PORT ARTHUR — Editor’s note: The following column from  the Best of West collection was originally published in the Port Arthur News on June 24, 1981.

    By the end of the first quarter, you could sense this night, this performance was going to be something extra special. By halftime, you were racking your brain to think of the last instance when you’d seen an athlete so magnificent in a big game.

    First, you thought of Earl Campbell rushing for four touchdowns and 199 yards against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. Then you recalled Reggie Jackson blasting three home runs in the deciding game of the 1977 World Series.

    As you listened to others in the press box marveling at what had transpired, you quickly decided the feat unfolding that night wre deserving of such lofty comparison.

    Todd Dodge, the quarterback future Texas schoolboy passers will be measured against, was authoring a bona fide masterpiece. In the first two quarters of his first playoff game, in what was his first time to play in the Astrodome, the Thomas Jefferson quarterback completed 13-of-13 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns.

    With the Yellow Jackets leading Aldine 28-6 at halftime, the rest of the game was to become academic. The only suspense was how long Dodge would go before he threw an incomplete pass. Finally, midway of the third quarter, he did. The string of completions ended at 15.

    Dodge’s unforgettable display — he finished 18-of-23 for 261 yards and four TDs — is worthy of recall during the dog days of summer because it has been voted the most outstanding single feat by a Texas high school athlete for the 1980-81 school year.

    Next Wednesday night, at the storied Downtown Athletic Club in New York City, his effort against Aldine will be saluted by former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL great O.J. Simpson.

    Officially, what Dodge with receive is the Hertz No. 1 Award. He’ll be honored along with 48 boys and four girls who were voted to have authored the top individual performance in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

    Even for a player who has been as recognized and feted as Dodge has the last six months, the Hertz tribute holds a high priority. It’s sort of the coup de grace to a schoolboy career that ranks right at the top achievement wise in the storied history of Lone Star football.

    “I’m excited to be going to New York and thrilled to meet O.J. Simpson,” Dodge said from his parents’ home in Longview. “This came as a total surprise. It’s going to be a great experience for me. From what I’ve been able to find out about the award, I’m in pretty good company.”

    Indeed he is. Among the more notable past winners are the No. 2 pick in this year’s NBA draft, Isiah Thomas, and Georgia’s All-America running back Herschel Walker. Walker, a two-time Hertz No. 1 winner, interestingly enough, was cited both times for his track prowess.

    Former Texas honorees in a program now entering its fourth year are Houston Worthing hurdle champion Dennis Brantley, Dallas shot putter Michael Carter and Dickinson football standout Donnie Little. Little, of course, will be a teammate of Dodge at the University of Texas this fall.

    Looking back at the award-winning Aldine game, Dodge agrees it was probably his finest in a TJ uniform. Just as was his style during the season, he makes it a point to pass the credit around to his offensive linemen and receivers.

    “It was one of those nights where everything seemed to go right,” he said. “The protection was excellent and the receivers were hot. I felt like I was as well prepared to play as I’d ever been. Coach Thompson and I had gone over and over their defense, and I was confident I knew what they’d do in nearly every situation.

    “I guess what I remember most about the game is the catch Robert Smothers made on the sideline in the second quarter. It was a bad pass, and should have been intercepted. I’ve never seen anybody make a catch like that and don’t expect to see another one like it.”

    Dodge was chosen for the No. 1 award by a six-man panel of Texas sportswriters that included Blackie Sherrod of the Dallas Times Herald, Pat Truly of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dave St. Mary of the San Antonio Express, Ivy McLemore of the Houston Post, Joe Heiling of the Beaumont Enterprise and the sports editor of the Port Arthur News.

    He was a decisive winner.

    “Nobody was very close to him in the voting, advised Hertz spokesman John Britton. “I think his achievements speak for themselves. The award was for a single performance, but we are all impressed with the season and career records he set.”

    Hertz, because of its association with Simpson, inaugurated the No. 1 trophy as a means of recognizing sports excellence. It has, however, evolved into an award which attempts to emphasize not only sports achievement but the importance of preparing for life beyond athletics.

    To that end, the assembled state winners will have as part of their New York entertainment a seminar on planning for life after college and after pro careers have ended. Simpson will be the moderator of a panel featuring Dr. Robert Jenkins of Rutgers University, Dr. Rosswell Merrick, Executive Director of the National Association of Secondary Schools, and University of Georgia head coach Vince Dooley.

    Other highlights of a whirlwind, two day visit, include attendance at the Broadway play Barnum, a bus tour of the Big Apple, a visit to Rockefeller Center and a backstage look at Radio City Music Hall. Then comes the awards banquet at the Downtown Athletic Club hosted by Chris Schenkel.

    Obviously, in Todd Dodge’s case, it paid to be No. 1.

    Sports editor Bob West can be e-mailed at rdwest@usa.net. His Sportsrap radio show airs Mondays at 8:05 p.m. on KLVI (560-AM).