When people talk about the 1988 Odessa Permian football season, they usually start and end with Boobie Miles. It makes sense. Boobie was the flash, the college recruiters' dream, and the tragic centerpiece of H.G. Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights. But if you actually look at the box scores from that era—and if you ask the people who sat in those Ratliff Stadium bleachers—the name Chris Comer is the one that actually defined the "Mojo" era’s peak.
Honestly, the way pop culture remembers Chris Comer is a bit of a disservice. In the movie, he’s the wide-eyed backup who stumbles into greatness. In the book, he’s almost a ghost, a symbol of how quickly a town moves on when a star falls. But the real-life Chris Comer was a statistical powerhouse who didn't just "fill in." He dominated.
The 1988 Season: More Than a Backup
You’ve likely heard the story: Boobie Miles goes down with a knee injury in a preseason scrimmage, and the season is supposedly over. That was the narrative. But then this junior named Chris Comer stepped onto the field wearing #45.
He wasn't a fluke.
Comer didn't just play; he exploded for 2,135 rushing yards that season. Think about that for a second. In one of the toughest high school football districts in the country, a kid who started the year on the bench put up the second-highest single-season rushing total in Permian history at the time. Only Shawn Crow had more.
The most jarring thing about the book's portrayal is how little we hear from Comer himself. Bissinger focused on the sociological weight of the team, leaving Comer as this silent engine. But on the turf, he was loud. He was the reason Permian made it to that legendary, heart-wrenching state semi-final against Dallas Carter. He carried the ball 35 times in big games, a workload that would break most modern players.
1989: The Perfection No One Talks About
Everyone remembers the 1988 loss to Dallas Carter because it’s the "movie ending." But for Chris Comer and the Permian Panthers, 1989 was the year they actually reached the summit.
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If '88 was about the drama, '89 was about the destruction.
Permian went 16-0. They didn't just win; they steamrolled people. Comer was the senior leader of a team that won the State Championship and was named the "Mythical National Champion" by several outlets. In the state title game against Aldine, Comer was a beast. He rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries.
He was named the Offensive MVP of that game.
Basically, while the world was obsessed with the tragedy of the year before, Comer was busy winning. By the time he graduated in 1990, he was the third all-time leading rusher in Permian history with 3,724 yards. That’s a lot of "Mojo."
What Really Happened After High School?
There’s a lot of misinformation floating around about what happened to the real Chris Comer. Unlike the fictionalized versions of these stories, real life doesn't always have a tidy "where are they now" montage.
Comer went on to play at Tyler Junior College. He was still a great athlete, but the path to the NFL is a narrow, brutal needle to thread. He actually had a real shot at the pros later on—an opportunity to try out for the Houston Texans—but life stepped in. His first wife was diagnosed with cancer, and he walked away from football to be with his family.
That’s the part the movies never show. The "hero" isn't the guy who makes it to the Super Bowl; sometimes the hero is the guy who gives up the dream to stay in a hospital room.
He eventually settled in Houston, worked in security services, and remained a legend back in Odessa. Sadly, Chris Comer passed away in August 2018 at the age of 46. When the news hit, the Odessa community didn't just remember him as a football player. They remembered that "radiant smile" and his easy-going nature. Coach Gary Gaines himself noted that Chris made the world a better place, not just the football field.
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Why We Should Still Care About Chris Comer
We live in a world of "super-prospects" and NIL deals. We forget that for most of these kids, the high school lights really are the brightest they’ll ever see.
Comer represents the reality of Texas high school football better than Boobie Miles did. Boobie was the exception—the elite talent. Comer was the kid who worked, waited his turn, and when the moment came, he didn't just meet the expectation. He exceeded it so thoroughly that he rewrote the record books.
Practical Lessons from the Chris Comer Story
- Value the "Next Man Up" Mentality: In sports and business, the person in the background is often the one holding the potential for the next big breakthrough.
- Success Isn't Always a Straight Line: Comer’s 1989 season proves that a "failed" year (like 1988) is often just the setup for a championship run.
- Character Matters More Than Stats: The testimonials after his passing focused on his kindness and dedication to his family, proving that your legacy is built on how you treat people, not how many yards you gained.
If you’re ever in Odessa, you’ll still see people wearing Permian black and white. They still talk about "Mojo." And if you ask the older folks about the greatest to ever do it, they might mention the names you saw on the big screen. But eventually, they’ll get to Chris Comer. And they’ll tell you he was the real deal.
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How to Honor the Legacy of 1980s Texas Football
To truly understand the impact of players like Chris Comer, the best next step is to look beyond the dramatized versions of the story. Seek out the 1989 Permian vs. Aldine state championship game film. It provides the necessary context for why that specific team is considered one of the greatest in Texas history. Additionally, supporting local youth athletics in your community is a tangible way to keep the spirit of "giving everything for the team" alive, just as Comer did for the Panthers.