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.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Leopard Legends of the Fall 1964
The Lindsay Leopards of 1964 started the season the usual way by blanking Purcell 27-0, Ardmore Douglass 40-0 and beating Crooked Oak 21-7, Marlow 29-7, Anadarko 28-13 and Yukon 21-0. The Leopards had now gone 34 games without losing, but all streaks must end at some point. The next game with Sulphur proved to be the streak-ender, as the Leopards lost to the Bulldogs 16-14. The 'injury bug' had affected the Leopards during the 1964 season, and was soon to play an even more prominent role before the season ended.
The eighth game saw the Leopards beat Carl Albert 21-0, Pauls Valley 10-6 and Wynnewood 7-6, for a 9-1 regular season record. Our Leopards then beat Perry 13 -12 in the state Quarterfinals, and were to face the Clinton Red Tornadoes in the state Semi-Finals.
The Lindsay Leopards had moved from Class B in 1963 to Class A for the 1964 season, so faced some teams they had not played before. Clinton was definitely a force to be reckoned with, as the Leopards would soon find out. Ray Soldan, staff writer for the Oklahoman, recounted on December 5, 1964:
Lindsay -- Two key pass interceptions helped Lindsay salvage a 12-12 tie with Clinton Friday night and the Leopards advanced to the state Class A football finals with a 4-2 edge in penetrations. (Remember the Leopard 1955 state champions which tied Newkirk 20-20 in the state Class B Semi-Finals, but won the penetration battle 3-2.)
The first interception came midway in the third quarter with the score deadlocked 6-6 and Clinton driving relentlessly. On a second and one play from the Lindsay 29, a pass by ju8nior quarterback John McMillan was picked off by rival signal caller Gary Goodwin on the Lindsay 15. Goodwin gave it a 46-yard return to the Clinton 39.
From that spot, the Leopards drove to the go-ahead touchdown in seven plays. Fullback Mike King rambled 30 yards to the one, but a motion penalty on the next down made the Lindsay task a little tough. On fourth down, King, needing a yard, appeared to be stopped with tacklers hitting him both high and low. King gave a final lurch and fell into the end zone for the 12-6 lead.
Lindsay tried to gain more of a cushion with nine minutes remaining when bare-footed kicking specialist John Berthold attempted a field goal from the Clinton 19. It was blocked by Bobby Price and Clinton took over on the 17.
The Red Tornadoes marched the 83 yards in 10 plays with McMillan hitting 6-7 end Melvin Bell with passes of 49 and 11 yards, the final one for the touchdown.
The scoring play occurred on fourth down and Bell was knocked to the ground at the line of scrimmage, but he recovered and hustled into the end zone to take a floater type pitch well above the outstretched arms of defenders.
Clinton elected to pass for the conversion which would have snapped the tie with 5:40 left. Bell, who caught five passes for 112 yards, was wide open in the corner of the end zone but the pass sailed well over his head.
Clinton promptly held Lindsay on downs and got the ball back with 3:33 remaining. After an incomplete pass, Lindsay's Danny Noles came up with the second crucial interception and the Leopards needed only to run out the clock to keep alive their record of having never lost a state playoff game.
The Oklahoman reported on December 9,1964, after the Clinton game - The Class A showdown between Lindsay and Holdenville will be played in Ada at 7:30 p.m.
Lindsay has skinned past Perry, 13-12, and Clinton on penetrations after a 12-12 tie to keep alive its record of having never lost a playoff game. The Leopards have won 16 and tied two while winning state Class B championships in 1955, 1958, 1962 and 1963 and reaching the present Class A finals...
As noted in the above article, Melvin Bell was a stand-out at Clinton during the '64 season. He had two younger brothers - Carlos and Roy, who would also star on the grid-iron for Clinton in later years. The trio of Bell brothers were among the greatest families ever to play high school football in Oklahoma during the 1960's. They were rivaled only by the Selman brothers - Lucious, Lee Roy and Dewey from Eufala, and the Estes brothers from Lindsay - Gene, Hodie, and Wayne of the 1950's.
So, the Lindsay Leopards played the Holdenville Wolverines for the Class A state title on December 11, 1964, in Ada. Wally Wallis, staff writer for The Oklahoman, recalled the game on Sunday, December 13:
ADA -- Holdenville defeated Lindsay, 14-0, before a crowd of 4,000 Friday night to win the state Class A high school football championship for the first time. Lindsay, winner of state championships in four previous appearances suffered its first loss in 19 playoff games.
Holdenville used a magnificent defense to throttle Lindsay's famed running attack. The Leopards never got closer than 33 yards to pay dirt and that came on their first possession...
Lindsay halfback Ken Fleming injured a leg so badly he was hospitalized. He was hurt on Lindsay's first possession, eight plays deep into the contest. Only a pair of pass interceptions by the Leopards during the first 13 minutes of the game and some magnificent punting by 138-pound Sammy Howard kept the Leopards in contention. Howard punted the Wolverines back to their own eight, three, 11, 15 and 14-yard lines on his first five kicks and wound up the game averaging 38 yards for a half-dozen boots.
Lindsay halfback Joe Sharp picked off a Stripling pass on the third play of the game to give the Leopards the ball on the Holdenville 49. In four plays the Leopards drove to a first down on the 33, but a 15-yard holding penalty stopped the drive and Howard opened his punting spectaculars with a kick which pinned the Wolverines back on the eight...
Holdenville's best advance of the first period was its own 36 and things got no better at the outset of the second period when tackle Danny Noles intercepted a deflected Stripling pass and got back to the Lindsay 46...
