Before we begin our analysis of Leopard Legends 1970 (as it's extremely long), we thought it would be a good idea to explain what we intend to do with these analyses of Lindsay Leopard football teams. We will construct a 16 team playoff bracket for Leopard teams from 1955 through 1980. The Lindsay football teams will be seeded one through 16, as the top four seeds will be the championship teams from 1955, 1958, 1962 or 1963. The next four seeds will be the Leopard teams which were ranked No. 1 in the state at the end of the regular season, or made the state finals. The remaining eight teams will be seeded according to their final season record and according to the strength of schedule. For instance, a team which finished the regular season, 9-1, but did not make the playoffs due to being defeated by a district opponent, would be seeded in the top sixteen somewhere. It would naturally be seeded higher than another team which finished the regular season with an identical record (9-1), if it had a higher "strength of schedule" rating. The "strength of schedule" rating would be determined by the final season record of the team which handed the Leopards the "one loss". The author of these blog articles will seed the Lindsay Leopard teams, but Lindsay readers will be able to determine the winners of each game by voting each virtual game, anonymously of course.
For instance, the first game considered by Leopard fans and readers (even if not a Leopard fan), will be the top seed vs. the 16 seed. The second game considered will be the second seed vs. the 15 seed, and so on. Eight first round games will be played virtually, so please consider all previous articles detailing the strengths of each team, before voting. Four second round games will be considered virtually, two third round games and one final game for the Lindsay Leopard championship. This will be fun for all former Leopards, especially if you've read all previous posts. You may even consider facts not provided in the articles, in voting for the winner of each game. This will truly be the readers' opinion of which Leopard team was the greatest ever, so please "vote" when you have the opportunity.
Friday, April 17, 2020
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Leopard Legends of the Fall 1969
The first game of the 1969 season saw Purcell end Lindsay's dominance over the Dragons by beating the Leopards 19-0. This loss was followed by Ada winning over Lindsay, 28-6, followed with a 62-7 victory over Crooked Oak. In the fourth game of the season, Marlow beat Lindsay, 22-21, but the fifth game saw Lindsay bounce back with a 24-0 victory over Anadarko. Yukon, still in Class A, beat Lindsay, 18-13; Lindsay beat Sulphur, 49-14; El Reno squeaked by the Leopards, 8-0; Lindsay beat Pauls Valley yet again, 21-7, and Wynnewood beat the Leopards, 13-6, to end the regular season with four wins and six losses.
The Leopards made the state playoffs, however, by beating district foes Crooked Oak and Pauls Valley (three District A-3 teams), and was to face the Yukon Millers in the state Class A Quarterfinals. Remember, Lindsay had already been beaten by Yukon, 18-13, in the sixth game of the year, but the Millers were in a different district when they first met.
On November 23, 1969, one day after playing the Yukon Millers in the Quarterfinals, The Oklahoman reported:
Yukon Ties Lindsay, Gains Semis
Millers Score On Final Play
LINDSAY -- In one of the wildest finishes ever seen on a prep football field in many a moon, Yukon scored on the final play to tie Lindsay, 14-14, Friday night and advance to the semifinals of the Class A state playoffs. The teams finished with three penetrations each, but Yukon had a 16-12 edge in first downs to remain alive for the championship.
Lindsay had apparently scored the winning touchdown with 3:07 left when Mike Terry bolted in from two yards out and Doug Scribner kicked his second conversion to give the Leopards a 14-7 lead that looked awfully big to Yukon fans. But the Millers weren't through yet. After Donnie Givens returned the ensuing kickoff to the Yukon 35, the Millers took to the air, with quarterback Jim McGuire firing to Tim Wagner for 16, 13 and 12 yards, and to Givens for another 13 and a first down on the Leopard 11.
Givens smashed twice for seven and three yards and a first down on the one with 18 seconds left. With no time outs remaining, Yukon lined up quickly for its last ditch effort. Givens and McGuire failed to dent the savage Lindsay defense, but as the buzzer sounded the end of the game, Givens ricocheted around right end for the touchdown. Jim Canaday split the upright for the second time to keep the count at 14-14.
It was a bruising defensive battle from the opening kickoff with neither team giving ground. For Yukon, Danny Warwick, Kevin New, Bill Pool and Givens were a constant detriment to Leopard ball carriers.
Lindsay's defense with Steve Allen, Gary Cooper, Mike Flesher and Mark Loman leading the way, kept the Millers from putting together long marches with the exception of a long scoring drive late in the third period and the last one.
Lindsay drove 53 yards in seven plays late in the second quarter with Terry going in from the two for the only score in the first half. Yukon tried a field goal with 20 seconds left in the first half with a first-and-ten from the 11, but Terry broke through to block it...
