Habern Family Featured in the Lewisville Leader
Family ties: Lineage of Oklahoma’s Habern rooted in Lewisville
By Justin Thomas
Published: Friday, September 16, 2011 7:16 PM CDT
Posted with permission from the Lewisville Leader
Big 12 Conference play has yet to begin for the University of Oklahoma’s football team, but national championship aspirations will be on the line tonight when the No. 1-ranked Sooners travel to Tallahassee to face off against the No. 5-ranked Florida State Seminoles.
It’s yet another huge game for a Sooner team that defeated the Seminoles at home last season, 47-17.
And while nobody knows how Saturday’s contest will turn out, Sooner fans can take solace in the fact they have experienced players equipped to handle the raucous atmosphere a nationally-televised night game between two top five teams will bring.
Oklahoma has a bevy of players who have competed in big games, including quarterback Landry Jones, receiver Ryan Broyles and center Ben Habern.
Habern, a junior and three-year starter for the Sooners, is a team captain and the rock of Oklahoma’s offensive line. He has competed in multiple chapters of the Red River Rivalry against Texas, a Big 12 Championship Game and countless other critical matchups.
“We’re so excited for the game,” said Habern, one of the top-rated centers in the nation. “I came to Oklahoma for a chance to play in games like this and I’m sure it’s the same for the guys at Florida State. We’re pumped to go into a hostile environment under the lights and I think we’re prepared for their crowd and to play in a great venue like that.”
But while Habern graduated from Liberty Christian School in Argyle, his family’s roots have direct ties to Lewisville.
A Lewisville Legend
Over the past decade, the name Habern has been synonymous with Liberty Christian.
Ben and his three siblings each graduated from Liberty Christian, while his mother Debi has been the school’s Dean of Student Life for 10 years.
Debi and her six brothers and sisters, meanwhile, are graduates of Lewisville High School and are the children of Reveau and Jane Stewart, who both graduated from LHS in 1938.
The couple lived on Charles in Street in Lewisville from 1948-1984, when they moved to Winnsboro and retired.
The eldest Stewart, Carolyn, graduated in 1962, while Eileen graduated in ’65, Mary in ’68, Debi in ’73, Kathy in ’74, Bo (Reveau Jr.) in ’76 and Hal in ’79.
Debi’s husband Richard Habern (Ben’s father) graduated from LHS in ’72 and was part of the first graduating class to go through all four years at what was then the “new Lewisville High School.” The two began dating during their junior year before marrying in ’73.
All six of the Stewart children were active in LHS, from playing football to being in the band, or on the cheer squad.
In the case of Hal (a dentist in Flower Mound and current resident of Highland Village), he played on the Farmers football team, performed with the band at halftime, and was a part of the ’79 Lewisville football team that reached the state semifinals.
Bo was quarterback of the ’76 team, while Hal played the position in ’79 before moving on to play at the University of Texas-Arlington. Carolyn, Mary and Debi were each drum majors in the band, while Kathy was a cheerleader.
On the Habern side, Richard played football and graduated in 72 — when he was student body president. Mike played football — where he was a part of the ’73 team which reached the state championship game — and graduated in ’75.
Richard and Debi remained in Lewisville until 1981, when they moved to Denton and later to Argyle.
“In a lot of ways, the Habern family in Argyle is what the Stewart family was to Lewisville,” Hal said.
But the Stewart’s and Habern’s roots and traditions in athletic excellence at Lewisville all started with Reveau and Jane.
“Dad always had us playing sports or doing activities outside,” Hal said. “We were always throwing a ball, on the basketball court outside of our house that he built, or watching a Cowboys game or something on television. We were big into sports because of dad and Richard’s family was big in sports, too.
Family is where it all comes from and it all goes back to Dad.”
Family Patriarch
Reveau — who passed away in 2007 due to complications with Parkinson’s Disease — was the first football player from Lewisville to obtain a college scholarship, playing at Texas Tech in Lubbock before later transfeRring to North Texas. He was also an all-state track and field performer while at Lewisville.
“Reveau was a great man,” said Max Goldsmith, the namesake of Lewisville’s football stadium who was two years younger than Reveau. “And on the football field he was a man amongst boys. From the second I saw him play, I knew he was good enough to play at the next level. He was probably the best athlete Lewisville ever saw until the late 70′s, when players like Walt Garrison and Paul Rice came along.
“He was a great punter, too. And a lot of the people probably don’t know this, but back then we competed in the javelin in track and field, and Reveau went on to finish second in the state. He was a great athlete and could do anything he put his mind to.”
Reveau accomplished all of this despite being diagnosed with polio at a 6-years-old — a disease that could have cost him his ability to walk.
Legendary stories on Reveau are abundant, from shooting through the spillway on Lake Lewisville (then Lake Dallas) towards The Colony, to chopping off a finger and duct-taping it to complete a construction job.
