Leopard Legends of the Fall 1970

   Lindsay, in 1970, was returning many starters from the 1969 Leopard football team which finished with four wins, six losses and one tie. The question was: Even with the Leopards returning many starters from the 1969 club, how could Lindsay expect a better 1970 season - since they experienced a less than stellar record in 1969? The Leopards would soon 'answer the bell', and in a big way.
   The Lindsay Leopards began the 1970 season by shutting out Purcell, 34-0; Yukon, 30-0; and Crooked Oak, 47-0, before facing Marlow (an old rival) in the fourth game of the year.
   On September 26, 1970, a few days after Lindsay beat Crooked Oak, an article in The Oklahoman reported:
                                                       Lindsay Fells Crooked Oak

   Lindsay's Mike Terry carried the ball four times for 128 yards and three touchdowns to trigger the Leopards to a 47-0 trouncing of Crooked Oak Friday night. Terry darted 56 and 47 yards to touchdowns in the opening quarter and eight yards to a second-quarter tally. Bud McGuire ran 13 yards to another first-period touchdown and Billy Welsh scored on a four-yard run in the second stanza as the Leopards slashed to a 34-0 advantage at halftime.
   Johnny Branch ran 31 and seven yards to touchdowns in the third period for the final reading and Lindsay's alternate unit played the entire fourth quarter. Crooked Oak could get no closer than the Lindsay 40.

   I was an eighth grade student during the 1970 Leopard season at Lindsay Junior High, and three things were very clear after that third game:
1) The Leopards had a very fast and elusive tailback, Mike Terry, which was different than the big and strong, but not necessarily speedy tailbacks from previous years. This added a dimension to the Leopards which they had not previously enjoyed.
2) As evidenced from the article above, Joe Tunnel had also begun to spread out the ball-carrying chores, with several runners shouldering the load. This dimension was also different from seasons past in which one tailback may carry 25 to 35 times in a game.
3) The Leopards evidently had a smothering defense, as they had shut-out their first three opponents by a combined score of 111-0.
   The 1970 Lindsay Leopards were to play Marlow for the fourth game. The coaching staff for Lindsay now included Head Coach Joe Tunnel, and assistants S.J. Foster, H.O. Estes (from the 1955 and 1958 championship teams), Charley Heatly (famed Leopardette basketball coach which had won the 1968 state title) and R.V. Hayden, who would also win the 1973 Class 2A baseball championship. (It was unclear what the assistants' first name initials stood for, so students and players were free to guess.)
   Lindsay Junior High students did not see many of the High School students very often, if ever, since the Junior High hallway ran east and west on the south side of the the School, while the High School hallway ran parallel on the north side. Junior High students were forbidden from entering the High School hallway unless having a class close by. The rare glimpse of one of my Leopard heroes or one of the High School Leopardettes was something I remembered.
   Before playing Marlow in the season's fourth game, Tony Henson (my cousin and Leopard underclassman) told me that Coach Foster had told the team that Marlow would probably end their shut-out streak at three. It was a motivational technique often employed by coaches. Lindsay wound up beating Marlow, 35-0, for their fourth consecutive shut-out. The Leopards then beat Dunjee (which consolidated with Star Spencer a few years later), 57-6; Comanche, 49-12; El Reno, 28-6; Western Heights, 43-6; Pauls Valley, 43-14, and Wynnewood, 56-0, to finish the regular season with 10 wins and no losses. They had compiled 422 points (six touchdowns per game) while holding the opposition to only 44 during the entire regular season, and were to play Wewoka in the state Class 2A Quarterfinals. I had attended every "home" game that year and several "away" games. My closest encounter with Coach Joe Tunnel during my eighth grade year, was when I was walking down the north-south hallway during lunch hour. To pass time after eating lunch we (junior high students) could walk circles down the hall from south to north, exiting on the north end (where we may see a High School Leopard or Leopardette), turn left and walk back to the south end of the school to complete the endless circle, until the bell rang, signaling the start of fourth period. Coach Tunnel was on hall duty one day, and as I passed him with one of my friends (not a girl, LOL) - he said "Hey! I see that you caught a touchdown pass last night!" I didn't even know that Coach Tunnel knew who I was. I was an eighth grader who started on the Junior High (Cubs) team, sometimes, but it sure made me feel good knowing that the Leopard Head Coach had noticed. To me, Joe Tunnel was the Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys coach) of High School football.
   On November 16, 1970, after the regular football season ended, Lynn Garnand, The Oklahoman sports writer wrote:
                                              Lindsay Ends In No. 1 Spot

   As they have done all season long, Lindsay and Helena styand No. 1 in 2A and C, respectively, in The Daily Oklahoman's final high school football rankings of those classes. Both were pre-season favorites in their classes and both have swept aside all opposition with ease in strolling to unbeaten records during the regular season...
   Lindsay, which will face eighth-ranked Wewoka in the quarterfinal playoffs this week, has scored more points than any team in the state with the exception of Helena, which has to be considered in another category because it competes in eight-man ball.
   The Leopards have scored at least four touchdowns in every game, their closest "call" being a 28-6 decision over El Reno...
   