The Leopards had no excuses for losing the state title game, but long-time assistant coach Charlie Heatly said later that losing Ken Fleming to injury prevented Lindsay from winning their fifth state championship. Fleming was named to the south All-State squad in 1965, and went on to have a stellar college football career at Southern Methodist University.
An article in The Oklahoman dated December 26, 1968 - SMU Glad Fleming Strayed:
Oklahoma's only contribution to the SMU starting unit -- sophomore tight end Ken Fleming of Lindsay -- is a substantial one. The 6-1 198-pound Fleming, who red-shirted a year ago, is second only to All-American Jerry Levias in catching passes. And SMU lives, or dies, by the pass...
The Leopards' 10 seasons starting in 1955 and ending in 1964 ended with 98 wins and 17 losses, five state title appearances and four state championships. Leopard head coaches and their records for the first part of legends of the fall were Bill Vandiver (1946-1947) 4 wins-14 losses, Carl Dunaway (1948-1949) 11 wins-7 losses, Cleotis Beavers (1950) 4 wins-5 losses, Tom Turvey (1951-1956) 45 wins-15 losses, Lawton Carey (1957) 8 wins-2 losses, Vern Robertson (1958) 14 wins-0 losses and Bill Froman (1959-1964) 54 wins-14 losses.
This was dominance by any definition of the word, but many fans and high school sports experts believed the reign of the Leopard was beginning to end. It was only half-time for the legends of the fall though, and the second half was about to begin.
The eighth game saw the Leopards beat Carl Albert 21-0, Pauls Valley 10-6 and Wynnewood 7-6, for a 9-1 regular season record. Our Leopards then beat Perry 13 -12 in the state Quarterfinals, and were to face the Clinton Red Tornadoes in the state Semi-Finals.
The Lindsay Leopards had moved from Class B in 1963 to Class A for the 1964 season, so faced some teams they had not played before. Clinton was definitely a force to be reckoned with, as the Leopards would soon find out. Ray Soldan, staff writer for the Oklahoman, recounted on December 5, 1964:
Lindsay -- Two key pass interceptions helped Lindsay salvage a 12-12 tie with Clinton Friday night and the Leopards advanced to the state Class A football finals with a 4-2 edge in penetrations. (Remember the Leopard 1955 state champions which tied Newkirk 20-20 in the state Class B Semi-Finals, but won the penetration battle 3-2.)
The first interception came midway in the third quarter with the score deadlocked 6-6 and Clinton driving relentlessly. On a second and one play from the Lindsay 29, a pass by ju8nior quarterback John McMillan was picked off by rival signal caller Gary Goodwin on the Lindsay 15. Goodwin gave it a 46-yard return to the Clinton 39.
From that spot, the Leopards drove to the go-ahead touchdown in seven plays. Fullback Mike King rambled 30 yards to the one, but a motion penalty on the next down made the Lindsay task a little tough. On fourth down, King, needing a yard, appeared to be stopped with tacklers hitting him both high and low. King gave a final lurch and fell into the end zone for the 12-6 lead.
Lindsay tried to gain more of a cushion with nine minutes remaining when bare-footed kicking specialist John Berthold attempted a field goal from the Clinton 19. It was blocked by Bobby Price and Clinton took over on the 17.
The Red Tornadoes marched the 83 yards in 10 plays with McMillan hitting 6-7 end Melvin Bell with passes of 49 and 11 yards, the final one for the touchdown.
The scoring play occurred on fourth down and Bell was knocked to the ground at the line of scrimmage, but he recovered and hustled into the end zone to take a floater type pitch well above the outstretched arms of defenders.
Clinton elected to pass for the conversion which would have snapped the tie with 5:40 left. Bell, who caught five passes for 112 yards, was wide open in the corner of the end zone but the pass sailed well over his head.
Clinton promptly held Lindsay on downs and got the ball back with 3:33 remaining. After an incomplete pass, Lindsay's Danny Noles came up with the second crucial interception and the Leopards needed only to run out the clock to keep alive their record of having never lost a state playoff game.
The Oklahoman reported on December 9,1964, after the Clinton game - The Class A showdown between Lindsay and Holdenville will be played in Ada at 7:30 p.m.
Lindsay has skinned past Perry, 13-12, and Clinton on penetrations after a 12-12 tie to keep alive its record of having never lost a playoff game. The Leopards have won 16 and tied two while winning state Class B championships in 1955, 1958, 1962 and 1963 and reaching the present Class A finals...
As noted in the above article, Melvin Bell was a stand-out at Clinton during the '64 season. He had two younger brothers - Carlos and Roy, who would also star on the grid-iron for Clinton in later years. The trio of Bell brothers were among the greatest families ever to play high school football in Oklahoma during the 1960's. They were rivaled only by the Selman brothers - Lucious, Lee Roy and Dewey from Eufala, and the Estes brothers from Lindsay - Gene, Hodie, and Wayne of the 1950's.
So, the Lindsay Leopards played the Holdenville Wolverines for the Class A state title on December 11, 1964, in Ada. Wally Wallis, staff writer for The Oklahoman, recalled the game on Sunday, December 13:
ADA -- Holdenville defeated Lindsay, 14-0, before a crowd of 4,000 Friday night to win the state Class A high school football championship for the first time. Lindsay, winner of state championships in four previous appearances suffered its first loss in 19 playoff games.
Holdenville used a magnificent defense to throttle Lindsay's famed running attack. The Leopards never got closer than 33 yards to pay dirt and that came on their first possession...
