What makes it special is not only the seven men pictured here, but where it was taken -- Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
The man on the left is Coach Jerry Adams, who has lived in Lawrenceburg with his large and -- editorial comment here, beautiful -- family since 1974.Primarily, he is the reason for this gathering.
Because the six men on the right in this photo -- (from left) Joe Ferguson, Clinton Ebey, Coach A.L. Williams, Ronnie Frazier, Coach Ken Ivy and Cayce Hand -- got on an airplane and flew to the deep south central Tennessee town and visited the Adams Family.
That Thursday, July 26, was a good day for these Knights of old. It was a mini-reunion they all relished.
"It was pretty good little time," Adams said of the four-hour-plus gathering at the big, old two-story house on a corner spread in the neat old city.
In the 1968 season -- the greatest year of a decade of Woodlawn football excellence -- this group was much of the heart of the Louisiana Class AAA state championship team that went 14-0.
Here were the three All-State players from that year -- Ferguson (the superstar quarterback), Frazier (defensive end) and Hand (cornerback) -- and the standout linebacker (Ebey) who made the most memorable and heads-up play of that perfect season.
And here were the three coaches still living from that staff -- Williams (head coach), Adams (defensive line/linebackers) and Ivy (B-team football, head basketball coach and even tennis coach).
All have fond memories of those coaches no longer with us -- Billy Joe Adcox (offensive line), W.B. Calvert (ends) and Lowell Morrison (defensive backs).
Just about anyone who knew the 1960s Woodlawn coaches remember and still respect these men, beginning with the first head coach, Lee Hedges, who by 1968 was at Captain Shreve High.
So here at this reunion was a time for stories galore, for reminiscing and for catching up with the most lively, most demonstrative, versatile and -- my opinion -- most interesting member of that coaching staff.
Coach Adams was fun, mischievous at times, but also serious about coaching -- and winning. He was the slogan creator, the "fire-'em-up" guy, but also the main one appealing to players' pride and determination with the reminders that "you've got to want it the most."
In that regard, he was much like his father-in-law, Miss Pat's Dad, the Neville (Monroe) High coaching legend Bill Ruple. (Personal note: Believe me, I have heard many an Adams-told Ruple story.)
The Adams crew made frequent trips back to Louisiana, to Shreveport, Ruston (Coach's hometown, where in 1948 he was an All-State running back for Ruston High and then played some at LSU) and Columbia, where the Ruples had a farm.
Many Woodlawn people only saw him occasionally after 1974. When we were living in Knoxville, we made several visits to Lawrenceburg and were the Adams' guests some nights.
(In case you were wondering, Adams is 87 with a birthday next month, Williams is 83, Ivy 80, and the players either 68 or 67.)
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Ferguson and Ebey, who have stayed in touch and remained good friends for decades after their WHS and college playing days, generated the idea of the visit, having talked about it for several years.
Ferguson, with his long University of Arkansas ties, lives in the Fayetteville area and has worked in real estate since the end of his nearly four-decades playing and coaching days. Ebey, who played at Northwestern State, has lived in Kilgore (actually on Lake Cherokee) for 11 years, but travels a great deal as regional manager for Ranger Boats.
"We planned to drive up there," said Ebey. But when they told Hand -- also still a good friend through all the years -- he had a better suggestion.
They could fly in the airplane Hand, who has a very successful construction company in Shreveport, shares with partners.
And they did, with Cayce going along and paying the way.
Coach Adams was fun, mischievous at times, but also serious about coaching -- and winning. He was the slogan creator, the "fire-'em-up" guy, but also the main one appealing to players' pride and determination with the reminders that "you've got to want it the most."
In that regard, he was much like his father-in-law, Miss Pat's Dad, the Neville (Monroe) High coaching legend Bill Ruple. (Personal note: Believe me, I have heard many an Adams-told Ruple story.)
The Adams crew made frequent trips back to Louisiana, to Shreveport, Ruston (Coach's hometown, where in 1948 he was an All-State running back for Ruston High and then played some at LSU) and Columbia, where the Ruples had a farm.
