On Friday nights at Tommy Briggs Cougar Stadium, The Colony High School senior Kyler Owens manages two leadership assignments that normally belong to separate parts of campus life: outside linebacker for the varsity football team and head drum major for the marching band. He moves between the field and the podium during the same game, serving as a senior captain for the Cougars while directing the band.
The arrangement developed after Owens came close to leaving band and initially found himself too skinny to play football as he wanted, according to localmemphis.com. Rather than choose one activity, he continued both, changing from football equipment to the podium as his responsibilities shift during a game.
That arrangement depends on cooperation from both programs. Football coach and athletic director Rudy Rangel described seeing Owens leave a play for the podium and then return, according to the report, while the football staff holds offensive meetings before defensive meetings so Owens can attend the defensive sessions he needs. Band director Michael Larkin said Owens once imagined conducting while still in football pads; on game nights, the two roles now meet on the same field.
A Schedule That Starts Before Dawn
Owens' calendar begins as early as 5 a.m. for practice and can extend to 8:30 p.m. for band rehearsal, according to the report. He also takes AP classes and helps organize responsibilities for other student leaders, moving between football preparation and band direction over the course of the day.
What the District's Rules Say
The Lewisville ISD Student Handbook provides a general framework for students who participate in both athletics and fine arts: students involved in UIL-governed academic, athletic or music activities, along with their parents, are expected to know and follow UIL rules, according to the Lewisville ISD Student Handbook. The handbook language establishes that expectation but, in the cited guidance, does not describe a separate procedure for resolving dual-participation scheduling conflicts or determining eligibility.
That grueling schedule is not accidental — it fits inside statewide guardrails. Texas University Interscholastic League rules cap marching band practices outside the regular school day at eight hours per calendar week per student, according to Texas Music Educators Association-affiliated guidance, and permit up to one additional hour for warm-up, run-through or dress rehearsal on performance days; movement to and from the field is excluded from that limit. The same statewide body also allows a single physical exam to clear a student for both athletics and band, according to the University Interscholastic League, sparing dual-role students like Owens a second round of medical paperwork. Starting with the 2026–2027 academic year, the League has also made Wet Bulb Globe Temperature monitoring mandatory for outdoor athletic and marching band activities statewide, according to University Interscholastic League (UIL), a heat-safety standard aimed at early-season rehearsals in North Texas.
Leadership on Two Fronts
Owens has said the arrangement is also meant to show younger students that football and band do not have to be mutually exclusive. He describes leadership as a skill shared by both activities, while Rangel has said he believes Owens can accomplish almost anything. Owens has credited his family for helping him manage the demands.
His dual role spans music and athletics. The Colony Cougars compete in Class 5A Division II football under University Interscholastic League alignment, facing district opponents across Denton County and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a level of competition Owens balances alongside his podium duties.
Part of a Broader Texas Trend
Owens is not entirely alone in this balancing act. Dual participation by varsity football players serving as marching band drum majors has surfaced elsewhere in Texas, including Tyler Ortigo, who was a football player and drum major, according to KHOU-TV. The pattern is rare enough to draw attention, but it is not unheard of across the state's football-and-band culture.
There is data behind why administrators tend to encourage it rather than force a choice. Statewide research published by the Texas Music Educators Association has found that Texas high school campuses with higher fine arts enrollment consistently post higher academic performance ratings and higher graduation rates than non-participating peers. That backdrop helps explain why Lewisville Independent School District, which includes The Colony High School, invests in facilities like the 7,529-seat Tommy Briggs Cougar Stadium that can support both a full football program and a marching band on the same Friday night.
