After Honk retired from football, he returned to De Leon to work for Humble Pipeline Company (now a part of Exxon).  His years with Humble were interrupted by World War II service and even more football.

    During the war, Honk served in the Navy as a coach in various football programs instituted for the armed forces.  His first duty came as a line coach at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where the Navy had set up one of its training programs.  Many of the the players from Texas colleges and universities who had entered the service were stationed at Georgetown and assigned to continue their college work at Southwestern.  Ironically, Honk’s coaching career began where his first football coach, H.B. Hardt had played college football.

    With six former Baylor players, twelve from the University of Texas, three from T.C.U. and several from other schools, the Southwestern Pirates beat the New Mexico Lobos, in the Sun Bowl on November 29, 1943, by a score of 7-0.

   Later, Irvin was transferred to the Pacific where he coached in the Central Pacific Area Football League.  The league consisted of military teams from all branches of the service centered in Hawaii.

    In addition to Honk, who apparently coached the Maroons of the Alea Receiving Barracks, several of the other seven teams were headed by Texan coaches or former players from T.C.U., North Texas State, Gladewater and Tyler.  The league was headed by Tex Oliver, who had served as head coach at Oregon and Arizona. The league featured three All Americans---Edgar “Special Delivery” Jones of Pittsburgh, Darrell Palmer of T.C.U. and Steve Lack of Duke.

   Following the war, Honk initially retuned to work in De Leon for Humble.  During the 1946 season, De Leon was struggling with the Eastland Mavericks in the game that would determine the eventual district champion.  Honk came down out of the stand to tell Bearcat Coach Sorley how to counter the Eastland blocking pattern.  De Leon won the game 7-0.  It was De Leon’s first district championship since 1932.

    Honk was  transferred several times while working for Humble but after his retirement, he and his wife Berta Ware Irvin retuned to De Leon.

Irvin 4

National Football League, New York Giants, Gumshoe Game, Canvas Sneakers, Cavanaugh Game, Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, Governor Preston Smith, Providence Steamrollers, Southwestern University, De Leon Bearcats, Deleon, De Leon, Texas, DeLeon, Texas, NFL Championship, Detroit Lions, Cisco Lobos, Stanford, Texas, Davis-Elkins College Senators.

The 1942 Southwestern University football team.  Honk is on the far right.

The 1944 Navy All Stars team in Hawaii.

The Alea Receiving Barracks in Hawaii.  Honk is third from the left in he first standing row.