Many Woodlawn people only saw him occasionally after 1974. When we were living in Knoxville, we made several visits to Lawrenceburg and were the Adams' guests some nights.
(In case you were wondering, Adams is 87 with a birthday next month, Williams is 83, Ivy 80, and the players either 68 or 67.)
---
Ferguson and Ebey, who have stayed in touch and remained good friends for decades after their WHS and college playing days, generated the idea of the visit, having talked about it for several years.
Ferguson, with his long University of Arkansas ties, lives in the Fayetteville area and has worked in real estate since the end of his nearly four-decades playing and coaching days. Ebey, who played at Northwestern State, has lived in Kilgore (actually on Lake Cherokee) for 11 years, but travels a great deal as regional manager for Ranger Boats.
"We planned to drive up there," said Ebey. But when they told Hand -- also still a good friend through all the years -- he had a better suggestion.
They could fly in the airplane Hand, who has a very successful construction company in Shreveport, shares with partners.
And they did, with Cayce going along and paying the way.
So in the seven-seat King Air plane, there was room for Frazier, who also played at Northwestern State and now lives in Stonewall (just outside Shreveport), having retired from insurance and then concessions-distributing careers, and the two coaches.
"You know how Coach Williams is," Ebey said. "He doesn't miss anything, anywhere." Meaning, if there is a reunion or meeting or -- unfortunately -- memorial/funeral service that has touched the Williams' lives, A.L. and Sarah will attend, if possible.
"Joe called me and said, 'What are you doing Thursday?" Coach Williams said. "I had to check with Sarah to see what was on the calendar. And it was clear that day."
So he was in. So, after another Ferguson call to Sarepta, La., was Ivy, who lives on his family's old farm in his little hometown. He has been retired for 10 years after 48 years of coaching.
Ebey drove to Shreveport to board the plane with Hand and Frazier; they flew to Ruston to pick up Williams and Ivy, then to Bentonville for Ferguson (AKA "The White Knight.").
Adams knew they were coming, but he wasn't entirely clear when. Ferguson texted Teri Adams Shackleford, youngest of the four Adams children and told her "we'll be there in an hour and a half."
"I was going to do all these things -- send a bus, hire a driver, order barbecue ... I was going to do the do," said Coach Adams. "But it was a little rushed, so some it was unplanned."
But ... get this. Bill Adams, son of the father and now head man at the Adams' Rent-Right store that Coach and Mrs. (Pat) ran for years, is also a part-time preacher and operator of a trailways bus company for tours and trips.
So Bill drove one of those big buses to the Lawrence County airport to ... pick up seven people. On the return trip, Coach hired a driver to take them back in the bus.
A bit much?
"Aw, you got to put a little mustard on it," Coach Adams said. "Not gonna send a school bus out there."
---
The barbecue meal came from one of Coach Adams' former quarterbacks at Lawrence County High. It must have been good, but probably not as good as the conversation.
"We talked about everybody," said Ebey, "seems like we talked about everybody who played at Woodlawn."
Anyone who has been around Williams, Ivy and Adams knows that they did the majority of the talking. The four ex-players were happy to listen.
But Adams said it was a fair distribution: "Everyone gave way to everyone else; there was not a major guy. Everyone had their part to say. ... I was pleased with the sincerity."
No doubt, one main topic was Ferguson's predecessor at QB for Woodlawn, the once-blond haired, strong-armed, four-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers hero and Hall of Famer. Terry Bradshaw almost delivered a state championship for Woodlawn; Ferguson -- for most of us the greatest high school QB we've seen -- did so three years later.
One great memory was Ebey's play in the 1968 state quarterfinals, a Saturday afternoon game in New Orleans against Holy Cross.
(Woodlawn's team two weeks in a row flew to playoff games in NOLA, an unheard-of luxury then and maybe now.The program by then was so established, so popular and so well-off financially that the coaches had planned before the season to explore the possibility of chartering a plane for lengthy playoff trips.)
It was a get-even game for Woodlawn. Holy Cross had eliminated the very surprising 1967 Knights in the state semifinals, only to lose in the title game to Airline (Bossier City).
