Cris Dishman and Bubba McDowell were two important parts of a dominant Houston Oilers secondary in the 1990s.
Now, their brotherhood takes on a different dimension as Dishman, the new head coach of the Texas Southern football team, spoke about the upcoming Labor Day Classic against McDowell and defending SWAC West champion Prairie View A&M.
“I don’t look at it as us being rivals; we are brothers in Christ, and we’ll be competing against each other on the football field. That’s what we do,” Dishman said during Tuesday’s SWAC Football Media Day.
Dishman was hired in January to replace Clarence McKinney, who went 11-35 in five seasons in Houston. Dishman, who played cornerback for the Oilers from 1988 to 1996, has extensive experience as a defensive back coach in the NFL, at the college level, and in various professional leagues in Europe and the United States.
When Dishman was approved by the Texas Southern Board of Regents, one of the first people he heard from was his teammate on the 1991 NFL All-Pro squad.
“Coach McDowell was happy for me,” Dishman said. “We’re just going to be on opposing sidelines now.”