Lindsay halfback Ken Fleming injured a leg so badly he was hospitalized. He was hurt on Lindsay's first possession, eight plays deep into the contest. Only a pair of pass interceptions by the Leopards during the first 13 minutes of the game and some magnificent punting by 138-pound Sammy Howard kept the Leopards in contention. Howard punted the Wolverines back to their own eight, three, 11, 15 and 14-yard lines on his first five kicks and wound up the game averaging 38 yards for a half-dozen boots.
Lindsay halfback Joe Sharp picked off a Stripling pass on the third play of the game to give the Leopards the ball on the Holdenville 49. In four plays the Leopards drove to a first down on the 33, but a 15-yard holding penalty stopped the drive and Howard opened his punting spectaculars with a kick which pinned the Wolverines back on the eight...
Holdenville's best advance of the first period was its own 36 and things got no better at the outset of the second period when tackle Danny Noles intercepted a deflected Stripling pass and got back to the Lindsay 46...
The Leopards had no excuses for losing the state title game, but long-time assistant coach Charlie Heatly said later that losing Ken Fleming to injury prevented Lindsay from winning their fifth state championship. Fleming was named to the south All-State squad in 1965, and went on to have a stellar college football career at Southern Methodist University.
An article in The Oklahoman dated December 26, 1968 - SMU Glad Fleming Strayed:
Oklahoma's only contribution to the SMU starting unit -- sophomore tight end Ken Fleming of Lindsay -- is a substantial one. The 6-1 198-pound Fleming, who red-shirted a year ago, is second only to All-American Jerry Levias in catching passes. And SMU lives, or dies, by the pass...
The Leopards' 10 seasons starting in 1955 and ending in 1964 ended with 98 wins and 17 losses, five state title appearances and four state championships. Leopard head coaches and their records for the first part of legends of the fall were Bill Vandiver (1946-1947) 4 wins-14 losses, Carl Dunaway (1948-1949) 11 wins-7 losses, Cleotis Beavers (1950) 4 wins-5 losses, Tom Turvey (1951-1956) 45 wins-15 losses, Lawton Carey (1957) 8 wins-2 losses, Vern Robertson (1958) 14 wins-0 losses and Bill Froman (1959-1964) 54 wins-14 losses.
This was dominance by any definition of the word, but many fans and high school sports experts believed the reign of the Leopard was beginning to end. It was only half-time for the legends of the fall though, and the second half was about to begin.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Lindsay Legends of the Fall 1963
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...
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...
Monday, February 10, 2020
Lindsay Legends of the Fall 1962
As mentioned in the Leopard Legends of 1958, a good team could lose only one or two games during the regular season and not make the playoffs. The Leopards ended the 1955 season
14-0 state champions - and 14-0 state champions of 1958, but the 1956 Leopards ended their season
9-1, losing only to Del City - and the 1957 Leopards lost only to Ardmore Douglass and Madill, ending at 8-2.
Following the 1958 state champion Lindsay Leopards, they finished 6-3-1 in 1959 - losing to Chickasha, Ardmore Douglass, and Pauls Valley - and tied Anadarko 8-8. The 1960 Leopards ended the regular season 2 wins with 7 losses, but the 1961 Leopards won 9 games and lost only 1 game to Wynnewood - a district game, so did not make the playoffs - but seasons were once again on the rise. Lindsay's head coach from 1959 through 1964 was Bill Froman and was assisted by Charlie Heatly, a well known Leopardette basketball coach and future high school basketball hall-of-fame inductee.
Although the Leopards only won two games during the 1960 season, it marked the debut of a freshman quarterback by the name of Jimmy Burgar. He was the quarterback for the junior high football team on Thursdays, the JV team on Mondays, and the high school varsity on Friday nights, so played in three games each week. This schedule obviously took a toll on the young quarterback, so began playing in only one game a week about halfway through the season. He led the Leopards to only one loss during his sophomore year as mentioned above, and then began the 1962 season.
The Lindsay Leopards began 1962 by shutting out Comanche 25-0, Pauls Valley 17-0, and Purcell 41-0, before ending in a tie with Marlow 6-6. They continued to run the slate, ending the regular season with a 9-0-1 record (unbeaten), and then the playoffs began.
During the first round of the playoffs, the Leopards squeaked by the Wilson Eagles 14-12. Ray Soldan of the Daily Oklahoman wrote (before the second round began):
"The game which most observers feel is the key one in the class B title picture unfolds Friday night with Marlow visiting Lindsay. Each has won 10 games, most of them easily. They battled to a 6-6 tie in a head-on collision in October during a heavy rain.
Marlow swept past Hobart easily 66-0, in its first playoff test. Lindsay ran into a group of fiercely - resisting Wilson Eagles and escaped with a 14-12 verdict..."
Lindsay did play Marlow again, meeting in the state quarterfinals, and Soldan recounted on December 2, 1962:
"The big game in class B was Lindsay's 14-8 decision over Marlow before a jammed crowd of over 6,000 at Lindsay. The two teams played to a 6-6 stand-off during the regular season and wound up tied atop the class B ratings.
Marlow scored the first time it had the ball for an 8-0 lead. Lindsay pulled even in the second quarter, then won on a 47-yard drive which concluded on a one-yard plunge by Jerry Gill with 9:08 left in the game."
The class B state semi-finals pitted the Leopards against the Choctaw Yellowjackets, at Choctaw. Ron Nance of the Oklahoman wrote on December 8, 1962, after the game:
"... the Leopards moved into the finals of the Class B state playoffs with a narrow 10-6 victory over the host Yellowjackets.
