Social scientists say that we, as humans, don't have memories of events before about two years of age. While some people can remember events at about the age of one year and younger, others can only recall events and things beginning at about the age of six or seven. I think I fall into this latter category, as I begin to have memories of Leopard football teams and players beginning in about 1965. For this reason, the next few articles will contain some personal observations, along with the newspaper articles and observations related to media accounts.
I first became interested in football while I was in the second or third grade because of my dad - Johnny Beckham. Most Lindsay folk knew him by his middle name, 'Dale', because he started going by his middle name while on the rodeo circuit. Johnny Beckham was a high school football star at Marlow from 1946 to 1948 and received a scholarship to what is now Oklahoma State University (OSU) to play ball for the Oklahoma A&M Aggies. He shared a story with me about Billy Dale Vessels (Heisman Trophy winner at OU in 1952):
It seems that Billy Vessels was intending to play for the Oklahoma A&M Aggies in 1949 instead of OU. When my dad enrolled at A&M in the summer of '49 he was originally assigned a roommate by the name of Billy Vessels from Cleveland, Oklahoma. Johnny and Billy were getting to know each other and visiting in the room when someone knocked on the door. It was a couple of OU coaches who asked Johnny if he would leave the room for a half hour, so they could visit privately with Billy. When Johnny returned later - Billy was packing his bags and headed to Norman. The next time my dad saw Billy on the OU campus, he was driving a big yellow Buick - and the rest is history.
Johnny went on after his Aggie days and played for the Marines - based in San Diego, California. In 1952, my dad was a Lieutenant and member of the military police as a defensive back on the football team. My aunt (Johnny's older sister) told me that Johnny never went to Korea... because "he could play football".
My interest in football came about by about the second grade, because of the stories my dad told me - and I started attending Leopard games during the mid to late 1960's.
The '64 Leopards had lost the Class A championship game to Holdenville 14-0, but could have won, were it not for losing Ken Fleming to a broken leg in the first quarter. An interesting side note to the '64 Leopards is that they beat their arch rival Marlow Outlaws, 29-7, in the fourth game of the regular season. Marlow went on to run the slate and win the Class B championship over Bixby, 25-12. You may read more about the '64 Leopards in the last article/post...
The 1965 Lindsay Leopards started the season in usual fashion by knocking off Purcell 34-0, Ardmore Douglass 13-0 and Crooked Oak 13-7, before finally losing to Marlow 13-7. They finished the '65 regular season by beating Anadarko 14-6, Yukon 14-7, Sulphur 26-6, Carl Albert 14-0 and Pauls Valley 3-0, before losing the last regular season game to Wynnewood 14-0.
One note of interest is that Wynnewood finished the '65 season 14-0 and Class B State Champions. The Leopards played the Savages closer than any other team that season losing 14-0, so the Leopards had played back to back state champions in '64 and '65 - winning one and losing one.
The Leopards finished the regular season with 8 wins and 2 losses, but made the playoffs since they had won all district games. They then lost to Choctaw 26-14 in the state quarterfinals. Head coach Dave Clark, having taken over for Bill Froman, fared pretty well in his first year with the Leopards. His 8-3 record was only judged average, however, by Leopard standards.
An article in The Oklahoman on September 23,1965, read:
'Bare-Thold' Kicker Is Pride of Lindsay
Lindsay - Down in Lindsay, where a full house for a Friday night football game is nothing uncommon, a problem of where to seat larger crowds than ever is beginning to cause concern for school officials. Crowds usually follow a winner, and Lindsay's Leopards can certainly qualify in this department, having lost only three of their last 53 games. Winning, however, is not the big reason for increased Friday night gatherings in this case.
Shouldering - or perhaps footing - the blame for the current crowd problem is a barefooted youngster from Germany named John Berthold (pronounced Bare-thold). Berthold, a tousled headed kid who's as ornery as any tow-head who ever baited a safety pin, is the barefooted, soccer-type place kicker responsible for conversions and field goals in Leopardland.
The only football player in the state who can promote an ovation simply by unlacing his shoes... John came to Lindsay last year as a sophomore transfer from Tulsa. He saw his first football game after moving here, and scored three points in it...
As an elementary school student in 1965, I had seen John Berthold kick in games - but my friends and I referred to him as 'Bare - Toe'. An 'AP' report in The Oklahoman, July 26, 1972:
Berthold Dealt To New Orleans
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) -- Soccer-style placekicker John Berthold Monday became the sixth Dallas Cowboy player to be traded to the New Orleans Saints since last football season. The German native who played football in Oklahoma at Lindsay High School and East Central joins ex-cowboys Jim Ford, Margene Atkins, Doug Moers, Joe Williams and Tom Stencic with the Saints. Dallas will receive a future draft pick for the 5-7, 155-pound Berthold...
John Berthold was only one of several Leopards who wore an NFL uniform during the '50's, '60's and '70's. It's no wonder many young Lindsay boys wanted to grow up to be a 'Leopard'. Another 'Oklahoman' article on October 9, 1965 - Lindsay Darts Past Anadarko:
ANADARKO -- Lindsay marched 62 yards to score with the opening kickoff and eventually defeated Anadarko, 14-6, Friday night. The touchdown came on a 27-yard pass from Gary Goodwin to Bill Cowan. Lindsay also scored on a sustained drive in the second period, 62 yards in eight plays. Ken Fleming got it on a two-yard dash.
It was the sturdy work of Fleming, who gained 147 yards, that set up both Lindsay scores. He carried for 27 yards in the first drive and was called on in six of the eight plays in the latter, one of them a 46-yard scamper...
From The Oklahoman, November 11, 1965:
Prep Parade by Ray Soldan
Lindsay credits the versatility of four-year letterman Gary Goodwin with pulling it through in the district 3-A showdown game with Pauls Valley last weekend. The 185-pound Goodwin played eight downs at quarterback in Lindsay's first eight games, spending most of his time at halfback and safety. With the Leopards' No. 1 signal caller Sammy Howard ailing, Goodwin quarterbacked every play in a 3-0 victory over Pauls Valley. Goodwin personally carried 22 times and picked up 70 yards. Seven of Lindsay's 15 first downs were achieved on crucial keeper plays by Goodwin.
In setting up the winning field goal by John Berthold, Goodwin guided the Leopards 62 yards following the second half kickoff to the Pauls Valley seven. Goodwin gained 47 of the yards and the drive consumed almost 10 minutes. With only 2:13 left in the third period Berthold toed through his third field goal of the year from 25 yards out...
The 1965 Leopards had ended with a respectable eight wins and only three losses and had an enviable 19-2 record for all playoff games since 1955. The 1966 Leopards were soon to come.
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