Euless Boss is the coach of the Craw County high school football team, Running Rebs, and the main antagonist of the comic book series Southern Bastards. He is an incredibly temperamental and manipulative individual, using his position as one of near-absolute authority; he operates in the same vain as a crime lord. The townsfolk of Craw County, Alabama often turn a blind eye to his acts of barbarism.
History[]
As a teenager, Euless wanted to gain his father's recognition by joining the football team. However, his abilities on the field proved to be less than desirable, and he was tormented verbally and physically by his teammates for this. Euless was small, uncoordinated, and due to his father's reputation, he was often dismissed as a failure. The boy's home life was much worse; his father, Olis, solicited sex with prostitutes, stole live chickens and consistently beat and neglected his son.
Euless Boss and Ol' Big
The school's "ball boy", an old blind man known as "Ol' Big", took pity on Boss and began training and conditioning the boy to be an exceptional player. Big, himself, had played football in his youth, but strictly against other colored schools due to the racism of the time. Big admired Boss's determination; the boy would often remark that football was "worth the blood."
Upon finally making the team as an official player, an overjoyed Euless rushed home with the news to his father. Here, he found a man named Mozel and his dixie mafia holding his father at gunpoint; Mozel and his cronies were none too pleased with Olis's thievery of the Tutwiler family's fighting chickens. Euless was shot in the foot for his father's refusal to reveal the whereabouts of the stolen birds.
With time, Euless healed and his football skills continued to improve. Despite his improvement, however, no college offered to accept him. The boy's high school coach had made sure to soil Euless' reputation with the local colleges. With the season ended, Euless begged for a job on the team, but his coach saw no value in him and did not take kindly to the boy's inability to play well with others. Boss was, therefore, hired for the lowest job as a ball boy.
Euless Boss as the new coach of the Running Rebs
Euless shoots his father
Euless's father took refuge in Piney Woods to hide from Mozel and his gang. Euless was familiar with his father's hiding spot, and confronted him here. It was during this moment, the two were able to make a meaningful connection. When his back was turned, Euless shot and killed his father, then brought his body to Mozel. In exchange, Mozel fulfilled a promise to make Boss coach of the Running Rebs by firing the current coach.
Big discussed with Euless the drastic actions the young man had taken to become coach, wondering what they were to become once they stepped onto the field. Boss, once again, remarked that football was worth the blood. Big began to worry about just what kind of monster he had unleashed on the town in training Boss.