   The week after playing Wewoka, The Daily Oklahoman sports headline read:

                                                Lindsay Rolls Over Wewoka

   WEWOKA -- Top-ranked Lindsay looked like it here Friday night, walloping Wewoka, 26-6, in the opening round of the state Class 2A high school football playoffs. You might say the home-standing Tigers were Terry-fied.
   Senior halfback Mike Terry, running straight at the smaller Wewoka line, scored two touchdowns and rambled for 129 yards in 24 carries, easily tops in the contest. Terry, who weighs only 176, also set up the Leopards first two touchdowns with lengthy punt returns. He tallied the first touchdown himself.
   Lindsay's defense had its terrifying points too. Led by Mark Loman, Scott Rose, Mike Flesher and Bud McGuire, the defenders kept Wewoka bottled up most of the night...
   The Leopards, who ran their unbeaten streak to 11, made few mistakes, and stayed almost exclusively on the ground in handing Wewoka its fourth setback in 10 games. Both teams started cautiously before Lindsay found the right combination twice in the second quarter to lead, 13-0, at intermission. Terry raced 40 yards with a Wewoka punt near the end of the first quarter, setting Lindsay up in business on the Tiger 10. Terry scored three plays later from the three and McGuire's kick was perfect for a 7-0 Lindsay lead 11:56 before halftime.
   The halfback speedster was at it again late in the quarter, running 17 yards with a Wewoka punt to the Tiger 34. The Leopards scored in seven plays, halfback Rose loping across from the 14.
   Smith's touchdown gallup following a Lindsay fumble on its own 32 gave the partisan (Tiger) crowd of 3,400 a glimmer of hope at 13-6, with 7:15 left in the third period. But the Leopards, calling on a 29-yard pass play from quarterback Tony Cruse to Terry, marched 64 yards in 11 plays to take a 19-6 lead as the quarter ended. McGuire slanted four yards off left tackle for the touchdown and a two-point conversion attempt through the air failed.
   Rose picked off a Wewoka pass and returned 22 yards to the Tiger 15 to set up the final Lindsay touchdown. The Leopards scored in four plays, Terry running up the middle from the three.

   The state Class 2A semifinals pitted the Lindsay Leopards against the Watonga Eagles. On November 28, 1970, two days after the semi-final game, Gary Willis of The Daily Oklahoman reported:
                                               Lindsay Controls Watonga

   Lindsay -- Now unbeaten in 12 games, Lindsay's Leopards played ball control and took advantage of Watonga's keying on Mike Terry for a 22-6 Class 2A semifinal victory Friday night. Watonga's Eagles held Terry to 89 yards on 30 carries, but the strategy backfired as two other Leopards gained 80-plus yards each.
   Lindsay ran 20 more plays from scrimmage than the Eagles did and the possessions played a major role in the victory that sends Lindsay into the state finals for their sixth shot at the title.
   The first quarter was the big one for the Leopards. The Lindsay defense held Watonga to nine plays from scrimmage for no first downs while the Leopard offense scored once on Terry's five-yard dive at the end of a 13-play, 63-yard drive. Bud McGuire kicked the extra point with 6:21 left in the opening period. It was Lindsay's first possession of the game.
   McGuire rushed for 45 yards on nine carries and the third member of the backfield, Johnny Branch, gained 88 yards on 10 carries. But Scott Rose, a junior halfback, added 83 yards in only five carries. Rose set up the final Lindsay touchdown on the first play of the third quarter.
   It didn't look like Lindsay needed that third touchdown since quarterback Tony Cruse scored toward the end of the first half on a one-yard sneak. Cruse's touchdown came at the end of another 13-play drive, this one going 76 yards and ending with 1:19 left in the second stanza. But Rose seemed determined to get Lindsay into a comfortable position. After the opening kickoff for the second half, he dashed 57 yards and put the Leopards in business on the Eagle seven. It took McGuire seven yards on a power play to stop the clock at 11:08 and close out Lindsay's scoring.
   Terry did just about everything in the game except rush for his customary 100 yards, but he caught the only pass that was completed, intercepted one pass and punted for position three times.He also fumbled on his own 25 and Bill Haley scooped up the ball and dashed into the end zone.
   From that time on, Watonga worried some Lindsay lookers-on, but the Eagle threats were held off by a stingy Leopard defense.

