Brian Chavez Character Analysis in Friday Night Lights

The valedictorian of his class, Brian Chavez is also a strong and methodical defensive end for Permian. Chavez, unlike many of the other players, has clear plans after high school: he wants to go to Harvard, which he does, and from which he graduates (without playing college football). Chavez, as Bissinger notes, later becomes a lawyer back in West Texas, like his father, Tony.

Brian Chavez Quotes in Friday Night Lights

The Friday Night Lights quotes below are all either spoken by Brian Chavez or refer to Brian Chavez. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Perseus edition of Friday Night Lights published in 1990.

When Tony was Brian’s age, the thought of college, any college, was as funny as it was ridiculous. Just getting through high school was miracle enough, and the way Tony and most other kids from South El Paso looked at it, everything after that in life was gravy, a gift.

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 191

Explanation and Analysis:

Brian Chavez Character Timeline in Friday Night Lights

The timeline below shows where the character Brian Chavez appears in Friday Night Lights. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...play as hard as possible, for themselves and for their teammates. Bissinger also introduces Brian Chavez, a talented defensive player who loves to hit his opponents, and who has dreams of... (full context)

Wealth, Poverty, and the Boom-Bust Cycle Theme Icon

...food chain—and planning for marriage and domestic responsibilities. Bissinger finds a couple students, including Brian Chavez (who is on the football team) who are serious about their schoolwork, but in general,... (full context)

Bissinger follows Brian Chavez around the school, and finds that he performs well in class—he is a diligent student,... (full context)

Bissinger sits with Brian Chavez’s father, Tony, during the Panthers’ next game, against Midland High (not to be confused with... (full context)

...Gaines demands that same toughness of his players against Midland Lee. Bissinger notes that Brian Chavez, and some of the other players, detect a real fear in Gaines’ voice as he... (full context)

...players are devastated. Winchell worries that he has lost the game for his team, and Chavez and McDougal are nearly beside themselves with sadness. Sharon Gaines, Gary Gaines’ wife, tries to... (full context)

...the ride back to Odessa, and afterward, the Panthers are devastated: many, like McDougal and Chavez, cry bitterly, knowing that their seasons and high-school football lives are over. Gaines thanks the... (full context)

Some of the Permian players have better luck. Chavez is accepted to Harvard, where he does not play varsity football but continues his studies.... (full context)