profile program at that time. Those were the two he had narrowed it down to.

PartyBear said:

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I seem to recall his having signed with us on Signing Day of 91. He may have been recruited by Reedy but he was a Teaff era recruit.

Yes I recall, his having picked Baylor over Colorado which was a high profile program at that time. Those were the two he had narrowed it down to.

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thanks.

I just talked to my old college coach, Ron Harms. He was my Offensive Coordinator at Texas A&I and by the time Louis got there Steinke had retired and Harms was HC. Had to see if I could get something juicy to throw at Louis. He said to remind him about the flip for the TD against Portland State that made the ESPN headlines - but to remind him that he tried it the next week and got penalized for it!

Don't know if Fite was the recruit, but it was a highly ranked running back recruit who we signed. I remember we pushed hard because he was local, and it came down to Baylor and Colorado. We signed him but he really liked the coach recruiting him at Colorado - Eric Bieniemy.

It wasn't Fite. Bienemy didn't coach at Colorado until 2001 and they are within a year or two of being the same age.

Its on my list of questions for him.

DanaDane said:

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It wasn't Fite. Bienemy didn't coach at Colorado until 2001 and they are within a year or two of being the same age.

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Colorado wanted Fite as Bienemy's replacement. Fite was a Sr at WHS when Bienemy was a Sr at CU.

Correct. Bienemy graduated from CU and played in the NFL until 1999, so there's no way Bienemy was the Colorado coach who was recruiting Fite.

Bienemy as mentioned had just finished his Sr season when Fite signed with Baylor. He had finished 3rd in the Heisman race for the 90 season just a couple of months before. Bienemy was probably used as to recruit him. But yes this was all 10-12 years before Bienemy started his coaching career.

PartyBear said:

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Bienemy as mentioned had just finished his Sr season when Fite signed with Baylor. He had finished 3rd in the Heisman race for the 90 season just a couple of months before. Bienemy was probably used as to recruit him. But yes this was all 10-12 years before Bienemy started his coaching career.

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thats what I was thinking. They used Beinemy to show him around and hook him on the school.

I will ask him when I interview

Assassin,
Will you post the interview when you're finished?


I lived in Waco for quite some time back in late 1990's, early 2000's. Fite was still a legend. IIRC, a former teammate of his at WHS said Fite would leave his feet/jump all the time. Like if he broke thru the line, instead of juking the defender, he'd try to leap over him (not every time, on occasion).

I'm pretty sure there was a Waco-based semi-pro football team in Waco in late 90' or early 2000, that Fite was apart of. Not sure though.

Curious if they ever measured his vertical in HS.

That may have been it. Beinemy was his host on the visit, or was a Colorado player who was active in his recruitment to Colorado.

CNC said:

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Assassin,
Will you post the interview when you're finished?


I lived in Waco for quite some time back in late 1990's, early 2000's. Fite was still a legend. IIRC, a former teammate of his at WHS said Fite would leave his feet/jump all the time. Like if he broke thru the line, instead of juking the defender, he'd try to leap over him (not every time, on occasion).

I'm pretty sure there was a Waco-based semi-pro football team in Waco in late 90' or early 2000, that Fite was apart of. Not sure though.

Curious if they ever measured his vertical in HS.

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Would love to.

Ashley and Brian have been pretty cool about posting some of our interviews

We've been using MemoriesofDallas.org but we just got the new football webpage up at https://memoriesoftexasfootball.org/

BTW - anybody know how to get hold of Coach Tusa? He was a big part of Louis's journey. I reached out to the Waco paper but havent heard back

Assassin said:

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CNC said:

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Assassin,
Will you post the interview when you're finished?


I lived in Waco for quite some time back in late 1990's, early 2000's. Fite was still a legend. IIRC, a former teammate of his at WHS said Fite would leave his feet/jump all the time. Like if he broke thru the line, instead of juking the defender, he'd try to leap over him (not every time, on occasion).

I'm pretty sure there was a Waco-based semi-pro football team in Waco in late 90' or early 2000, that Fite was apart of. Not sure though.

Curious if they ever measured his vertical in HS.

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Add - Louis and I had the same college coach, also coached at Baylor, Ron Harms. I reached out to him and he was laughing about the game at Portland State where Louis somersaulted over the defender into the end zone. ESPN had it on thier highlites

btw - trying to find a video of that. If anyone comes across it, please send it to me

Assassin,
Looking forward to that interview. Fite is kind of Central Texas version of "the Best That Never Was". I wasn't even in Waco at that time and knew about Fite.

IIRC, he played in the HS all star game in Ft Worth, returned a punt for a TD in a low scoring game.

Found the play -
The Untold Story of Louis Fite


At 29:30 - couple of highlights, including a flip in HS
At 39:40 - the flip (ESPYs)

Here's highlights of the 1988 Waco Lions

I spoke with Coach Tusa (Waco HS) yesterday. Working on his Montreal coaches now.... Always like to do my homework prior to the interview

Ben Gay was another prized BU recruit predicted to never see a D-1 playing field.

They were right on that one too.

Hour and half interview with Louis. Cool guy, you can tell why Coach Tusa and Harms loved having him on their teams

osogreen said:

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Ben Gay was another prized BU recruit predicted to never see a D-1 playing field.

They were right on that one too.

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we could have had Rock Cartwright! (Prop 48 days)

Assassin said:

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osogreen said:

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Ben Gay was another prized BU recruit predicted to never see a D-1 playing field.

They were right on that one too.

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we could have had Rock Cartwright! (Prop 48 days)

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Didn't Cartwright get kicked out for banging a prof and then went to juco before finishing at KState?

Dion Marion, Killeen

Green&GoldStandard said:

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Assassin said:

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osogreen said:

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Ben Gay was another prized BU recruit predicted to never see a D-1 playing field.

They were right on that one too.

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we could have had Rock Cartwright! (Prop 48 days)

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Didn't Cartwright get kicked out for banging a prof and then went to juco before finishing at KState?

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If true, this would get the HC at the time fired in this day and age.

Green&GoldStandard said:

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Assassin said:

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osogreen said:

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Ben Gay was another prized BU recruit predicted to never see a D-1 playing field.

They were right on that one too.

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we could have had Rock Cartwright! (Prop 48 days)

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Didn't Cartwright get kicked out for banging a prof and then went to juco before finishing at KState?

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If I remember correctly we were all in on Rock, then at the last minute we went with Ben Gay. Huge talent but total disaster

Fite was 5% body fat and weight lifter, iirc.
I think he may also have punted, setting up for fakes on 4th.

It was disappointing he never made it to BU

Noghri said:

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Fite was 5% body fat and weight lifter, iirc.

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Still is

Sorry but I never posted the original link. And it looks like when it was moved to the new servers, all the photos are gone. They did that when I was in the hospital last year. However the interview is still there. Along with the Playboy Bunnies... not sure how that got added in!

https://meminc.org/louisfite/

Green&GoldStandard said:

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Assassin said:

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osogreen said:

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Ben Gay was another prized BU recruit predicted to never see a D-1 playing field.

They were right on that one too.

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we could have had Rock Cartwright! (Prop 48 days)

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Didn't Cartwright get kicked out for banging a prof and then went to juco before finishing at KState?

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Why would you get kicked out for banging a prof?