Woodlawn had beaten those Airline champs in the season's fifth week when, abandoning an ineffective running game after halftime and throwing on almost every down, Ferguson went from promising young QB to the memorable, accurate, quick-delivering passer for years to come. He was 29-of-48 for three touchdowns and a then-state-record 317 yards in a 28-14 upset.
Against Holy Cross this time, turnovers got Woodlawn in early trouble and a 13-0 deficit in the second quarter. Then Ferguson, as usual, got the passing game cranked up. It was 13-7 at the half, but the Knights were on top 21-13 by the time they forced a Holy Cross punt in the third quarter. The bouncing ball was at the Woodlawn 45 when a Holy Cross player batted it down it ... but the ball was still moving.
Ebey knew the rule. It was not a dead ball until touched still or picked up, and with an official's whistle. In this case, no whistle.
So Clint, part of a talented linebacking pair with Frank Racine (a fast, rangy player who went on to start at a safety for LSU), picked up up the ball and raced the 45 yards for a touchdown while a stunned Holy Cross team watched. Woodlawn went on to roll 35-13.
Of course, for years and certainly in Lawrenceburg, that play has been recalled.
It was a big game, too, for Hand -- two interceptions and a fumble recovery at the Holy Cross 13, which he fell on but easily could have run in for a touchdown. And, well, Ferguson that day was sharp throwing the ball.
---
Adams and Williams, as part of the original 1960 Woodlawn staff, were at the school longer than the others. Adcox and Calvert moved on after the 1968 season, and Adams became the first head coach at brand-new Southwood in the fall of 1970.
After four years at Southwood, Adams -- for a variety of reasons -- moved his family to Lawrenceburg, influenced by a former Shreveport neighbor who had moved there. Some land and a coaching job were two of the reasons.
Williams stayed at Woodlawn through the 1973 football season, winning a district title his last year (his fifth as head coach, the seventh -- in 14 years -- as a staff member). He went on to be head coach at Northwestern State and then his alma mater, Louisiana Tech, and settled nearby in Choudrant.
Ivy came from junior-high coaching and summer swim team coaching to Woodlawn as a coaching-staff addition in the fall of 1965. He stayed longer (15 years) than any of the First Five coaches.
His primary sport early on was basketball. In only his second year as head coach -- after WHS basketball had been a doormat, mediocre-to-worse program for six years -- the team went 24-5. His third team was 33-3 and the Class AAA state champion in 1969, giving the Knights a "double" to go with the football title.
Ivy's Robert Parish-led teams were state runner-up and then state champion in 1971-72. He soon gave up basketball to begin coaching football full-time.
With Lowell Morrison -- Cayce Hand's primary position coach at Woodlawn -- as head coach and Ivy as chief assistant, Knight teams in 1976-77-78 reached the state semifinals. Morrison went on sabbatical and Ivy was the head coach in 1979 (9-3-1 record), then -- following Adams' path -- moved to Southwood as head coach for three years (1980-82), with records of 10-1 and 9-2 the last two seasons.
His well-traveled path took him to Marshall, Texas, and Sarepta, and finally to Captain Shreve for seven final years as head football coach until his retirement in 2008.
Adams, as he had years before, was on Ivy's case, especially because of Ivy's deafness in one year. "Gave him hell," Adams said, laughing. "HEY, IVY, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
Ivy's retort: "Adams, you haven't changed a bit."
---
"The coaches taught me never to give up, work harder than the competition, give 100 percent," Hand said. "It helped me in life and in business."
"We always knew that the coaches cared about us, as players and off the field," Ferguson said.
"As coaches, we were grateful to the parents to letting us borrow their kids, and we felt like they were ours, we tried to treat them like our own children," Williams said. "All these years later, we still feel like they are ours."
"We tried to talk to the kids about bigger things than sports," Adams said. "About life, about responsibilities and accountability, about careers and having families and kids."
For him, there was a confirmation from the time with his recent guests.
"The biggest thing I got from it," he said, "is that some of the people up here [in Lawrenceburg] could see what I have been talking to them about for years, how good those years [at Woodlawn] were."