The hard-fought victory was credited to the toe of Lindsay's John Fine.
Fine converted after the opening Lindsay touchdown in the initial period and turned around in the next stanza to boot a 19 yard field goal...
Bill Froman's Lindsay team will shoot for the state crown next week against Wyandotte.
The Leopards boomed ahead with 7:12 left in the first period when speedy halfback Mike Stewart turned right end, shook off two Choctaw tacklers and rambled into the end zone to complete a 24 yard scoring play.
After an exchange of punts Lindsay got rolling again, taking possession at the Choctaw 43. On a fourth down play, Fine's golden toe connected again for the field goal. Quarterback Jimmy Burgar held the ball on the 28 yard line.
Fine's outstanding performance on the ground was as beneficial to the Lindsay victory as his kicking. The 190 pound fullback gained 117 yards on 22 carries besides intercepting a Goodman pass midway through the third periods. Fine gained more than half of Lindsay's 233 yards rushing besides playing a stellar game of defense from his linebacker position."
The stage was now set for the Leopard battle against the Wyandotte Bears at Capitol Hill Stadium on December 15, 1962. The Daily Oklahoman reported:
"Lindsay's Leopards rule as they are predicted to grab off the school's third state Class B football championship Saturday night...
Wyandotte rolls into the finals against Lindsay with a 13-0 record, however, the opposition Wyandotte has met in eastern Oklahoma is not the caliber found in the central and western sections of the state.
Lindsay enters Saturday's title clash with a 12-0-1 record. The tie was a rain-splattered dead heat with Marlow. Lindsay then nudged Marlow 14-8, in the playoff quarterfinals."
On December 16, 1962 (after the game), Ray Soldan of the Daily Oklahoman reported:
"Leopards Nab 3rd State Title - Lindsay became the first school to win three state class B football championships by carving out a hard-earned 15-12 decision over Wyandotte before 3,000 Capitol Hill Stadium fans Saturday night.
Despite a glittering pre-game record of 13-0, Wyandotte was given little chance of staying close to Lindsay. But the scrapping Bears were in firm contention until a Lindsay touchdown and two-point conversion gave the Leopards a 15-6 lead with 14 minutes remaining...
Lindsay scored the first time it had possession, moving 52 yards in 10 plays after Danny Noles recovered a Wyandotte fumble. Junior quarterback Jim Burgar mixed his plays well, finally sending fullback John Fine blasting across from four yards out.
Burgar made the two longest runs of the drive, rolling out for 11 yards and dashing 12 yards on a run-pass option...
Lindsay used up a good portion of the third quarter driving 78 yards for its wrap up touchdown. The drive required 12 plays and would have taken many more except for runs of 27 and 11 yards by Jerry Gill and a 26 yard pass, Burgar to Gill...
Lindsay decided to gamble with a two-pointer at this stage and clicked on a pass from Burgar to end Wayne Ardrey, who made a scooping catch only inches off the ground. This put the game out of easy reach of the battling northeasterners.
Lindsay's always-reliable flyweight middle guard Cecil McCoy and tackles Gary Guinn and Roy Goldstron were key figures in the line battling...
The victory was a richly-deserved one for Lindsay coach Bill Froman, whose wife died just before the last regular season game after giving birth to a child. The Leopards presented Froman with a victory in that game, a district, showdown battle with Wynnewood, then protected Lindsay's record of never losing a playoff game (emphasis mine).
Lindsay has been in 12 playoff games, winning 11 and tying one. It won state titles in 1955 and 1958."
The Leopard dynasty that began in the late 1950's is evidently continuing into the 1960's. Next we'll profile the 1963 Leopards...
14-0 state champions - and 14-0 state champions of 1958, but the 1956 Leopards ended their season
9-1, losing only to Del City - and the 1957 Leopards lost only to Ardmore Douglass and Madill, ending at 8-2.
Following the 1958 state champion Lindsay Leopards, they finished 6-3-1 in 1959 - losing to Chickasha, Ardmore Douglass, and Pauls Valley - and tied Anadarko 8-8. The 1960 Leopards ended the regular season 2 wins with 7 losses, but the 1961 Leopards won 9 games and lost only 1 game to Wynnewood - a district game, so did not make the playoffs - but seasons were once again on the rise. Lindsay's head coach from 1959 through 1964 was Bill Froman and was assisted by Charlie Heatly, a well known Leopardette basketball coach and future high school basketball hall-of-fame inductee.
Although the Leopards only won two games during the 1960 season, it marked the debut of a freshman quarterback by the name of Jimmy Burgar. He was the quarterback for the junior high football team on Thursdays, the JV team on Mondays, and the high school varsity on Friday nights, so played in three games each week. This schedule obviously took a toll on the young quarterback, so began playing in only one game a week about halfway through the season. He led the Leopards to only one loss during his sophomore year as mentioned above, and then began the 1962 season.
The Lindsay Leopards began 1962 by shutting out Comanche 25-0, Pauls Valley 17-0, and Purcell 41-0, before ending in a tie with Marlow 6-6. They continued to run the slate, ending the regular season with a 9-0-1 record (unbeaten), and then the playoffs began.
During the first round of the playoffs, the Leopards squeaked by the Wilson Eagles 14-12. Ray Soldan of the Daily Oklahoman wrote (before the second round began):
"The game which most observers feel is the key one in the class B title picture unfolds Friday night with Marlow visiting Lindsay. Each has won 10 games, most of them easily. They battled to a 6-6 tie in a head-on collision in October during a heavy rain.
