Javelina Hall of Fame
Willie Crafts is a native of Brownsville and lettered three years in football with the Javelinas. He was inducted into the Javelina Hall of Fame in 1977.
He was named to the Associated Press Little All-America team and was All-Lone Star Conference.
Crafts played on A&I’s first national championship team in 1959 and was on LSC title teams in 1959 and 1960. He was on the 1960 Javelina team that won the Great Southwest Bowl.
The Javelina offensive and defensive lineman was selected to the LSC team of the decade for the 1960s, on offense and defensive. He was on the Javelina 50-year team picked in 1975 and was also on offensive and defense.
Crafts was drafted after finishing his collegiate career and played in the American Football League and the Canadian Football League.
He started his high school coaching career at Needville High School in 1965 and was at Corpus Christi King High School in 1966, Brownsville High School in 1967 and Edinburg High School in 1968 and 1969.
Crafts joined the A&I coaching staff in 1970 and was with the Javelinas four seasons. He became one of the few coaches to play and coach a national championship team. Crafts played on the 1959 national title team and coached the 1970 squad that won the NAIA, and LSC, championships.
Crafts left A&I after the 1974 season for a head coaching spot at Port Isabel High School. He was there two years. His 1974 team compiled a 10-0-0 record and won the district trophy.
He has been at Brownsville Porter High School for the past two seasons.
Crafts is married to the former Arinda Gomez of Pharr and they have two girls, Marianna and Krystal, and two boys, West and Easton.