The '69 Leopards finished the season with four wins, six losses and one tie, but many of its starters were underclassmen, so would probably improve their record for the 1970 season.
Next up - Leopard Legends of the Fall 1970...
The Leopards made the state playoffs, however, by beating district foes Crooked Oak and Pauls Valley (three District A-3 teams), and was to face the Yukon Millers in the state Class A Quarterfinals. Remember, Lindsay had already been beaten by Yukon, 18-13, in the sixth game of the year, but the Millers were in a different district when they first met.
On November 23, 1969, one day after playing the Yukon Millers in the Quarterfinals, The Oklahoman reported:
Yukon Ties Lindsay, Gains Semis
Millers Score On Final Play
LINDSAY -- In one of the wildest finishes ever seen on a prep football field in many a moon, Yukon scored on the final play to tie Lindsay, 14-14, Friday night and advance to the semifinals of the Class A state playoffs. The teams finished with three penetrations each, but Yukon had a 16-12 edge in first downs to remain alive for the championship.
Lindsay had apparently scored the winning touchdown with 3:07 left when Mike Terry bolted in from two yards out and Doug Scribner kicked his second conversion to give the Leopards a 14-7 lead that looked awfully big to Yukon fans. But the Millers weren't through yet. After Donnie Givens returned the ensuing kickoff to the Yukon 35, the Millers took to the air, with quarterback Jim McGuire firing to Tim Wagner for 16, 13 and 12 yards, and to Givens for another 13 and a first down on the Leopard 11.
Givens smashed twice for seven and three yards and a first down on the one with 18 seconds left. With no time outs remaining, Yukon lined up quickly for its last ditch effort. Givens and McGuire failed to dent the savage Lindsay defense, but as the buzzer sounded the end of the game, Givens ricocheted around right end for the touchdown. Jim Canaday split the upright for the second time to keep the count at 14-14.
It was a bruising defensive battle from the opening kickoff with neither team giving ground. For Yukon, Danny Warwick, Kevin New, Bill Pool and Givens were a constant detriment to Leopard ball carriers.
Lindsay's defense with Steve Allen, Gary Cooper, Mike Flesher and Mark Loman leading the way, kept the Millers from putting together long marches with the exception of a long scoring drive late in the third period and the last one.
Lindsay drove 53 yards in seven plays late in the second quarter with Terry going in from the two for the only score in the first half. Yukon tried a field goal with 20 seconds left in the first half with a first-and-ten from the 11, but Terry broke through to block it...
The '69 Leopards finished the season with four wins, six losses and one tie, but many of its starters were underclassmen, so would probably improve their record for the 1970 season.
Next up - Leopard Legends of the Fall 1970...
Friday, April 10, 2020
Leopard Legends of Fall 1968
The 1967 Lindsay season ended with a loss to Clinton, 35-7, and may have been the only time in its storied history the Leopards played who was arguably the best high school football team in the nation. The 1968 season (Joe Tunnel's second year) began the way many other Leopard seasons had begun - by blanking Purcell, 14-0. Lindsay faced powerful Ada in the second game of the year and Lynn Garnand of The Oklahoman on September 17, 1968, reported:
Lindsay Entertains Ada in No. 1 Battle
... the No. 1 game of the week will involve a power struggle between two top rivals when Ada invades Lindsay Friday night.
Ada moved to the top of the Class AA rankings with a come-from-behind 8-7 victory over Boomer Conference powerhouse Norman. Lindsay opened its season with a typically steady 14-0 triumph over Purcell, which earned the Leopards a No. 5 slot on the Class A chart.
Ada wound up beating Lindsay, 14-0. The Leopards then played District A-3 opponent Crooked Oak for the 3rd game and The Oklahoman reported on September 29:
Dodd Paces 42-6 rout: Lindsay Fells Oak
With a blocked punt in the first two minutes setting the tempo Friday night, a football machine called the Lindsay Leopards steamrolled over the Crooked Oak Rufnex, 42-6. Roger Ford launched the Leopard attack by blocking a punt at the Crooked Oak 18 and the 160-pound end rambled into the end zone before some of the fans had taken their seats.
For the rest of the half it was big Steve Dodd doing most of the damage to the Rufnex defense by punching across for three touchdowns. The Leopards led 28-0 at halftime.
Dodd, a 195-pound fullback, crashed through huge holes in the line to rack up most of the yardage for the Lindsay team, while a stingy Leopard defense stopped the Rufnex cold for three quarters. The Leopard quarterback, Haynes Smith, fed the ball to Dodd, Randy Eldridge and Bud McGuire during the team's marches down the field.
Tackle Danny Thornton and guard Jeff Newby were a pair of defensive standouts for the Leopards...