Marlow swept past Hobart easily 66-0, in its first playoff test. Lindsay ran into a group of fiercely - resisting Wilson Eagles and escaped with a 14-12 verdict..."
Lindsay did play Marlow again, meeting in the state quarterfinals, and Soldan recounted on December 2, 1962:
"The big game in class B was Lindsay's 14-8 decision over Marlow before a jammed crowd of over 6,000 at Lindsay. The two teams played to a 6-6 stand-off during the regular season and wound up tied atop the class B ratings.
Marlow scored the first time it had the ball for an 8-0 lead. Lindsay pulled even in the second quarter, then won on a 47-yard drive which concluded on a one-yard plunge by Jerry Gill with 9:08 left in the game."
The class B state semi-finals pitted the Leopards against the Choctaw Yellowjackets, at Choctaw. Ron Nance of the Oklahoman wrote on December 8, 1962, after the game:
"... the Leopards moved into the finals of the Class B state playoffs with a narrow 10-6 victory over the host Yellowjackets.
The hard-fought victory was credited to the toe of Lindsay's John Fine.
Fine converted after the opening Lindsay touchdown in the initial period and turned around in the next stanza to boot a 19 yard field goal...
Bill Froman's Lindsay team will shoot for the state crown next week against Wyandotte.
The Leopards boomed ahead with 7:12 left in the first period when speedy halfback Mike Stewart turned right end, shook off two Choctaw tacklers and rambled into the end zone to complete a 24 yard scoring play.
After an exchange of punts Lindsay got rolling again, taking possession at the Choctaw 43. On a fourth down play, Fine's golden toe connected again for the field goal. Quarterback Jimmy Burgar held the ball on the 28 yard line.
Fine's outstanding performance on the ground was as beneficial to the Lindsay victory as his kicking. The 190 pound fullback gained 117 yards on 22 carries besides intercepting a Goodman pass midway through the third periods. Fine gained more than half of Lindsay's 233 yards rushing besides playing a stellar game of defense from his linebacker position."
The stage was now set for the Leopard battle against the Wyandotte Bears at Capitol Hill Stadium on December 15, 1962. The Daily Oklahoman reported:
"Lindsay's Leopards rule as they are predicted to grab off the school's third state Class B football championship Saturday night...
Wyandotte rolls into the finals against Lindsay with a 13-0 record, however, the opposition Wyandotte has met in eastern Oklahoma is not the caliber found in the central and western sections of the state.
Lindsay enters Saturday's title clash with a 12-0-1 record. The tie was a rain-splattered dead heat with Marlow. Lindsay then nudged Marlow 14-8, in the playoff quarterfinals."
On December 16, 1962 (after the game), Ray Soldan of the Daily Oklahoman reported:
"Leopards Nab 3rd State Title - Lindsay became the first school to win three state class B football championships by carving out a hard-earned 15-12 decision over Wyandotte before 3,000 Capitol Hill Stadium fans Saturday night.
Despite a glittering pre-game record of 13-0, Wyandotte was given little chance of staying close to Lindsay. But the scrapping Bears were in firm contention until a Lindsay touchdown and two-point conversion gave the Leopards a 15-6 lead with 14 minutes remaining...
Lindsay scored the first time it had possession, moving 52 yards in 10 plays after Danny Noles recovered a Wyandotte fumble. Junior quarterback Jim Burgar mixed his plays well, finally sending fullback John Fine blasting across from four yards out.
Burgar made the two longest runs of the drive, rolling out for 11 yards and dashing 12 yards on a run-pass option...
Lindsay used up a good portion of the third quarter driving 78 yards for its wrap up touchdown. The drive required 12 plays and would have taken many more except for runs of 27 and 11 yards by Jerry Gill and a 26 yard pass, Burgar to Gill...
Lindsay decided to gamble with a two-pointer at this stage and clicked on a pass from Burgar to end Wayne Ardrey, who made a scooping catch only inches off the ground. This put the game out of easy reach of the battling northeasterners.
Lindsay's always-reliable flyweight middle guard Cecil McCoy and tackles Gary Guinn and Roy Goldstron were key figures in the line battling...
The victory was a richly-deserved one for Lindsay coach Bill Froman, whose wife died just before the last regular season game after giving birth to a child. The Leopards presented Froman with a victory in that game, a district, showdown battle with Wynnewood, then protected Lindsay's record of never losing a playoff game (emphasis mine).
Lindsay has been in 12 playoff games, winning 11 and tying one. It won state titles in 1955 and 1958."
The Leopard dynasty that began in the late 1950's is evidently continuing into the 1960's. Next we'll profile the 1963 Leopards...
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Leopard Legends of the Fall 1958
Tom Turvey, head coach of the Lindsay Leopards from 1951 through 1956 ended his tenure with 45 wins and only 15 losses and the 1955 class B state championship. Lawton Carey then took over for the 1957 season in which the Leopards finished 8 wins 2 losses. Back then, only the district champion qualified for the state playoffs, so Lindsay missed the playoffs. As a matter of fact, many great high school teams would lose only one game during the regular season, but miss the playoffs because that one loss was a district game. As a matter of fact, the class B playoffs in 1958 was missing the 9-1 Ardmore Douglass football team, which was arguably the best team in classes A, B, and C - because they lost to a better district B-5 team, the Lindsay Leopards.
