Plano\u2019s dynasty may not have withstood the rapid growth. The program\u2019s last state championship was in 1994, and the last 10-win season was 2008. But nothing can take away Plano\u2019s place in Texas high school football history. The Wildcats rank second all-time in games played (1,246) and ninth all-time in wins (790).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a trip down memory lane \u2013 and get insight on how the Wildcats are building back after finishing with a winning record for the first time since 2017.<\/p>\n
By the Numbers<\/p>\n
Class \u2013 6A
Enrollment \u2013 2,258 in grades 9-12 (Plano is a Senior High School)
Location \u2013 Collin County, 20 miles north of Dallas<\/p>\n
Trophy Case<\/p>\n
State Championships \u2013 7 (1965, 1967, 1971, 1977, 1986, 1987, 1994)
State Championship Appearances \u2013 9 (1965, 1967, 1971, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994)
District Championships \u2013 35 (most recent: 2005)
Playoff Appearances \u2013 52 (most recent: 2025)<\/p>\n
Glory Days<\/p>\n
Let me take you behind the curtain of this production. Whenever I\u2019m picking the greatest team in a program\u2019s history, I always reference the UIL\u2019s 100 Years, 100 Teams<\/a> list. Normally, that list heavily influences my selection. But for a program as historic as Plano, it can only narrow the field. Both the 1977 and 1987 Plano Wildcats are listed.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019m giving the nod to the 1987 squad as the best team in program history. Of Plano\u2019s seven state championship teams, 1987 was the only time the Wildcats went undefeated as well. The 28-21 victory over Houston Stratford was the program\u2019s 28th consecutive win<\/a>. At the conclusion of the season, National Sports News Service ranked Plano the No. 1 team in the country<\/a> and named Tom Kimbrough the National Coach of the Year.\u00a0Plano mauled teams with an offensive line that averaged 246 pounds<\/a>, massive for 1980s standards. \u00a0 <\/p>\n The GOAT<\/p>\n Billy Ray Smith Jr.\u2019s two-year run in 1977 and 1978 still qualifies him as the best player in program history. A standout offensive guard and defensive tackle, Smith led Plano to back-to-back state championship appearances. He was named All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year as a senior before following in his late father\u2019s footsteps by playing college football for Arkansas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smith was just as dominant in college football, a two-time All-American and the 1982 Knute Rockne Trophy winner, as the nation\u2019s most outstanding defensive player. Smith holds the Razorback record with 63 career tackles for loss. He was inducted into the TXHSFB Hall of Fame in 1989 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smith was the fifth overall selection in the 1983 NFL Draft and played 10 seasons for the San Diego Chargers. He was a Second Team All-AFC in 1986 and 1987, and a Second Team All-Pro in 1989.<\/p>\n The Architect<\/p>\n This is a grueling decision when there are two stadiums in the city named after legendary Plano coaches \u2013 John Clark and Tom Kimbrough. But considering John Clark\u2019s TXHSFB Hall of Fame bio reads, \u2018Clark was the architect of a football dynasty in Plano,\u2019 I\u2019d be a fool not to pick him as \u2018The Architect.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n As Plano\u2019s head coach from 1966-75, Clark\u2019s teams went 107-17. In those 10 years, the Wildcats won the district title nine times and earned two state crowns. He then moved into an athletic director role for 17 seasons, overseeing the program and mentoring Kimbrough as the latter extended the dynasty.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kimbrough finished his career with a 171-28-7 record and may have coached for longer, but even he would pick Clark as the man who started the dynasty.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn Clark was very inspirational and was my role model,\u201d Kimbrough said.<\/a> \u201cAny success I\u2019ve had, I share with him, because he taught me everything I know. He was so instrumental in whatever success I\u2019ve had over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n Battle Lines<\/p>\n From 1970 to 1980, Plano\u2019s population exploded from just under 18,000 to over 72,300. The school district opened Plano East in 1981 to accommodate growth. In doing so, it split up four-time state champion Plano\u2019s student body \u2013 and ignited one of the fiercest rivalries in Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you beat Plano East, you can argue you had a successful year at Plano Senior High,\u201d Plano athlete Blake McJunkin said in a documentary about the rivalry<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In that case, the Wildcats have had a successful year in four of the past five seasons. They\u2019ve dominated the recent series against the crosstown rival.<\/p>\n Home Turf<\/p>\n Plano and Plano West play home games at John Clark Stadium. The stadium opened in 1977, two years after its legendary namesake moved from head coach to athletic director. The Wildcats won a state championship that year as a housewarming present. Plano ISD approved a February 2026 bond that will\u00a0lay down new field turf.<\/p>\n
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