The Bill Froman led Leopards of 1963 was almost a 'mirror image' of the 1962 Leopards. During their 10 game regular season - the 1963 Leopards beat Comanche 38-6, Pauls Valley 27-8 and Purcell 27-0, before facing their first tough test in Marlow and winning 20-15. The first four victories were followed by six more, including wins over Bethany 33-0, Ardmore Douglass 12-7, Sulphur 42-0, Madill 33-0, Atoka 60-8, and Wynnewood 28-0, for a spotless 10-0 regular season record.
Half-way through the regular season the Leopards stood 5-0 and an article in the Daily Oklahoman read Lindsay Clubs Bethany, 33-0: Lindsay struck for two touchdowns in the last two minutes of the first quarter and went on to smash Bethany, 33-0, here Friday night.
Jim Burger fired two scoring passes of 40 yards each to Wayne Ardrey to start the No. 1 ranked top-class B team on the way to their fifth straight victory and their 19th game in succession without a defeat...
The Leopards beat Healdton, 33-0, in the first round of the playoffs, and then faced Marlow again in the state quarterfinals. The Daily Oklahoman's Ray Soldan recounted on December 1, 1963:
Lindsay, which won Class B crowns in 1955, 1958, and last season, cleared a major hurdle by continuing its mastery of Marlow, this time by a 20-14 spread.
Lindsay has gone 26 games without losing and is heavily favored to pick up the two additional victories it needs to become the first school to pocket four Class B championships. It already is the only three-time winner.
During its streak-- marred only by a 6-6 tie with Marlow in regular season play a year ago-- Lindsay has shaded Marlow three times-- 14-8, 20-15 and 20-14.
Lindsay snapped a 14-14 deadlock Friday on a 33-yard, third-quarter run by Danny Phillips, and protected the lead with a fumble recovery and pass interception in the final period...
The Leopards beat Weatherford, 25-0, in the state semi-finals, and were to face Grove the next week for the championship. Wally Wallis of the Oklahoman wrote on December 15, 1963 following the game:
Lindsay Routs Grove, 47-0, For 'B' Crown
TULSA-- Lindsay won its fourth Class B state football championship by thrashing Grove, 47-0, Friday night in 18-degree cold at Skelly Stadium.
Quarterback Jim Burgar led the Leopards in their smashing victory by passing for three touchdowns and running for a fourth as Lindsay rolled up a total offense of 519 yards, 309 of them through the air as Burgar completed 12 of 28 aerials.
Lindsay scored with the opening kickoff, marching 63 yards in nine plays and the game was never in doubt thereafter. Only once did the Ridgerunners get beyond midfield and that came late in the third chapter when they were trailing, 31-0.
The game was played on a gridiron covered with ice. A heavy roller was used in an unsuccessful attempt to provide footing for the players who skidded, slipped and fell more often than they retained their feet.
The Leopard defense led by linebacker Danny Noles and tackle Dave King, held Grove in check throughout.The Ridgerunners got only 55 yards in total offense, 35 of them on three successful passes... Grove got only two first downs in the game to 24 for the winners.
Burgar hit halfback Gary Goodwin for ten yards for the first touchdown and hooked up pass plays of 56 and 62 to end Wayne Ardrey for counters No. 5 and No. 6 in the third quarter. The three touchdown passes gave him a total of 21 aerial scores for the season.
He capped the ten-play drive for the second touchdown with an eight-yard dash around left end. It was the 19th touchdown he had scored giving him a combined 40 air-infantry touchdowns for the season.
Fullback Mike King blasted through center for the Leopards' third touchdown and Goodwin slashed through the center on a draw play for 38 yards for the fourth touchdown.
Midway in the final chapter Lindsay's second team moved 64 yards in 12 plays for the final counter, halfback P.J. Newby scoring on a one-yard plunge.
The passing of Burgar and the receiving of the Leopards was fantastic in the conditions under which the game was played. The most spectacular play of the game was provided Lindsay with its fifth touchdown after a backfield motion penalty had nullified a 51 yard scamper into the endzone by Goodwin. Moved back to Lindsay's own 44 by the penalty, Burgar handed off to Goodwin who in turn passed back to Burgar in the right flat, Burgar retreated until Ardrey got behind the Grove defense and threw a strike...
An article by Ray Soldan of the Oklahoman recounted following the game:
... Lindsay ripped for 519 yards (210 on the ice and 309 through the air.
Senior quarterback Jim Burgar held down... a heroic spot for Lindsay. His feats included: ... The completion of three straight years of varsity quarterbacking in which his team won 36 games, lost one, tied one, took two state championships and still carries an unbroken string of 24 straight triumphs.
Jim Burgar was a starter at quarterback for the Leopards since his freshman year in 1960. He remains as the last four-year starter for Lindsay football. Charlie Heatly, an assistant coach for the Leopards during those years, told the following story about Burgar:
After four or five games into Jim Burgar's freshman year, Jim's dad visited the coaches about him getting tired of so many games. It seems he was getting worn out - having played so many games each week, as he played a JV game on Monday nights, a Jr. Hi game on Thursday nights, and the varsity game on Friday nights. In the opinion of Jim's father - three games each week was just wearing Jim down. The coaches agreed, so Jim Burgar began playing in only varsity games. Bill Froman and Charlie Heatly knew that Jr. Hi and JV seasons were almost over though, so Jim didn't miss too many games!
As a follow-up to the '63 Leopards - Dave King and Jim Burger were named all-state, with Burgar being named the state offensive player of the year in 1963. He was the second player named 'Jim' to be a 'state player of the year', the first was Jim Milhauser in 1958.
In the nine seasons from 1955 through 1963, the Leopards had won four state titles and had never lost a playoff game (16 wins). The 1964 season was soon to follow...
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