I had a reader ask me about a story that I’ve heard told a few times about an infamous Tishomingo High football game back in the 80’s.
Let me set the stage. In 1988, Tish was a Class 1‑A football team coached by David Lee Herbert, who had been battling ALS for a year. He coached from a motorized wheelchair during games and practices, guided every decision, and relied on players to execute his vision on the field.
Their last regular-season game was against rival Falkner. Both teams were neck and neck in the district. Tish not only needed a win—they needed to win by at least four points to clinch the District 1 Class 1A championship and secure a playoff spot.
Late in the fourth quarter Tishomingo led 16–14. They had the ball at Falkner’s 35 with just seconds left and no timeouts. A field goal was out of the question. A Hail Mary was too risky. Coach Herbert saw their only shot was a calculated one: give up two points, tie the game, go to overtime, and win it there.
Coach Herbert told his son, quarterback Dave Herbert, the plan. Dave shared it with the team. I’m sure they thought it was crazy. Some stories mention they even took two delay‑of‑game penalties – on purpose or while the players questioned the strategy… depending on who is telling the story.
On the final snap Dave caught a messy snap, dropped back about 65 yards, then pitched to the fastest player, Shane Hill. Hill dove into the end zone for a safety as the clock hit zero. The score was 16–16 exactly as regulation ended.
I would have loved to been on the sidelines to see and hear everyone’s reaction.
In overtime Tish scored a touchdown and won 22–16 to earn the district title outright and secured their playoff spot. Otherwise, they risked a tiebreaker or shared title without well‑defined playoff seeding.
And now… the rest of the story.
Paul Harvey featured it on his national radio show. He loved those odd but meaningful sports moments, and this one was perfect. He made it sound like a clever football riddle solved in real time. The national networks took notice. CBS and ABC requested game film. People started calling the school nonstop trying to get Coach Herbert on the phone. Remember, this was 1988. No internet. Just word of mouth, newspaper clippings, and TV reruns.
Newspapers across the country ran stories on the game. Some compared it to legendary college plays or quirky NFL moments. A few international outlets even picked it up. Singapore, of all places, ran a small story. You couldn’t make that up.
The governor of Mississippi even gave the team a shoutout, praising the strategy and the guts to pull it off.
Coach Herbert passed away in 2005. Doctors said he had five years, but he and his wife Linda got eighteen. She left her job to take care of him and said it wasn’t a sacrifice, it was love. That story alone would be worth telling.
But paired with this game? It becomes something bigger
Sportscaster and author Al Ainsworth captured the full scope of that legacy in Playing for Overtime. The book tells the story behind the story: who Coach Herbert really was, what he meant to the kids he coached, and how one man showed up every day despite facing something that should have taken him off the field. It’s not just about the safety or the scoreboard. It’s about an ordinary man’s extraordinary impact.
The book is available on Amazon. And if you care about football, grit, or stories that stick with you long after the final whistle, it’s worth the read.
I’ve ordered my copy, here’s the link to do the same if you’re interested in getting a copy.
GORESPORTS.net 
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