“The most powerful man in Texas high school sports” grew up in Buna, and he may be one of Texas’s best kept secrets. A Houston Chronicle piece used this label for Charles Breithaupt’s current position as Executive Director of University Interscholastic League (UIL), the governing body for extracurricular activities in Texas high schools. Despite the masculine description, Charles isn’t a muscle-bound jock with a one-track mind. He’s a reader, writer, and educator with a keen grasp of how to help students succeed. By the time UIL hired him, their mission and vision were already part of his worldview.
Charles and I grew up together in Buna and ran with the same group of teen friends. He was an avid sports fan. In high school his fall weekends were consumed with watching football. During the winter he played basketball or attended basketball tournaments, where he spent all day and evening, watching one game after another. His conversations were peppered with information about different athletes, their percentages, or future prospects.
As a little boy, Charles lived across the street from the high school gym. He often slipped in and watched our championship boys’ basketball team practice under coach Cotton Robinson. When drills and workout were finished, the coach usually sat his team down for a talk. At this point, eight-year-old Charles would grab a ball and imitate them, shooting goals until Coach Robinson shouted,
“Stop dribbling and put that ball down. I’m talking.”
Undeterred, Charles progressed through a basketball league at our church, First Baptist of Buna. In high school he participated in UIL sports like basketball, baseball, and track. With help and encouragement from teachers, he also served as newspaper and yearbook editor.
“Not because I was good,” he laughed, “but because there was nobody else.”
He was a member of our 1972 boys’ basketball team that lost several key players and ended with a dismal record. That same year our girls’ basketball team had a winning season, which led to a difficult editorial decision for Charles. Defying history and tradition, and acknowledging the better team, in the 1972 yearbook he placed girls basketball coverage in front of the boys.
“I wasn’t a big women’s libber or anything like that in the 70s, but it was the right thing.”
As a student Charles didn’t fully grasp the importance of extracurriculars like sports or marching band. Nor did he know how easily “team” translates into “community.” But in 1975, after graduating from college mid-year, coaching jobs were scarce, so he landed back at our alma mater, a Division AA school. In a position created for him, Charles worked as assistant baseball coach, taught English at Buna Junior High, and drove a school bus route. It wasn’t exactly where he had envisioned himself, but you wouldn’t have known it from his enthusiastic participation in coaching and community events. During this time, he even wrote a sports column for Buna’s local paper – “Charlie’s Corner.” Once again, the people who nurtured him as a student and athlete did the same for his successful relaunch.
After Buna, Charles spent seven years at Hardin Jefferson High School and four years at Beaumont West Brook High. Then he returned to Hardin Jefferson, where his boys’ basketball team won the 1991 AAA State Championship, and Charles was chosen Texas Coach of the Year. As statewide honors and accolades piled up, UIL took notice and offered him a position. He initially turned them down. While sports and coaching were his favorite activities, Charles also enjoyed teaching English, reading, and discussing literature with students.
“Honestly,” he said, “I wasn’t ready to leave the classroom yet.”
But the following year he accepted their offer, convinced he could have a positive effect on kids all over the state instead of just one school. And that’s exactly what he did.
While doing research for his PhD in the mid 1990s, Charles found that many low-income students, especially recent immigrants, were not participating in extracurricular activities. Often, they needed to work in support of their families. And their parents mistakenly thought they had to pay for uniforms or equipment. After years of outreach and education, their participation has increased dramatically. Now, low-income and immigrant families see UIL competitions (with uniforms and equipment provided by schools) as a pathway to college scholarships.
“These activities are merit based,” Charles explained. “You can be first chair if you practice enough.”
Reflecting on lessons learned in Buna and through decades of working with students, he understands that excellence can be evoked, inspired, modeled, and achieved through hard work. Charles is equally sure that lessons like cooperation, accepting leadership, and sacrificing for the group are transferrable life skills. To emphasize the point, he mentions that seven of ten players from his 1991 State Championship team have PhDs or doctorates after their names.
As a public figure, Charles flies largely under the radar. But he also serves as an evangelist of sorts, spreading the message that fair play and competition are good for our children. Unlike club sports that play year-round and can result in overuse injuries, Charles suggests that UIL, with its limited seasons, protects their growing bodies.
When I asked what he considered his most important legacy, Charles answered without hesitation,
“Making sports safer for our high school athletes.”
He mentions steroid testing and the concussion protocol he helped implement as examples of safety measures enacted during his tenure. In addition, every campus now has an automatic defibrillator.
Personally, Charles is pleased about another recent development. Football playoff games are now held at one central location. This not only streamlines and elevates the playoff process, but allows for ceremony and trophy presentations like other UIL events. Of course, he loves to watch a good game (or several in a row) and his answer in a recent television interview proved it. When a reporter asked why it was a good idea to have all the playoff games at one site, Charles smiled and shrugged,
“Just as a fan — so I can see all the games.”