This was Lindsay's second win of the season, after a loss to Ada, 14-0, last week and a victory over Purcell two weeks ago.
Lindsay handled Marlow, 19-0; Anadarko, 35-0; Yukon, 29-0 and Sulphur, 24-13, before playing El Reno in the eighth game of the year. The Oklahoman reported on November 2, 1968:
2-Point Play Lifts El Reno Past Lindsay
LINDSAY --- El Reno gambled on a two-point pass play on the conversion and made it Friday night to post an 8-7 victory over Lindsay in a tight defensive game. The clubs played a scoreless first half with the hosts taking a 7-0 lead in the third period after a short El Reno punt put the Leopards in business only 47 yards from the goal.
With Steve Dodd carrying six straight times, Lindsay broke into the scoring column on a one yard plunge. Roger Ford's kick made it 7-0.
El Reno took over on downs late in the third quarter and drove the remaining 54 yards in eight plays (to score). Quarterback Charles Peterson found Stan Graves open for the two-point conversion and the victory.
The Leopards drove to El Reno's 13 with four minutes remaining before being held and were on the Indians' 25 as time expired.
Lindsay beat Pauls Valley, 14-12, in the season's ninth game and The Oklahoman reported on November 9, 1968:
Lindsay Keeps District Title
LINDSAY -- The Lindsay Leopards are 3-A champions for the second straight year - but only by the narrowest of margins. Pauls Valley shoved across a touchdown with barely over four minutes remaining Friday night but failed on the conversion pass, allowing Lindsay to escape with a 14-12 triumph.
The conversion pass was completed, but the receiver was out of the end zone. Steve Dodd was the night's top performer, picking up 151 yards on 36 carries for the Leopards.
For the season's last regular season game, Lindsay beat Wynnewood, 29-0, and went on to defeat Yukon, 21-0, in the state Class A Quarterfinals. In the state Class A semi-finals, Lindsay was to play a familiar foe -- the Clinton Red Tornadoes, at Lindsay. I remember seeing the Red Tornadoes take the field for pre-game warm-ups in their familiar white uniforms trimmed in yellow and maroon. Clinton had many players back from that 1967 mythical national championship team, including James Williams, a fullback who would later go on to play for O.S.U. I seem to remember Williams wore the number 24 on his game jersey, but maybe not, since my memory is getting foggier with age. Not returning from the '67 team was Roy Bell, now a freshman at the University of Oklahoma, so I figured our Leopards may stand a chance of winning this game.
On December 8, 1968, one day after the game - Henry Hawkins, Staff Writer for The Oklahoman reported:
CLINTON ROLLS TO FINALS
LINDSAY -- Doing most of its traveling by land, Clinton extended its winning streak -- the state's longest -- to 25 games and moved into the finals of the Class A state playoffs with a 24-0 victory over Lindsay Friday night.
James Williams, who stepped off 287 yards in 36 rushes, scored the first two Clinton touchdowns from eight and six yards out, and quarterback Larry Colberty got the third on a 14-yard jaunt. Colbert ran for the extra points after the first two scores and tossed a pass to Eugene Jefferson for the third conversion.
Lindsay, which finished the regular season ranked second in Class A, closed out the year with a 9-3 record, while top-ranked and defending champion Clinton won its 12th game of the season...
Dodd was Lindsay's leading rusher, gaining 60 yards on 27 carries before being shaken up 3:25 before the end. He also turned in an outstanding game defensively and punted eight times for 257 yards, an average of 32...
So, my heart was broken again by the Clinton Red Tornadoes -- they were just too strong. I was in sixth grade at Lindsay Elementary and had just completed my second pee-wee football season. One of my team-mates and best friend that year was Roger Dodd, Steve Dodd's younger brother. I was very proud to have a friend with a big brother, Leopard star. I thought it was probably the closest I would ever get to a true "football hero".
Roger passed away suddenly in his home in Lindsay on October 16, 2016. It was one of the saddest days in my life...
Next article: Leopard Legends of 1969
Lindsay Entertains Ada in No. 1 Battle
... the No. 1 game of the week will involve a power struggle between two top rivals when Ada invades Lindsay Friday night.
Ada moved to the top of the Class AA rankings with a come-from-behind 8-7 victory over Boomer Conference powerhouse Norman. Lindsay opened its season with a typically steady 14-0 triumph over Purcell, which earned the Leopards a No. 5 slot on the Class A chart.
Ada wound up beating Lindsay, 14-0. The Leopards then played District A-3 opponent Crooked Oak for the 3rd game and The Oklahoman reported on September 29:
Dodd Paces 42-6 rout: Lindsay Fells Oak
With a blocked punt in the first two minutes setting the tempo Friday night, a football machine called the Lindsay Leopards steamrolled over the Crooked Oak Rufnex, 42-6. Roger Ford launched the Leopard attack by blocking a punt at the Crooked Oak 18 and the 160-pound end rambled into the end zone before some of the fans had taken their seats.
