Big Texas Hair - Go Big Or Go Home

One of the first things I learned when I moved to Texas back in 1984 is that everything really is bigger down here.  From the gigantic glasses of iced tea and enormous chicken fried steaks to the  bodacious hairstyles, Texans dare you to go big or go home.

Besides the big hair, food and drink, Texans have a huge love for their all sports teams.  They also adore b-ball.  Whether it's the Dallas Mavericks or the San Antonio Spurs, Texans love the bigger than life players.

With this knowledge of big Texas behavior, I wasn't at all surprised to hear that a 12 year old red haired boy from San Antonio went big with his hair to show his love for fellow redhead, Matt Bonner, of the San Antonio Spurs. Gonzalez took a major risk by spending $75 to have his head shaved to look like Matt Bonner's face.

Suspended From School For Hair Nod

Although Gonzalez when big with his hair,  he still had to go home. When he appeared at Woodlake Hills Middle School with Bonner's face clipped into the back of his head he was promptly threatened with suspension from school if he did not remove the hair art.

Unfortunately, while his homage to Bonner was considered admirable in many circles, the school district didn't agree.  Gonzalez was sent home from school.  He was told he couldn't return to classes until he removed the Bonner distraction from the back of his head.

In order to resume his studies Gonzalez reluctantly shaved his head.

Although his attempts to go big ultimately sent him home, Gonzalez' personalized hair sculpture dedicated to Matt Bonner didn't go unnoticed.  he had to The popular basketball player heard about the incident and the major show of love and appreciation. Bonner reached out to his young fan and told Gonzalez to "keep supporting us redheads in the NBA."  Bonner also referred to the entire event as a "hairgate".

For taking his big hair risk Patrick also received complimentary tickets to the Spurs playoff game against the Clippers.  When the Spurs team heard about the entire incident, they decided to give Gonzalez and his family the tickets.  Bonner made it a point of meeting with Gonzalez when he attended the Spurs -Clippers game.  Gonzalez told the media it was a dream come true to meet his favorite basketball player.

Tradition Of Getting Likeness Of Players Carved Into Hair

Bonner told the media he thought "the school could have just moved Patrick Gonzalez to the back of the school room to minimize any distractions."

Of course this entire incident stirred lots of debate because traditionally unique head carvings depicting popular players like Tony Parker have been the norm.  Some people question why Gonzalez couldn't just wear a cap during class to cover up the Bonner likeness.

The mother of Patrick Gonzalez told the media she was under the impression they had permission from the school to do the customized hair cut.

Although the Bonner hair art turned into a headache for Gonzalez and his family, ultimately the expensive clipping paid off when he and his family were treated to the Spurs game against....the Clippers.