   It is about this time that my dad, who played for the Oklahoma A&M Aggies after graduating from Marlow, told me that Mike Terry is one of the best running backs he had ever seen. He had watched (not really, because he was now blind) Mike Terry play all season long, and it was his opinion that "Iron Mike" Terry was among the best. I believe that Mike Terry was given the nickname by the Golden Voice of the Golden Trend, Jerry Hinkle, who was the announcer for Leopard football home games.
   Since this is my article, I'll share some more personal observations of the 1970 Lindsay Leopards.
One thing I did notice about the 1970 Lindsay Leopards is that most of them had beautiful girlfriends.
While I did not see the players with their girlfriends very often, I did know that players such as Mark Loman, Mike Terry, Billy Welsh and many others, could always "get along with the beautiful girls". But in the opinion of an eighth grader at Lindsay Junior High - all of the Lindsay High School girls were beautiful.
   Lindsay beating Watonga in the state Class 2A semi-finals landed the Leopards in the championship game in Edmond at Central State University. I was very excited during the week leading up to the game, because my dad and mom were going to take Dana, Johnny and me to the game. I had attended all home games previous to the championship game, so this was the first game away from home that I would see. In my opinion, the 1970 Leopards rivaled the 1967 Clinton Red Tornadoes in talent. As a matter of fact, the 1967 Clinton Red Tornadoes, who was named the best high school football team in America, averaged 38.5 points per game while allowing 9.7 points per game during the regular season - while the 1970 Lindsay Leopards averaged 42.2 points per game offensively and allowed only 4.4.
   Most, if not all, Lindsay Leopard fans know what happened on that cold December evening in 1970, and do not want to re-live it, but for those who do not know - The Daily Oklahoman reported on December 5, 1970:
                                                Nowata Grabs First Crown

   EDMOND -- Lindsay's season-long top ranking and its perfect 12-0 record went up in smoke Friday night, and when the smoke cleared Nowata had claimed its first state championship in the Class 2A finals. The Leopards built up a 12-0 lead in the first quarter with the help of two Nowata fumbles but the Ironmen fought back for a 14-12 victory which went right down to the end of the wire.
   It was another great comeback for a Nowata team which started the season 0-2-1, but then streaked to 10 in a row and turned their No. 9 ranking into the 2A crown.
   Mike Terry scored both Lindsay touchdowns, ending a 13 play 50-yard surge and a three-play, 30-yard foray on touchdowns of three and 20 yards. Bud McGuire, who at one time during the regular season kicked 33 consecutive extra points, missed on both occasions and in the first half on two medium range field goal tries.
   It was Nowata's turn in the second half with 230-pound senior defensive tackle Justin Pugh recovering a fumble on Lindsay's 34. Five plays later the Ironmen had a first and goal at Lindsay's nine yard line. Tom Dennis burst through the line for three yards and Scott Rose tossed Rick Reid for a three yard loss. But Dee Paige hit Bruce Campbell in the end zone for Nowata's first tally. And the Ironmen, despite being on the low end of the statistical board, were right back in the thick of things when Ivan Walker booted the extra point.
   That brought Nowata's defense to life with Pugh, Ken Griffin, and Campbell allowing Lindsay just two yards on its next possession and Mike Terry was able to get off only a 19-yard punt into a strong southerly wind. Paige hit Campbell again for nine yards to Lindsay's 42 and Dennis picked up four before Terry Henry tossed Walker for a two-yard loss. But Paige, a south-paw senior, spotted Rick Reid racing toward the end zone and completed a 40-yard toss.Walkers second boot made it 14-12 with 4:46 left in the third period.
   Lindsay was to get in Nowata territory three more times, punting from the 43, losing a fumble at the 26 and missing a first down by one yard at the six with 1:23 remaining. That last march started on the 50 and after eight plays the Leopards had a first and 10 on Nowata's 14.
   Terry, who bulled his way for 127 yards on 36 carries, picked up two and then three and, with 1:44 remaining, Lindsay called a time out. After time resumed Terry carried over right tackle for three more, setting up a fourth and two on the six, and another time out was called. Terry again hit the same spot but this time only got one yard and with 1:23 left Nowata had the football... and the rest is now history.