For the rest of the half it was big Steve Dodd doing most of the damage to the Rufnex defense by punching across for three touchdowns. The Leopards led 28-0 at halftime.
Dodd, a 195-pound fullback, crashed through huge holes in the line to rack up most of the yardage for the Lindsay team, while a stingy Leopard defense stopped the Rufnex cold for three quarters. The Leopard quarterback, Haynes Smith, fed the ball to Dodd, Randy Eldridge and Bud McGuire during the team's marches down the field.
Tackle Danny Thornton and guard Jeff Newby were a pair of defensive standouts for the Leopards...
This was Lindsay's second win of the season, after a loss to Ada, 14-0, last week and a victory over Purcell two weeks ago.
Lindsay handled Marlow, 19-0; Anadarko, 35-0; Yukon, 29-0 and Sulphur, 24-13, before playing El Reno in the eighth game of the year. The Oklahoman reported on November 2, 1968:
2-Point Play Lifts El Reno Past Lindsay
LINDSAY --- El Reno gambled on a two-point pass play on the conversion and made it Friday night to post an 8-7 victory over Lindsay in a tight defensive game. The clubs played a scoreless first half with the hosts taking a 7-0 lead in the third period after a short El Reno punt put the Leopards in business only 47 yards from the goal.
With Steve Dodd carrying six straight times, Lindsay broke into the scoring column on a one yard plunge. Roger Ford's kick made it 7-0.
El Reno took over on downs late in the third quarter and drove the remaining 54 yards in eight plays (to score). Quarterback Charles Peterson found Stan Graves open for the two-point conversion and the victory.
The Leopards drove to El Reno's 13 with four minutes remaining before being held and were on the Indians' 25 as time expired.
Lindsay beat Pauls Valley, 14-12, in the season's ninth game and The Oklahoman reported on November 9, 1968:
Lindsay Keeps District Title
LINDSAY -- The Lindsay Leopards are 3-A champions for the second straight year - but only by the narrowest of margins. Pauls Valley shoved across a touchdown with barely over four minutes remaining Friday night but failed on the conversion pass, allowing Lindsay to escape with a 14-12 triumph.
The conversion pass was completed, but the receiver was out of the end zone. Steve Dodd was the night's top performer, picking up 151 yards on 36 carries for the Leopards.
For the season's last regular season game, Lindsay beat Wynnewood, 29-0, and went on to defeat Yukon, 21-0, in the state Class A Quarterfinals. In the state Class A semi-finals, Lindsay was to play a familiar foe -- the Clinton Red Tornadoes, at Lindsay. I remember seeing the Red Tornadoes take the field for pre-game warm-ups in their familiar white uniforms trimmed in yellow and maroon. Clinton had many players back from that 1967 mythical national championship team, including James Williams, a fullback who would later go on to play for O.S.U. I seem to remember Williams wore the number 24 on his game jersey, but maybe not, since my memory is getting foggier with age. Not returning from the '67 team was Roy Bell, now a freshman at the University of Oklahoma, so I figured our Leopards may stand a chance of winning this game.
On December 8, 1968, one day after the game - Henry Hawkins, Staff Writer for The Oklahoman reported:
CLINTON ROLLS TO FINALS
LINDSAY -- Doing most of its traveling by land, Clinton extended its winning streak -- the state's longest -- to 25 games and moved into the finals of the Class A state playoffs with a 24-0 victory over Lindsay Friday night.
James Williams, who stepped off 287 yards in 36 rushes, scored the first two Clinton touchdowns from eight and six yards out, and quarterback Larry Colberty got the third on a 14-yard jaunt. Colbert ran for the extra points after the first two scores and tossed a pass to Eugene Jefferson for the third conversion.
Lindsay, which finished the regular season ranked second in Class A, closed out the year with a 9-3 record, while top-ranked and defending champion Clinton won its 12th game of the season...
Dodd was Lindsay's leading rusher, gaining 60 yards on 27 carries before being shaken up 3:25 before the end. He also turned in an outstanding game defensively and punted eight times for 257 yards, an average of 32...
So, my heart was broken again by the Clinton Red Tornadoes -- they were just too strong. I was in sixth grade at Lindsay Elementary and had just completed my second pee-wee football season. One of my team-mates and best friend that year was Roger Dodd, Steve Dodd's younger brother. I was very proud to have a friend with a big brother, Leopard star. I thought it was probably the closest I would ever get to a true "football hero".
Roger passed away suddenly in his home in Lindsay on October 16, 2016. It was one of the saddest days in my life...
Next article: Leopard Legends of 1969
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