Health issues in recent years, such as knee replacement for his long weak knee that cut short his college football career (at LSU and then one year at Louisiana Tech) and a faulty aorta valve that needed replacing, are a part of his life now.
And this, which he did not tell the Woodlawn group at the meeting but did share with a couple privately -- and with me, with permission to write about it: For several months, he has been dealing with cancer.
Melanoma in his back required surgery and (ongoing) chemotherapy.
"I don't want to deal with the details -- the drugs involved, the procedures," he said. "I don't go there. Let's just go do what we need to do. If it works, great."
But he sounded robust and strong in our 34-minute conversation -- which included his usual story-telling, philosophizing bent -- and he looks good in a photo with a promising 10-year-old athlete from Nashville he met with and talked to (about athletics and life) at the young man's grandfather's request.
Life goes on -- a haircut and toenail job at oldest child Mary's shop near Spring Hill, 30 miles or so up the road where Coach is taking medical treatments, work in the yard and his craftwork in his shop, puttering her and there, coffee with the bunch in downtown, long talks with daughter Sarah (just retired as a college professor), time with the grandkids and great grands.
He is, I would say, a contented man.
"He is an absolute wonder," said youngest daughter Teri. "We are so thankful that he is responding to the chemo with insignificant side effects."
And Coach Adams was grateful for his old friends from Woodlawn coming to Tennessee.
"I appreciate the pain and effort it took for them to come here," he said. "They seemed to all be fine with it. ...
"Why would they spend the money and time to come up here. I can't figure that out yet."
We can figure it out. They wanted some stories and some laughs, and some memories.
---
Joe Ferguson, an NFL quarterback for 18 seasons (1973-90), talking about today's game.
"You know how Coach Williams is," Ebey said. "He doesn't miss anything, anywhere." Meaning, if there is a reunion or meeting or -- unfortunately -- memorial/funeral service that has touched the Williams' lives, A.L. and Sarah will attend, if possible.
"Joe called me and said, 'What are you doing Thursday?" Coach Williams said. "I had to check with Sarah to see what was on the calendar. And it was clear that day."
So he was in. So, after another Ferguson call to Sarepta, La., was Ivy, who lives on his family's old farm in his little hometown. He has been retired for 10 years after 48 years of coaching.
Ebey drove to Shreveport to board the plane with Hand and Frazier; they flew to Ruston to pick up Williams and Ivy, then to Bentonville for Ferguson (AKA "The White Knight.").
Adams knew they were coming, but he wasn't entirely clear when. Ferguson texted Teri Adams Shackleford, youngest of the four Adams children and told her "we'll be there in an hour and a half."
"I was going to do all these things -- send a bus, hire a driver, order barbecue ... I was going to do the do," said Coach Adams. "But it was a little rushed, so some it was unplanned."
But ... get this. Bill Adams, son of the father and now head man at the Adams' Rent-Right store that Coach and Mrs. (Pat) ran for years, is also a part-time preacher and operator of a trailways bus company for tours and trips.
So Bill drove one of those big buses to the Lawrence County airport to ... pick up seven people. On the return trip, Coach hired a driver to take them back in the bus.
A bit much?
"Aw, you got to put a little mustard on it," Coach Adams said. "Not gonna send a school bus out there."
---
The barbecue meal came from one of Coach Adams' former quarterbacks at Lawrence County High. It must have been good, but probably not as good as the conversation.
"We talked about everybody," said Ebey, "seems like we talked about everybody who played at Woodlawn."
Anyone who has been around Williams, Ivy and Adams knows that they did the majority of the talking. The four ex-players were happy to listen.
But Adams said it was a fair distribution: "Everyone gave way to everyone else; there was not a major guy. Everyone had their part to say. ... I was pleased with the sincerity."
One great memory was Ebey's play in the 1968 state quarterfinals, a Saturday afternoon game in New Orleans against Holy Cross.
(Woodlawn's team two weeks in a row flew to playoff games in NOLA, an unheard-of luxury then and maybe now.The program by then was so established, so popular and so well-off financially that the coaches had planned before the season to explore the possibility of chartering a plane for lengthy playoff trips.)