   It was the most painful loss I had encountered in high school football, and still is to this day. It brought back memories of the December 31, 1967, "Ice Bowl" (the temperature was 11 degrees below zero) NFL Championship Game in which my beloved Dallas Cowboys lost to the Green Bay Packers, 21-17, on the game's last play. I actually crawled under my bed so no one would see me, and wept. While I did not cry after the Leopards were defeated by Nowata in 1970, I was still in somewhat of a shock as time expired. Lindsay had more first downs, 15 to 9, and more yards rushing, 204 to 96 for Nowata, but you know what they say about statistics. As a matter of fact, S.J. Foster, an assistant coach at the time, would say a few years later after Lindsay had defeated a rival in a similar fashion - "I'd rather be lucky than good." When Coach Foster made that statement in 1974 following a win over Purcell, I did not know he was probably referring to the 1970 Leopards, but I really don't know. Coach Foster was very prophetic.
   While some arm-chair quarterbacks are good at second-guessing the play calling, I would have called it the same way as Coach Tunnel, as one should "dance with the one that brought you". My dad, however, said that if the Leopards had a good play-action pass - Quarterback Tony Cruse faking the blast to Terry, and hitting Billy Gibson streaking down the middle, they might have broken the defensive battle. Who really knows though.
   Since I was personally familiar with some of the 1970 Leopards (I was not friends with any of them, except for maybe Billy Gibson, who would take me for occasional rides around the school in his car, getting me out of circling the school on foot. I felt like I was truly a "leopard", as my eighth grade friends watched from the front steps.) I thought I would share some things about where they are now. In my observations of the 1970 Leopards and even the Leopard teams prior to 1970, it was certainly true that "You gotta be a football hero to get along with the beautiful girls." In my mind, there has never been an exception to the rule.
   I believe the 1970 Leopards may have been one of the top teams ever fielded by Lindsay, if not the No. 1 Leopard team of all time. We may only seed it fifth, however, because there are four state championship squads that will be seeded one through four in our 16-team playoff at the end of this series. The fifth seed will be playing a still undermined 12th seed in the first round. Since I believe the 1970 team was among the best, and since I personally know or knew of many players from that '70 squad, I thought it would be a good idea for our readers to know what many are doing today. While some weren't mentioned in the articles quoted above, what follows is a listing of some of these players, where they are today and what they did following high school:

Billy Gibson, wide receiver, was one of my closest high school friends from that 1970 Leopard football team. He signed with Panhandle State University to play football in 1971, and later worked in the oil and gas industry. Billy passed away in 2013 at the age of 60.

Larry Edzards, quarterback, graduated from the University of Oklahoma and entered the banking business after college.

Terry Henry, a great defensive end on the 1970 team, still lives in the Lindsay area.

Johnny Branch, fullback, signed with Northern Junior College in 1971 to play baseball. He excelled in three-sports while in high school including basketball. After finishing college at Central State University in Edmond, Johnny coached basketball for a few years (including Blanchard, where I now work). He then became a businessman in Lindsay, where he later served as mayor.

Danny Simonton, guard, married the former Eileen Barker and worked in the oilfields of north Texas for several years until retiring. Danny and Eileen (a Leopardette) own the Silver Orchid in Lindsay where they still live.

Bud McGuire, halfback, signed to play football at East Central University in Ada. He is now retired and living in Sulphur, Louisiana. I remember Bud's girlfriend while at Lindsay High School was the former Karen Cunningham, another Leopardette.

Danny Cunningham, offensive and defensive lineman, was listed on the 1970 Oklahoma Journal All-State team, and married Karen Troxell, a Leopardette beauty in my eighth-grade opinion.

Gary Cooper, center and defensive lineman, signed with Oklahoma State University in 1971 to play football, before finishing college at East Central University. Gary was one of those giant Leopard linemen to go on and play at the next level. He later retired from Fleming Foods and currently lives in Texas.

Mark Loman, standing 6'7" and weighing about 230, was another giant Leopard who excelled in both football and basketball. He was listed on the Oklahoma Journal All-State football team and on the Daily Oklahoman All-State basketball team. He married the former Tonya Hopkins (a Leopardette basketball All-Stater), and retired from the oil industry in the early 2000's. Sadly, Mark passed away in March, 2019, at the age of 66.

Mike Flesher, another Leopard football giant tackle, was listed on the South All-State team by the Daily Oklahoman and Tulsa World. He signed with the University of Arkansas to play football in 1971. Mike suffered a career-ending injury in a scrimmage that year and worked at Michelin Manufacturing in Ardmore until retiring.