Vern Robertson took over from Lawton Carey in 1958, when Carey became the high school principal. In Robertson's only season he posted a 14-0 record and a class B state title. The 1958 Leopards seemed to be even more dominant than they were in 1955 as they posted seven shut-outs during the 14 game season, and three consecutive shut-outs to end the run.
In a Daily Oklahoman article on September 28, 1958, Ray Soldan wrote - Ardmore Douglass was extremely impressive in winning its 15th straight game over the weekend, a 29-6 thumping of previously unscored on- Madill.
Vern Robertson, whose Lindsay club is given the best chance of halting Douglass' drive to a second consecutive state class B title, took in the contest and came away commenting: "I sure think Ardmore deserves its No. 1 rating."
Most striking to Robertson was the speed displayed by Douglass. "I've never seen such tremendous speed on a class B ballclub. Besides that, it appears they can do most anything they want to do..."
Doyle May, sports editor of the Daily Ardmoreite, says flatly "Douglass is better than last year. I say that because Raymond Watson, Robert Thurston and Charles Johnson have improved, making the team stronger defensively."
Soldan continued - Ardmore Douglass halfback Joe Walser has designs on the state 100 yard dash title this year. He was Utah state champion as a sophomore in 1956 and was ineligible at Ardmore last year. However, he got first-rate experience last spring, running against L.C. Johnson - the state class B champion - in practice. Walser whipped Johnson most of the time.
The Leopards faced this 'all-star' Douglass team, winner of 18 straight games, the 5th game into the season. To be very blunt - Lindsay dominated Ardmore Douglass 8-0. A bunch of 'farm boys' had totally stymied the 'best team' in the state. Many Leopard fans in attendance must now liken the '58 team to the movie 'Hoosiers' - a true story about the 1954 Milan, Indiana Huskers basketball team which defeated a much more talented 'city' team for the 1954 Indiana state championship.
The eighth game of the '58 season pitted the undefeated Leopards against the 5-2 McGuinness Irish. Jim Jones of the Daily Oklahoman wrote on October 26, 1958: Lindsay's power-laden Leopards, top-rated among the state's class B football teams, roared by the McGuinness Irish, 52-16, Friday night on the McGuinness field scoring almost at will until the second-teamers took over midway in the third quarter...
Five Lindsay players figured in the scoring. Leonard Keck and Harrison Durbin each made two touchdowns and Bill Stone scored once and ran all five conversions.
The Leopards wasted no time taking the lead, making touchdowns the first two times they got the ball. Stone ripped off tackle for 15 yards with the game less than three minutes old and ran the conversion for an 8-0 advantage. Bill Henry set up the score, intercepting a Marsh pass on the McGuinness 37 and returning it to the 26...
The giant-sized Lindsay line bottled up all attempts at running the middle. Jim Mihlhauser, H.O. Estes, David Bray, and Rick Simms repeatedly tossed Irish runners for losses. Center Bill York picked up the first touchdown of his high school career running an intercepted pass.
Larry Ledbetter scored Lindsay's lone second quarter touchdown on a sneak from the one to cap a 57 yard drive in four plays.Keck's 20-yard gainer and 14 and 10 yard gains by Ledbetter set up the touchdown.
Lindsay was now 7-0 and soon to be 10-0 as the playoffs were to begin. It is important to remember that Lindsay had just as many skilled athletes as any team they faced, including Ardmore Douglass. Lindsay's top athletes were mostly in the line, however, as Douglass's were in the backfield and receivers. The Leopards had two of top players in the state and arguably the nation in linemen H.O. Estes and Jim Mihlhauser. Both Estes and Mihlhauser were listed as 1958 all-state and went on to play for the University of Oklahoma, with Estes going on to the Minnesota Vikings. Jim Mihlhauser was also named Oklahoma defensive player of the year by the Daily Oklahoman, so the Leopards did have some very big guns in their arsenal.
In their first playoff game, the Leopards destroyed Fox 60-22, followed by a 14-0 win over Hobart and a 24-0 shutout over Moore. In the class B finals of 1958, Lindsay was to play a highly regarded Grove club.
Ray Soldan of The Oklahoman recalled the championship game on December 13, 1958:
Norman, Dec.12-- Lindsay left no room for doubting that it is Oklahoma's finest class B football team by smashing Grove 36-0, Friday afternoon at Owen field in the state title game staged before a chilled crowd of 2,000.
The Leopards dominated every phase of the game, scoring in every period, striking both the ground and in the air and muffling all Grove attempts at an offense.
Lindsay wound up with 18 first downs and 471 total yards. Grove managed only one first down-- that on a 4th quarter penalty-- and 47 net yards (emphasis mine).
Leonard Keck scored three of the Lindsay touchdowns, but once again the offensive load of the Leopards was well divided.
Junior fullback Bill Stone, the only underclassman in Lindsay's starting unit, was the top ground gainer, netting 108 yards in 14 carries. Keck churned an even 100 yards in 18 tries and halfback Harrison Durbin contributed 83 yards in 16 rushes.
Quarterback Larry Ledbetter handled the aerial portion of the Lindsay attack, completing six of eight tosses for 138 yards. He batted 5 for 5 after intermission, including touchdown pegs of 72 and 18 yards.
The overpowering Lindsay line stopped Grove ballcarriers for no gain or minus yards on 16 of the Ridgerunners' 35 running plays. All hands contributed to this smothering.
Guard Jim Mihlhauser, who was a defensive regular as a freshman on Lindsay's 1955 state championship team, was the ringleader of the defense from his linebacking position. Also starring were H.O. Estes, Bill York, Homer Rinehart, Don Bridwell, Bob Mashburn, Stone and Durbin...
