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Mustangs’ game against Bastrop is Max Copeland Night

Max Copeland Night

Max Copeland often wore red suspenders and red socks. In honor of the former pastor, who passed away in 2015, the Mustangs football players will don red socks in their game against Bastrop on October 18, which is also Max Copeland Night. File photo

STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO

Though he’s been gone for four years, Brother Max Copeland remains in the hearts of Marble Falls residents.

Each season, the Marble Falls Independent School District chooses one of the high school football team’s home games to raise money for the scholarship named after the beloved former pastor of First Baptist Church of Marble Falls.

This year, that game is October 18 when the Mustangs welcome Bastrop to Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

The school district calls it the “red game” because players will don red socks and play with red-laced footballs in honor of the man known for his own red socks and suspenders.

The district will recognize some of Brother Max’s family before kickoff. During halftime, the Marble Falls cheerleaders will pass red buckets through the stands to collect donations for the scholarship, which goes to a graduating Marble Falls High School student.

Pam Parkman, executive director of the Marble Falls Education Foundation, said the organization, which oversees scholarships that are passed to Marble Falls High School graduates, had an anonymous donor offer to match up to $10,000 for money collected between now and the end of the year to have the Max Copeland Scholarship endowed.

The money raised will be to help grow the Max Copeland fund to get it endowed for life,” Parkman said. “The Max Copeland fund committee is trying to raise $20,000.” 

Max Copeland
Brother Max Copeland, the former pastor of First Baptist Church of Marble Falls, passed away in 2015, but his legacy lives on through the Max Copeland Scholarship and Max Copeland Night, which is October 18 during the Marble Falls Mustangs’ game against Bastrop. File photo

No one was a bigger fan of the Marble Falls Mustangs and youth sports than Copeland. He became a fixture at games soon after he and his wife, Glenna, moved to Marble Falls in 1958.

His belief was that if he was going to reach people, he needed to be where they were, and many attended games.

It’s estimated that a person would have to attend one game every day for 22 years to catch up to the number of contests he attended.

The high school varsity gymnasium is named in honor of Copeland, something he wasn’t in favor of.

But MFISD and district residents wanted to create something that honored Copeland’s legacy of love, kindness, and encouragement. While he may not have liked having the gym named after him, those close to Copeland believe he would be fine with having a scholarship named in his honor, something that helps a young person starting a new chapter in their life.

jfierro@thepicayune.com