Billy Welsh, running back, became a very talented musician after high school, as he belonged to several bands with many friends. Billy was voted "Best Looking" by his high school class mates during his senior year along with Kathy Cornforth. Billy tragically died in an auto accident in May, 2014, when returning from work at Chickasha. He was only 61.

Mike Terry, tailback, was listed in both the Daily Oklahoman and Tulsa World All-State teams in 1971 and signed to play football for OSU. Mike later signed as a free agent to play for the Denver Broncos of the NFL. He married the former Mitzi Baker, a Leopardette basketball All-Stater, and coached high school football for 36 years until retiring a few years ago. Mike was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Hall of Fame in 2011.
   Another little known fact about Mike Terry is that he is the first cousin to Roy Bash, Iowa quarterback during the early 1970's. An article in The New York Times on November 22, 1970 detailed: Roy Bash, a quarterback who riddled the Illini secondary for 159 yards, scored two touchdowns on 1-yard plunges. He passed 5 yards to Kerry Reardon for a third. Bash, who completed 11 of 13 passes, also set up his touchdown pass to Reardon in the second quarter with a 64-yard pass play that carried Iowa from its 30 to the Illinois 6-yard line...
   It's no small wonder that Mike Terry had so much talent, as it ran in the family. I was an eighth grader in 1970 and wanted to be like "Iron Mike" Terry when I got to high school. I was only dreaming, however, because not many could be the kind of football player Mike Terry was.

The juniors from the 1970 Leopards:

Kyle Lackey,linebacker, made the 1971 South All-State team and signed to play football at OSU in 1972, as he was only a junior on that 1970 team. He married the former L'Ann Tate and finished his football career at Northeastern Oklahoma State University. Kyle worked in the oil industry and even officiated high school football games for many years (and still does, I believe). He and L'Ann currently live at Lake Arbuckle. I heard a story about Kyle Lackey while he was at OSU and I was a junior at LHS - It seems that Kyle, while on the freshmen team for the Cowboys in 1972, was holding a blocking dummy at defensive end for the OSU offensive starters. The Cowboy offense was practicing the option play, in which the quarterback would sprint down the line with the ball, and option the defensive end by either pitching the ball to a trailing running back, or keeping the ball. The defensive end's job was to always hit the quarterback, whether he pitched it or not. Kyle Lackey, with the blocking dummy, was supposed to only feign a hit with the dummy, so the starting quarterback, played by Brent Blackman (I believe) would not be injured. After several times of running and rerunning the play, Kyle Lackey began to be a little frustrated at seeing the quarterback just run free, without being truly hit. As the Cowboy offense began to run the play for the fourth or fifth time, Kyle suddenly tossed the blocking dummy out of harms way - and planted Brent Blackman in the turf. He did this so that the quarterback had plenty of time to see the dummy being tossed aside and perhaps pitch the ball instead of keeping it. In the opinion of many onlookers, the quarterback got what he deserved.
   Kyle Lackey was maybe the most intense Leopard ever, as a linebacker, so it's no wonder the coaching staff referred to Kyle as "Mad Dog" Lackey.

Doug Baker, defensive end, attended college at Central State University in Edmond, majoring in business. He married the former Billie Lynch, another Leopardette beauty, and continue to live in Edmond.

Tony Cruse, quarterback, signed to play football at Central State University and later entered medical school and became an orthopedic surgeon. Tony was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Hall of Fame for his contributions to high school sports in Oklahoma.

Brent Clements, offensive and defensive line, signed with Southern Methodist University to play football in 1972, and finished at East Central University in Ada, majoring in education administration. He married the former Donna Edwards of Lindsay, another Leopardette. Brent later became a school administrator and retired after many years.

Scott Rose, tailback, attended Central State University (now UCO) and now works at McBride Bone and Joint Medical Center in OKC. Scott was one more in a long line of great Lindsay tailbacks, both before and after Mike Terry.

Randy Noe, quarterback, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1976, and continued to live in the Norman area for many years. Randy's claim to fame for the 1970 football Leopards was, in fact, during the Leopard basketball season - At the end of the pre-game warm ups, the basketball team would line up in a football formation with Randy Noe playing quarterback. Randy would take the snap from center, and hit Mark Loman (the split end) with a pass above the rim. Mark would simply drop the basketball in, not dunking, as it was against the rules to dunk the basketball back then. Randy died in his sleep on January 21, 2012, at the age of 58.   

   While these are not the only 1970 Leopard Legends from that team, these are the ones I know about. If anyone can provide more information on any of the juniors and seniors not listed, please pm me with your comments.