Houston ISDโs Joe Tusa, the trailblazer, dies after a decorated career
In the late 1960s and 1970s, Tusa saw Houston high schools through integration and Title IX. "He wrote me a handwritten letter when I got this job to just congratulate me," HISD AD Andre Walker said. Under his direction, he saw Yates win a state football title in 1985 and Wheatley basketball win three-straight state titles. Sharpstown won a baseball state title in 1982 and Yates girls hoops won state in 1983. Tusa was at the epicenter of HISDโs heyday and laid the foundation for high school sports in Houston and in the Lone Star State.