“I can’t personally verify the story of him going down the spillway, but it definitely sounds like the legend of Reveau,” Goldsmith said.
“I remember when I was playing football and we would be on the practice field,” Hal said. “We would be waiting for our turn in the drills or what not and Max would come up and say ‘Hal, did I ever tell you about the game against Valleyview? We were winning by a lot and your dad Reveau had an easy touchdown. But instead of just getting the touchdown, he charged a defender like a bull and made sure he ran over that guy on his way to scoring.”
Whether on the field or not, Reveau was the center of attention.
“Daddy was a guy that people were instantly drawn to,” Debi said. “You can see that with the family. Even the grandkids always wanted to play with their grandfather. He had a big smile and a tender heart and I think in a lot of ways that’s how Ben is and I think that’s where he got it from.”
“[Reveau] was kind and well-mannered and really went out of his way to treat us younger guys with respect,” Goldsmith added. “In every phase of life, Reveau was the tops. I would say he was an 11 on a scale of 1-to-10 and you can see that in what he did in life and with the children that he and his wife raised.
“But he was also such a competitor and was the type of guy that would probably hit his grandmother if she was on the field and was wearing the wrong colored jersey.”
More than just his children, Reveau provided inspiration for his grandchildren.
“[Reveau] was a huge influence on my life,” Ben said. “A lot of people say I look like him and I know I got my size from his side of the family. But he was such a great role model. Nobody that I’ve talked to about him has ever had a bad word to say. He had character and integrity but was also generous, kind and loving. He raised seven children and they all turned out great and it’s an honor to even be associated with him and what he has meant to so many people.”
More than just an athlete
While the lore of Reveau Stewart began on the gridiron, his influence on the city of Lewisville extends much further.
A home builder by trade, Reveau’s work can be viewed throughout the area today.
Reveau played a part in the early stages of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter in Lewisville and later, with the help of others, built the Lewisville Bible Church, which still stands. The church began with six to eight members that would meet in Reveau and Jane’s house before construction of the church.
“I remember the early meeting would be at our house and dad also helped get guest speakers to come,” Debi said. “We had guys like (former Cowboys coach) Tom Landry and (legendary preacher) Tommy Nelson come and speak to the church.”
In addition to building his home — and the constant additions that were made with the birth of new children — Reveau also built a home for the daughter of Billy Graham, as well as many others in the Dallas area.
“Reveau was a builder in Lewisville for a long time and built beautiful homes,” said Reveau’s wife Jane, now 91-years-old and still living in Winnsboro. “You can tell because a lot of them are still standing. Lewisville has changed so much since we lived there and there was just one stop light in the whole city. But it’s special to see things Reveau built still there when I am back visiting.”
Reveau was also instrumental in the early stages of Lewisville’s band, playing saxophone when he was in high school.
“I actually didn’t know that about him,” Debi said. “But that’s one of the great things. You’re always hearing new stories about Dad and finding out things that even we didn’t know.”
Following in the footsteps of Reveau
While Reveau never had a chance to see Ben play at Oklahoma, the center is proud that Reveau knew he would be attending college and still looks to live up to his legacy.
Thus far, Ben is doing just that.
“We’re all so proud of Ben,” Jane said. “He’s so precious to me. I love all of my grandchildren, but for Ben to go on to play football at a great school has been a thrill for all of us. I love getting to go see him play, but even more important I see what a great kid he is and what a man of character he is.”
On the field, the junior is a consensus top 10 center in the nation according to nearly every preseason college football publication, including Athlon Sports (first team All-Big 12), Phil Steele’s College Football Preview (fourth team All-American) and Lindy’s Football (first team All-Big 12). Ben was also named to the Football Writers Association of America’s Outland Trophy Watch list, an award given to the nation’s top offensive lineman, as well as a candidate for the Remington Award, which is given to the top college center in the nation.
“Ben has a lot of quickness and strength,” said James Patton, Ben’s offensive line coach at Oklahoma. “He has a lot of command and control and is also very smart. He makes the right calls and is the quarterback of our offensive line. But he is also a great leader and is very well-respected by his teammates. They voted him as a team captain and what he brings from a leadership perspective and with his experience is invaluable. You have to have guys like that.
“He’s a great kid that comes from a great family. It’s a credit to his parents and family the work ethic and other qualities that he has.”
That work ethic has been on display in the area for more than 70 years.
“Ben is an amazing young man in so many ways,” Richard said. “I love all of my children and none are any more important than the others. But the thing I’m really proud of been is that I feel he has reached his potential at Oklahoma. He had a goal to play college football and through hard work, diligence and sacrifice, he accomplished that goal. As a father, that’s all you want is for your children to reach their potential, because so many people are unable to.
“I feel like Ben has done that.”