Leopard Legends of the Fall 1955-1980

  Starting with this article, I am now a "retired" superintendent of schools, so no longer writing from the desk in Blanchard. I'll continue to write columns, however, from the tractor seat (my desk on the ranch).
   Many Lindsay Leopard football fans consider the quarter of a century era, from 1955 to 1980, the zenith of Leopard football. During this 26 season time span - Lindsay football teams won 234 games, 4 state titles, 3 state runner-up trophies, and were ranked No. 1 in the state during a dozen regular seasons. Lindsay had a higher winning percentage (.813) than any other class 2A team in the state during the decade of the 1970's. All four State Championship teams (1955, 1958, 1962, and 1963) were in class B, when there were only three classifications (A, B, and C) of Oklahoma high school football and around 70 teams in each class. There are nine classifications of football today - 6AI, 6AII, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, A, B, and C, so many consider high school football to be less competitive than it was back during the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's. For instance, there are only 16 teams in classes 6AI and 6AII today.
   Besides the four state championship teams, the 1964 Leopards played for the class A state title, and ended with 11 wins and 2 losses. The 1970 Leopards played for the class 2A state championship with 13 wins and only 1 loss, that loss coming in the championship game 14 to 12, to Nowata. The 1973 Leopards ended the regular season undefeated (10-0) and ranked number one in class 2A. They lost to Bristow 9 - 7 in the state quarterfinals. The 1980 Lindsay Leopard football team ended with 10 wins and 3 losses, but made it all the way to the finals before losing, 33-22, to Sallisaw.
   With the Corona Virus Pandemic in full swing, and most high school, college and professional sports seasons in jeopardy of being postponed or cancelled, I thought it might be interesting for readers of the Lindsay News and Leopard football fans to learn the history of Lindsay Leopard football from 1955 thru 1980, the legendary years.
   We'll now take a closer look at many Leopard football teams over the next several months, which arguably are the greatest Leopard Legends of the Fall - and we'll will start with the undefeated (14-0) and 1955 State Champion Lindsay Leopards:
   The 1955 Leopards started the season by shutting out their first three opponents (Maysville, Marlow, and Purcell), 43-0, 28-0, and 27-0, before finally having their first close game against Del City which they beat 20 to 14. The semifinals pitted the Leopards against Newkirk, which ended in a 20 to 20 tie, but the Leopards winning the 'penetration' tiebreaker - 4 to 3. In 1955, playoff games which ended in a tie score were decided on the number of times each team had crossed their opponent's 20 yard line. Bob Dellinger of the Daily Oklahoman recounted the game winning drive in the semi-finals:
 "Lindsay, Dec. 2--  In a desperate race against the clock the Lindsay Leopards drove 56 yards for the penetration which gave them a berth in the class B state finals despite a 20-20 tie with Newkirk here Friday night...
   Actually it was the ball stealing tactics of Lindsay's Gene Estes which turned the tide in the home club's favor. Twice the 210 pound junior grabbed the ball away from a Newkirk runner and both times Lindsay recovered." (Bulldog Henry, the inspirational leader of the Leopards, would recover a similar game-changing fumble the next week in the finals.)
   With defeat on first downs (16-11) staring them in the face, the Leopards used 12 plays to punch from their own 24 to the Newkirk 15 for the deciding margin. Halfback Wayne Estes banged over the right side for 13 yards from the Tiger 28 to send the crowd of 3,000 into hysterical joy.
   The 1955 Lindsay Leopards would play Picher the next week on December 9. The Daily Oklahoman headline on December 10 read Leopard Surge Nets 14-0 Win, and Ray Soldan of the DO wrote:
Stillwater, Dec. 9--   After being soundly outplayed for three quarters, Lindsay's Leopards exploded for two fourth period touchdowns to topple Picher, here, Friday afternoon, thus nailing down the first class B football championship in the school's history.
   The tide turned in the opening minutes of the final session after the Leopards had taken over on their own 35 following a Picher punt, only the second one of the game by the Gorillas. The big play was a first down screen pass from quarterback Bill Garrett to Wayne Estes, a fleet halfback.
   The sudden maneuver found the Leopards with a wall of blockers formed in front of Estes on the north sideline and Estes rambled 43 yards before being hauled down on the Picher 22. A plunge into the center of the line by fullback Bruce Bullock netted four yards, then Estes bolted through the Picher left side for the final 18, benefitting from a big hole opened by Mike Spradlin and Jim Crawford. Jerome Walton added the extra point on a running play...
   Ray Soldan said it best about the Leopards in the championship game - ... the Leopards were defensive demons when their backs were to the wall - and I think a great defense epitomized the whole 1955 championship season. The Leopards were coached that year by Tom Turvey and Lawton Carey. Mr. Carey later became the high school principal where he led for many years.