(Imagine how many opposing running backs felt when they looked up and saw Hodie Estes, future Viking, and Jim Mihlhauser, future defensive player of the year - backing Estes up.)
The 1958 Lindsay Leopards may have been the most dominating football team that Lindsay ever fielded. They excelled in every phase of the game-- offense, defense, special teams, whatever, but with the Leopards storied past, one or two teams would soon challenge that assumption...
To be continued with the 1962 Leopards
Vern Robertson took over from Lawton Carey in 1958, when Carey became the high school principal. In Robertson's only season he posted a 14-0 record and a class B state title. The 1958 Leopards seemed to be even more dominant than they were in 1955 as they posted seven shut-outs during the 14 game season, and three consecutive shut-outs to end the run.
In a Daily Oklahoman article on September 28, 1958, Ray Soldan wrote - Ardmore Douglass was extremely impressive in winning its 15th straight game over the weekend, a 29-6 thumping of previously unscored on- Madill.
Vern Robertson, whose Lindsay club is given the best chance of halting Douglass' drive to a second consecutive state class B title, took in the contest and came away commenting: "I sure think Ardmore deserves its No. 1 rating."
Most striking to Robertson was the speed displayed by Douglass. "I've never seen such tremendous speed on a class B ballclub. Besides that, it appears they can do most anything they want to do..."
Doyle May, sports editor of the Daily Ardmoreite, says flatly "Douglass is better than last year. I say that because Raymond Watson, Robert Thurston and Charles Johnson have improved, making the team stronger defensively."
Soldan continued - Ardmore Douglass halfback Joe Walser has designs on the state 100 yard dash title this year. He was Utah state champion as a sophomore in 1956 and was ineligible at Ardmore last year. However, he got first-rate experience last spring, running against L.C. Johnson - the state class B champion - in practice. Walser whipped Johnson most of the time.
The Leopards faced this 'all-star' Douglass team, winner of 18 straight games, the 5th game into the season. To be very blunt - Lindsay dominated Ardmore Douglass 8-0. A bunch of 'farm boys' had totally stymied the 'best team' in the state. Many Leopard fans in attendance must now liken the '58 team to the movie 'Hoosiers' - a true story about the 1954 Milan, Indiana Huskers basketball team which defeated a much more talented 'city' team for the 1954 Indiana state championship.
The eighth game of the '58 season pitted the undefeated Leopards against the 5-2 McGuinness Irish. Jim Jones of the Daily Oklahoman wrote on October 26, 1958: Lindsay's power-laden Leopards, top-rated among the state's class B football teams, roared by the McGuinness Irish, 52-16, Friday night on the McGuinness field scoring almost at will until the second-teamers took over midway in the third quarter...
Five Lindsay players figured in the scoring. Leonard Keck and Harrison Durbin each made two touchdowns and Bill Stone scored once and ran all five conversions.
The Leopards wasted no time taking the lead, making touchdowns the first two times they got the ball. Stone ripped off tackle for 15 yards with the game less than three minutes old and ran the conversion for an 8-0 advantage. Bill Henry set up the score, intercepting a Marsh pass on the McGuinness 37 and returning it to the 26...
The giant-sized Lindsay line bottled up all attempts at running the middle. Jim Mihlhauser, H.O. Estes, David Bray, and Rick Simms repeatedly tossed Irish runners for losses. Center Bill York picked up the first touchdown of his high school career running an intercepted pass.
Larry Ledbetter scored Lindsay's lone second quarter touchdown on a sneak from the one to cap a 57 yard drive in four plays.Keck's 20-yard gainer and 14 and 10 yard gains by Ledbetter set up the touchdown.
Lindsay was now 7-0 and soon to be 10-0 as the playoffs were to begin. It is important to remember that Lindsay had just as many skilled athletes as any team they faced, including Ardmore Douglass. Lindsay's top athletes were mostly in the line, however, as Douglass's were in the backfield and receivers. The Leopards had two of top players in the state and arguably the nation in linemen H.O. Estes and Jim Mihlhauser. Both Estes and Mihlhauser were listed as 1958 all-state and went on to play for the University of Oklahoma, with Estes going on to the Minnesota Vikings. Jim Mihlhauser was also named Oklahoma defensive player of the year by the Daily Oklahoman, so the Leopards did have some very big guns in their arsenal.
In their first playoff game, the Leopards destroyed Fox 60-22, followed by a 14-0 win over Hobart and a 24-0 shutout over Moore. In the class B finals of 1958, Lindsay was to play a highly regarded Grove club.
Ray Soldan of The Oklahoman recalled the championship game on December 13, 1958:
Norman, Dec.12-- Lindsay left no room for doubting that it is Oklahoma's finest class B football team by smashing Grove 36-0, Friday afternoon at Owen field in the state title game staged before a chilled crowd of 2,000.
The Leopards dominated every phase of the game, scoring in every period, striking both the ground and in the air and muffling all Grove attempts at an offense.
Lindsay wound up with 18 first downs and 471 total yards. Grove managed only one first down-- that on a 4th quarter penalty-- and 47 net yards (emphasis mine).
Leonard Keck scored three of the Lindsay touchdowns, but once again the offensive load of the Leopards was well divided.
Junior fullback Bill Stone, the only underclassman in Lindsay's starting unit, was the top ground gainer, netting 108 yards in 14 carries. Keck churned an even 100 yards in 18 tries and halfback Harrison Durbin contributed 83 yards in 16 rushes.
