Video: Coach Donald “Burger” Evans’ legacy celebrated at Dr. L. G. Pinkston Sr. High School homecoming
Generations of Pinkston alumni erupted into screams as Coach Donald “Burger” Evans walked onto the field of Sprague Stadium during halftime of Dr. L. G. Pinkston Sr. High School’s 2026 homecoming game.
L.G. Pinkston Alumni Association president Mona Shepherd awarded Evans a plaque thanking him for his impact on West Dallas during his 42-year tenure as a Pinkston athletic coach.
Originally from Dangerfield, Texas, Evans came to work in West Dallas in 1976 and officially retired in 2018.
One of his former students, James Armstrong, flew in from Phoenix, Ariz., to attend the ceremony. He says Evans had a lasting impact on his life that led to his own career as a coach.
“He was more than a coach. He was a mentor; he was a father figure,” Armstrong says.
After the halftime ceremony, dozens of alumni left the bleachers to reunite with Evans in a corner of the Sprague Athletic Complex. Surrounded by his fans, Evans took time to shake hands and take a photograph with his former players.
“So many of my kids … they are doing real good in life right now,” Evans says. “And that’s what makes me more proud than anything.”
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
Prior to joining the Dallas Free Press as a visual journalist, Camilo Diaz Jr. was a video intern at KERA, the NPR and PBS member station for North Texas, where he developed a deep appreciation for video production. He also worked as a multimedia fellow at the Fort Worth Report, covering local news in his hometown. As a teenager, he began documenting his community and identity through photography, leading him to the world of photojournalism. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a concentration in photojournalism from the University of North Texas.
Beat: Visual and multimedia approach to capturing community and civic life
The images of our communities that appear in local news media are mostly of crime and blight, which doesn’t at all reflect their beauty and assets. This visual journalist sees neighbors and captures community and civic life in all of its facets. The journalist is a multimedia reporter with a photographic eye, who has the skills to meld images, video and audio for storytelling, and the desire to reach under-covered audiences.