It was a get-even game for Woodlawn. Holy Cross had eliminated the very surprising 1967 Knights in the state semifinals, only to lose in the title game to Airline (Bossier City).
Woodlawn had beaten those Airline champs in the season's fifth week when, abandoning an ineffective running game after halftime and throwing on almost every down, Ferguson went from promising young QB to the memorable, accurate, quick-delivering passer for years to come. He was 29-of-48 for three touchdowns and a then-state-record 317 yards in a 28-14 upset.
Against Holy Cross this time, turnovers got Woodlawn in early trouble and a 13-0 deficit in the second quarter. Then Ferguson, as usual, got the passing game cranked up. It was 13-7 at the half, but the Knights were on top 21-13 by the time they forced a Holy Cross punt in the third quarter. The bouncing ball was at the Woodlawn 45 when a Holy Cross player batted it down it ... but the ball was still moving.
Ebey knew the rule. It was not a dead ball until touched still or picked up, and with an official's whistle. In this case, no whistle.
So Clint, part of a talented linebacking pair with Frank Racine (a fast, rangy player who went on to start at a safety for LSU), picked up up the ball and raced the 45 yards for a touchdown while a stunned Holy Cross team watched. Woodlawn went on to roll 35-13.
Of course, for years and certainly in Lawrenceburg, that play has been recalled.
It was a big game, too, for Hand -- two interceptions and a fumble recovery at the Holy Cross 13, which he fell on but easily could have run in for a touchdown. And, well, Ferguson that day was sharp throwing the ball.
---
Adams and Williams, as part of the original 1960 Woodlawn staff, were at the school longer than the others. Adcox and Calvert moved on after the 1968 season, and Adams became the first head coach at brand-new Southwood in the fall of 1970.
After four years at Southwood, Adams -- for a variety of reasons -- moved his family to Lawrenceburg, influenced by a former Shreveport neighbor who had moved there. Some land and a coaching job were two of the reasons.
Williams stayed at Woodlawn through the 1973 football season, winning a district title his last year (his fifth as head coach, the seventh -- in 14 years -- as a staff member). He went on to be head coach at Northwestern State and then his alma mater, Louisiana Tech, and settled nearby in Choudrant.
Ivy came from junior-high coaching and summer swim team coaching to Woodlawn as a coaching-staff addition in the fall of 1965. He stayed longer (15 years) than any of the First Five coaches.
His primary sport early on was basketball. In only his second year as head coach -- after WHS basketball had been a doormat, mediocre-to-worse program for six years -- the team went 24-5. His third team was 33-3 and the Class AAA state champion in 1969, giving the Knights a "double" to go with the football title.
Ivy's Robert Parish-led teams were state runner-up and then state champion in 1971-72. He soon gave up basketball to begin coaching football full-time.
With Lowell Morrison -- Cayce Hand's primary position coach at Woodlawn -- as head coach and Ivy as chief assistant, Knight teams in 1976-77-78 reached the state semifinals. Morrison went on sabbatical and Ivy was the head coach in 1979 (9-3-1 record), then -- following Adams' path -- moved to Southwood as head coach for three years (1980-82), with records of 10-1 and 9-2 the last two seasons.
His well-traveled path took him to Marshall, Texas, and Sarepta, and finally to Captain Shreve for seven final years as head football coach until his retirement in 2008.
Adams, as he had years before, was on Ivy's case, especially because of Ivy's deafness in one year. "Gave him hell," Adams said, laughing. "HEY, IVY, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
Ivy's retort: "Adams, you haven't changed a bit."
---
"The coaches taught me never to give up, work harder than the competition, give 100 percent," Hand said. "It helped me in life and in business."
"We always knew that the coaches cared about us, as players and off the field," Ferguson said.
"As coaches, we were grateful to the parents to letting us borrow their kids, and we felt like they were ours, we tried to treat them like our own children," Williams said. "All these years later, we still feel like they are ours."
"We tried to talk to the kids about bigger things than sports," Adams said. "About life, about responsibilities and accountability, about careers and having families and kids."
For him, there was a confirmation from the time with his recent guests.
