April 2, 2008

CANYON, Texas - Two of Texas' longest serving state representatives will trade the floor of the Texas State Capital for the turf of Kimbrough Memorial Stadium during West Texas A&M's annual Maroon & White scrimmage, which will take place Saturday at 10 a.m.

David Swinford of Dumas will coach the Maroon team and Warren Chisum of Pampa will lead the White team. Both men have a total of 36 years of service in the lower body of the Texas Legislature and a side of Texas beef will be on the line for the losing coach.

Chisum represents the 19 counties of District 88 from the northeast Texas Panhandle to the South Plains counties of Bailey and Lamb. He was first elected as a Democrat in 1988, taking office in 1989. Chisum has served in the 71st through the 80th Texas Legislatures.

Switching in the 1990's to the Republican Party, Chisum currently is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and is also a member of the Energy Resources Committee.

He is an oil and gas producer, as well as a rancher. He graduated from Lefors High School, south of Pampa. Chisum will turn 70 on the Fourth of July, and is married to Omega. His children and grandchildren either went to Texas Tech or Texas A&M universities.

Swinford was elected to the House in 1990, taking office in 1991. His 17 years of service have included the 72nd through the 80th Legislatures. He currently is chairman of the State Affairs Committee and a member of the Regulated Industries Committee.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Education from Texas Tech University and works as an agricultural consultant. He is married to Joyce.

His 87th District includes the counties of Carson, Moore, Potter, and Sherman.

"I had one nephew who went to West Texas (A&M)," said Swinford. "But Warren and I both support WT because it is our regional university here in the Panhandle."

Both men have agreed that they are looking forward to the challenges of coaching the Buffaloes, and Chisum jokingly added that he played football at Lefors High, "where I was `All-Southwest Universe.'"

To foment the challenge and rivalry against each other, Chisum and Swinford have agreed that the losing coach has to provide a side of beef for a steak or barbecue cookout for the football team during the fall workouts in August.

This is the third spring game that Coach Don Carthel has invited celebrity coaches to mentor the Maroon and White squads for the spring game. In 2006 Amarillo and Canyon Mayors Debra McCartt and Quinn Alexander handled the duties and last year it was State Sen. Kel Seliger and State Rep. John Smithee.