Quarterback Larry Ledbetter handled the aerial portion of the Lindsay attack, completing six of eight tosses for 138 yards. He batted 5 for 5 after intermission, including touchdown pegs of 72 and 18 yards.
The overpowering Lindsay line stopped Grove ballcarriers for no gain or minus yards on 16 of the Ridgerunners' 35 running plays. All hands contributed to this smothering.
Guard Jim Mihlhauser, who was a defensive regular as a freshman on Lindsay's 1955 state championship team, was the ringleader of the defense from his linebacking position. Also starring were H.O. Estes, Bill York, Homer Rinehart, Don Bridwell, Bob Mashburn, Stone and Durbin...
(Imagine how many opposing running backs felt when they looked up and saw Hodie Estes, future Viking, and Jim Mihlhauser, future defensive player of the year - backing Estes up.)
The 1958 Lindsay Leopards may have been the most dominating football team that Lindsay ever fielded. They excelled in every phase of the game-- offense, defense, special teams, whatever, but with the Leopards storied past, one or two teams would soon challenge that assumption...
To be continued with the 1962 Leopards
Thursday, January 16, 2020
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.
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.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Does lying about lies constitute libel and slander?
The facts: On August 12, 2019, Rebecca Wilkinson (executive director of the Statewide Virtual School Board) received a REQUEST FROM SENATOR RON SHARP via email which entailed answering several questions concerning oversight of Epic operations. On August 15 Wilkinson sent the REQUEST to Lynn Stickney, program specialist for the OSVCSB.
Senator Sharp requested the answers to several questions from Wilkinson / Oklahoma Charter School Board. For example, Sharp asked Wilkinson: "Can a student enrolled in a virtual charter school which is sponsored by the OSVCB be counted in the enrollment and subsequent attendance of a charter school not sponsored by the Oklahoma Charter School Board?" Wilkinson's answer was "No, it would create an illegal dual enrollment situation in two public schools."
On September 9, 2019, Bill Hickman (Epic's retained attorney) issued a 'Cease and Desist Demand' of Senator Sharp in which he stated "Dr. Wilkinson, the executive director of the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board ("SVCSB"), has confirmed that she has not had any discussions with you regarding Epic." Evidently, Wilkinson believes that simply answering Senator Sharp's questions regarding Epic doesn't constitute a "discussion". Many Oklahoma taxpayers believe that it does. The Epic attorney labeled many of Sharp's statements as 'lies'. Senator Sharp's initial questions referred to Epic Virtual Charter School being sponsored by the SVCSB and Epic Blended Charter Schools being sponsored by Rose State College, so Wilkinson did in fact have discussions with Senator Sharp regarding Epic. It appears as if Epic Blended Charter School, sponsored by Rose State, counted student enrollment which had already been counted by Epic Virtual School, sponsored by the SVCSB.
Hickman then went on to write: "... Exhibit B is an email from Dr. Wilkinson stating that the "SVCSB" has made no determinations regarding Epic One-on-One Charter School's enrollment practices." Becky Wilkinson is technically telling the truth, as the SVCSB has not made an official determination, but Wilkinson did make that determination (as evidenced by her answers). She didn't specifically mention Epic Blended and Epic Virtual as the schools in question, but knew the senator was referring to Epic. The question now becomes: If Epic's dual enrollment practices are indeed illegal (as Becky first indicated), why hasn't the SVCSB made such determination?
Epic has claimed that Senator Sharp has lied about the above issues, but evidence indicates otherwise. The next question becomes: Does calling someone a liar when he or she states facts, constitute libel and slander?
Senator Sharp requested the answers to several questions from Wilkinson / Oklahoma Charter School Board. For example, Sharp asked Wilkinson: "Can a student enrolled in a virtual charter school which is sponsored by the OSVCB be counted in the enrollment and subsequent attendance of a charter school not sponsored by the Oklahoma Charter School Board?" Wilkinson's answer was "No, it would create an illegal dual enrollment situation in two public schools."
On September 9, 2019, Bill Hickman (Epic's retained attorney) issued a 'Cease and Desist Demand' of Senator Sharp in which he stated "Dr. Wilkinson, the executive director of the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board ("SVCSB"), has confirmed that she has not had any discussions with you regarding Epic." Evidently, Wilkinson believes that simply answering Senator Sharp's questions regarding Epic doesn't constitute a "discussion". Many Oklahoma taxpayers believe that it does. The Epic attorney labeled many of Sharp's statements as 'lies'. Senator Sharp's initial questions referred to Epic Virtual Charter School being sponsored by the SVCSB and Epic Blended Charter Schools being sponsored by Rose State College, so Wilkinson did in fact have discussions with Senator Sharp regarding Epic. It appears as if Epic Blended Charter School, sponsored by Rose State, counted student enrollment which had already been counted by Epic Virtual School, sponsored by the SVCSB.
Hickman then went on to write: "... Exhibit B is an email from Dr. Wilkinson stating that the "SVCSB" has made no determinations regarding Epic One-on-One Charter School's enrollment practices." Becky Wilkinson is technically telling the truth, as the SVCSB has not made an official determination, but Wilkinson did make that determination (as evidenced by her answers). She didn't specifically mention Epic Blended and Epic Virtual as the schools in question, but knew the senator was referring to Epic. The question now becomes: If Epic's dual enrollment practices are indeed illegal (as Becky first indicated), why hasn't the SVCSB made such determination?
Epic has claimed that Senator Sharp has lied about the above issues, but evidence indicates otherwise. The next question becomes: Does calling someone a liar when he or she states facts, constitute libel and slander?
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