"The biggest thing I got from it," he said, "is that some of the people up here [in Lawrenceburg] could see what I have been talking to them about for years, how good those years [at Woodlawn] were."
Health issues in recent years, such as knee replacement for his long weak knee that cut short his college football career (at LSU and then one year at Louisiana Tech) and a faulty aorta valve that needed replacing, are a part of his life now.
And this, which he did not tell the Woodlawn group at the meeting but did share with a couple privately -- and with me, with permission to write about it: For several months, he has been dealing with cancer.
Melanoma in his back required surgery and (ongoing) chemotherapy.
 |
| photos provided by Teri Adams Shackleford |
But he sounded robust and strong in our 34-minute conversation -- which included his usual story-telling, philosophizing bent -- and he looks good in a photo with a promising 10-year-old athlete from Nashville he met with and talked to (about athletics and life) at the young man's grandfather's request.
Life goes on -- a haircut and toenail job at oldest child Mary's shop near Spring Hill, 30 miles or so up the road where Coach is taking medical treatments, work in the yard and his craftwork in his shop, puttering her and there, coffee with the bunch in downtown, long talks with daughter Sarah (just retired as a college professor), time with the grandkids and great grands.
He is, I would say, a contented man.
"He is an absolute wonder," said youngest daughter Teri. "We are so thankful that he is responding to the chemo with insignificant side effects."
And Coach Adams was grateful for his old friends from Woodlawn coming to Tennessee.
"I appreciate the pain and effort it took for them to come here," he said. "They seemed to all be fine with it. ...
"Why would they spend the money and time to come up here. I can't figure that out yet."
We can figure it out. They wanted some stories and some laughs, and some memories.
---
Joe Ferguson, an NFL quarterback for 18 seasons (1973-90), talking about today's game.
From Tom Dark: I’m so glad that this meeting happened. So many memories to share and stories to tell.
ReplyDeleteFrom Kenneth Barr: Great article about a bunch of Great Men.
ReplyDeleteFrom Ross Montelbano: One of your all-time best. I remember when Clinton picked up the touched punt. It seemed that he hesitated, as if to say, “Did he really touch that ball?” Then he took off.
ReplyDeleteFrom Linda Loper Bradford: Great read, brought back so many memories of some great years.
ReplyDeleteFrom Alice Coleman Richardson: Wonderful story! I agree with Linda; it brought back so many good memories.
ReplyDeleteFrom Skip Young: Thanks for this article. So glad you were able to follow up on this great trip these guys made happen. A true journalistic professional getting all those quotes that made this quick trip come alive for all those who weren't there -- but sure would have loved to have been.
ReplyDeleteFrom James Pigue: Great picture, great true story. Brings back so many good feelings from our time spent with these wonderful men. Most of us will never be able to see some of these, heroes (as I call them), for our paths never seem to cross. I will never forget how Jerry, A.L. and Sarah Williams helped me to become who I am. May God continue to bless these Knights and all Knights who shared their life with these wonderful people.
ReplyDeleteFrom Beverly C. Porche: Wonderful documentation of great coaches, great players, great Woodlawn memories for all of us.
ReplyDeleteFrom Janie Moran: Great story and one of those Knights is my brother Clint Ebey.
ReplyDeleteFrom James Anderson: Woodlawn coaches were men who molded lives to make those around them the best they could be. We were all lucky to attend Woodlawn. A very special place where lifetime friendships were formed that only grew stronger with time. Many have left us in body but will always be with us in spirit. Are kids today as lucky as we are? I wonder.
ReplyDeleteFrom Brenda Laird: Thank you for this article about some wonderful men. You never disappoint us. What a wonderful place to grow up and great leaders to set the example.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFrom Maxie Hays: Legends of WHS. My Louisiana Tech friends that I had the privilege of being around at Tech and at track meets in the Shreveport area from 1970 to 1975. Great read.
ReplyDeleteFrom Sheryl Hawkins Nix: I had the best conversation with Coach Adams when I called two years ago to invite him to our 50th reunion. A remarkable man with an amazing memory!
ReplyDeleteFrom Richard T Priddy: Great read. Wonderful memories from that era simply irreplaceable.
