19 Years of Fantasy Football: Durham Tradition Brings Math to Life

For nearly two decades, sixth graders at Durham Intermediate School have kicked off the fall with a different kind of draft day, one that turns NFL Sundays into math lessons and brings students, parents, and teachers together along the way.

This year’s draft carries a little extra significance. As Durham begins its final school year, the 19th Annual Fantasy Football Draft Party is one of many longstanding traditions that reflect the lasting legacy the campus, its teachers, and its students have built over the years.

Durham hosted this year’s Draft Party this week, welcoming more than 110 sixth graders along with parents, siblings, and staff to the DIS Library to build their teams for the upcoming season.

The event marks the beginning of a months-long tradition in which sixth-grade math students manage fantasy football teams and use real-world NFL statistics to calculate scores, evaluate players, and make decisions throughout the season. Last year, the Durham Fantasy Football League included more than 260 teams, and organizers hope to surpass that number this year.

For DIS Co-Principal Paul Pinson, the longevity of the program speaks to the experiences Durham teachers have created for generations of students.

“This is an example of a legacy that Durham Intermediate has created over the time this school has existed,” Pinson said. “These teachers leave lasting impressions on these kiddos, and this is just one example of the memories they will take with them from this campus.”

But Pinson said the impact goes beyond creating a memorable school experience.

“These kinds of events leave an indelible impact on students,” Pinson said. “Not just an impact regarding fun, but a lasting impact from a curricular standpoint, particularly math in this case.”

Sixth-grade math teachers Christopher Underwood and Lance Mangham have both spent nearly three decades teaching in Carroll ISD. Underwood is in his 27th year in the district and his 22nd at Durham, while Mangham is also in his 27th year teaching sixth-grade math in CISD, including three years at Carroll Intermediate and the remainder at Durham.

Over those years, they have watched the Fantasy Football League become an annual tradition that connects classroom learning with something students are excited to follow outside of school.

“We use the project throughout the year and calculate scores from real-world statistics,” Mangham said.

As students manage their teams throughout the NFL season, math becomes part of nearly every decision. Students work with fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and proportional relationships, positive and negative numbers, averages, data, tables, graphs, expressions, equations, and inequalities. They compare data, analyze trends, make predictions, problem solve, and justify decisions based on the numbers they are seeing.

“The Fantasy Football League gives students an opportunity to apply math in a way that feels completely different from a normal classroom assignment,” Underwood said. “Throughout the season, students manage their teams using actual NFL statistics and data.”

Underwood said one of his favorite parts of the tradition happens before those weekly calculations even begin. Draft night gives students and their families an opportunity to experience the excitement together.

“We had over 110 students participate yesterday, along with so many moms and dads who came to be part of the draft,” Underwood said. “That is actually one of my favorite parts of the whole thing. It gives our sixth graders and their parents something fun to look forward to together.”

For many families, that connection continues long after draft night.

“A lot of dads in particular really enjoy this time of year with their sons and daughters because fantasy football gives them another shared experience and something to talk about each week,” Underwood said.

That enthusiasm also helps make the academic side of the project feel less like a traditional assignment.

“One of my favorite parts is that students don't necessarily think of it as a math assignment,” Underwood said. “They are trying to improve their team, compare players, make trades, set their lineup, and compete with their classmates. The math becomes a tool they need to make decisions instead of simply something they are doing on a worksheet.”

With more than 260 teams participating last year and strong turnout at this year’s draft, Durham is on pace for another big season. Winners compete across several conferences, with trophies provided by the Durham PTO.

And while this will be the final Fantasy Football season at Durham Intermediate, those who have built the program hope it will not be the final chapter for the tradition.

“We hope to be able to continue the tradition as we move to CMS next year,” Mangham said.

After 19 seasons, the Fantasy Football League has become more than an annual math project. It is one of the traditions that has helped define the Durham experience, creating memories for students and families while demonstrating the kind of creative, meaningful learning that will remain part of the campus’s legacy long after its final school year.