The photos in this exhibit are from the Roy Ricker Collection. They provide an intimate look at schoolboy football in Irving, Texas, during the 1920s. Roy Ricker was born in 1909 in Dallas, Texas, where his father worked as a builder. In 1925, Ricker's father purchased 26 acres along Shady Grove Road just south of Irving and decided to try his hand at farming.
Ricker attended Irving High School where he was an avid football player. He was a member of the Irving High School football teams of 1928 and 1929. During the summer of 1929 the team went to Bridgeport, Texas, for their preseason, summer training. The on-field photos in this exhibit were taken during practice at Bridgeport. The photos provide a glimpse into high school football at a time when it was just beginning to take hold in Texas.