ReplyDeleteFrom Roger S. Braniff Sr.: My heart raced a bit, my eyes even swelled with tears as I read this and could just feel the love and care that these coaches instilled in our lives being part of the greatest high school of the '60s. Thanks for bringing our past to the present. (Let me add this, I just remembered that Coach Adams was my summer drivers ed teacher, in a stick-shift on the column, 1960 Chevy. God bless him for his patience.
ReplyDeleteFrom Bill Smith: Great story about great coaches, great friends, and a great time in all of our lives. You tie this with [Johnny] Piazza’s book and the new one, “Dream Catcher,” it describes a period from 1964-1969 that was life-changing for all of us. Cayce, thank you along with the others that made it happen.
ReplyDeleteFrom Sid Huff: Hey, even though I am an 'INDIAN' through and through, I am familiar of some of these guys and my home town (& LA TECH) pride had me enjoying this article immensely.
ReplyDeleteFrom Al Miller: Thanks for sending. These guys I coached with, against and fished with and just plain enjoyed life with. They are all something special. Great men, coaches and parents, which the business needs more of. Lots of good memories of those guys. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteGreat read! Thanks for the memories!
ReplyDeleteFrom Coach Jerry Adams: Thought your article was great. It always amazes me, when you aren't really there, how you can get the feel for the people and the space you are writing about -- guess that's why they call you a writer. And you did get the feel for all that took place. Another good job.
ReplyDeleteFrom Ronny Walker: Awesome story. Thanks for sharing. It brings back such great memories of the “good ole days.”
ReplyDeleteFrom Jesse Carrigan: Thanks. Coach Adams, Coach Williams and Sarah were so important to brother Claude in difficult days.
ReplyDeleteFrom Joe Ferguson: Hey, Nico, great, great story. A trip I will never forget. I just wish kids today could have what we had. Maybe somewhere out there it is happening. You are the best.
ReplyDeleteFrom Jim Pruett: Your posting was humbling. A real bunch of good guys. All of us are better for having them -- and a similar Fair Park group in our lives.
ReplyDeleteFrom Larry Powell: I read every word of this story -- it was wonderful, a real tribute to "team" and loyalty.
ReplyDeleteEven though these guys were only a couple of hours of my long career in journalism, they made an impression -- a good impression. The memories of a game or two -- I can't even remember how many I covered [for The Shreveport Times in 1968] -- stick. Woodlawn was magic.
Seems like Ferguson was called "The White Knight" because his uniform never got dirty -- maybe that's just an ol' made-up memory, but the guy was great.
As I was reading your account of championships and schools opening, I remembered what a wonderful time that was -- regional and statewide rivals in high school football! People paying attention to the neighboring schools and districts -- it was a genuine, enjoyable subculture in a fascinating state.
And I still say the most challenging event I ever covered was a Class C track meet in Bossier City -- I had no idea there were so many different ways to spell Thibideaux....and so many different ways to speak English!
One of the teams I covered now and then was Byrd High School -- glory days long gone in 1968.
And like a good sportswriter I kept the programs. Years later, I was working at The Dallas Morning News and we hired a reporter who looked really familiar to me. I knew he was from Shreveport, so I went into my box of "stuff" and found the program for a Byrd High game and in it was a photograph of a kid -- a scrawny kid -- in a four-point stance grinning up at the camera. That was Yellow Jackets tackle Craig Flournoy, who I edited on a few investigative series and lots of features and who became most famous for winning The Dallas Morning News' first investigative reporting Pulitzer in 1986.
Naturally, I made a copy of his "tackle" photo and put it on the office bulletin board. He was stunned and amused and we became friends...Also -- just remembered this -- in 1968, I'd covered the first basketball game I ever saw (not kidding) and the student assigned to help me with players and numbers was Flournoy -- he was in a neck brace because he'd broken some bone while making a tackle a month or so earlier.
Just now caught up with the mini reunion at Coach Adams place. I was fortunate to visit him years ago at his home in Tennessee. GREAT VISIT! Even those of us like me weren't starters, the stars always made us feel like part of the team & we contributed on special teams. Best time of my life!
ReplyDelete