Jefferson Dragons Football ~ 1956
Jefferson Dragons Football ~ 1956
In August a book and a press release arrived at the Herald office that brought into light the whereabouts of former Jefferson Football coach Red Yancey. The press release read;
William H. Yancey, director of athletics and teacher of history at the Flint-Dye High school in Flint, Michigan, is the author of” The Gate is Down: A Novel of the Alabama Hills.” It was published August 20 by Exposition Express of New York. ( Price $ 3.50 ).
Yancey is a former Athletic Director of Jefferson High school.
His story, set in the Alabama uplands, dramatizes the battle between two worlds; the conflict of a world outside the gap-gate and a world inside the gate. Here is a story pf progress pushing its way into a walled in community. It depicts a people caught in a web of the past fighting desperately to hold onto what they think is happiness.
In “The Gate is Down”, the gap-gate at the foot of the hills is the symbol of the isolation and separateness of the clannish people of the Ridge, a community in the Alabama hills, to which Scott Calderwood returns. He is the grandson of Uncle Lum, who is the leader of the Ridge people. The car that Scott drives is a symbol of his breaking away ~ first to college and then becoming a professor at the university.
Born in 1919 in Lacey, Alabama, Mr. Yancey is an honor graduate of Jacksonville ( Alabama ) State Teachers College. He majored in History.
Beginning his teaching career in 1939, Mr. Yancey earned his M. A. Degree from the Alabama Polytechnic Institute at Auburn. He has since completed graduate work at Alabama and Michigan State University.
In addition to being an outstanding teacher of American History, Mr. Yancey has also acquired a high reputation as a football and track coach. He has been a high school teacher and coach in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri and Michigan.
The author is a member of the National Education Association, the Michigan Education association and the Flint Township Lions Club. “The Gate is Down’ is his first published novel.
Red Yancey was athletic director of Jefferson High school during the school years of 1950 - 51. His Dragon Football team lost only one game that year, following a record of more loses than wins in its first four years in the game.
Coach Yancey produced an outstanding basketball team, track team, and baseball team for both Jefferson High and in American Legion ball.
Recognized as one of the top high school coaches in the country Coach Yancey’s teams have produced 22 football wins against 5 losses the past two seasons. His wins on the basketball during this time shows 42 wins in 51 contests. Last year his Flint Football team won the Detroit Times State Championship honor.
The first and only Dragon football team coached by Yancey played in the regional championship game against Greensboro, losing 20 - 13 in Commerce.
The Jefferson Mite and Midget football started up in mid-October.
Four teams made up each league.
The mites were;
The Blue Jays - Captain H.C. Fawcette, Johnny Fawcette, Mike Blackwell, James Fowler, Reed Hunt, Richard Taylor, and Ronnie Johnson.
The Bulldogs featured - Captain Arthur Addis, Jimmy Benson, John Davis, Joe Jackson, Billy Duke, Jimmy Williams, Johnny Pruitt, Tommy Whitmire, Bradley Langford, Sonny Brewer and Cecil Buffington.
The Hornets were comprised of - Captain Johnny Nix, Jimmy Colvard, Mike Edwards, Roger Stover, Wayne Fuller, John Elrod, Don Skelton, Don Nix, Jerry Gearin, Richard Gearin, Dennis Barton and Harry Barton.
The Yellow Jackets featured - Captain Roger “Hardrock” Jackson, Jack Wilson, Buck Tolbert, Billy Mitchell, Terry Cotton, Paddy Williams, Charles Hooper, David Carter, Al Westmoreland, Walter Hogan, James Stovall, and Harry Fowler.
The midgets were; Wasps - Captain Larry Brooks, Billy Ray, James Wood, Tommy Elrod, Billy Patton, Richard Adams, Bobby Clark and Butch Porter.
The Tigers featured; Captain Jeff Davis, Raymond Otting, Ralph Kinsey, Richard Duke, Junior Crow, Donald Jackson, Donald Wise, Scotty Brooks, and Steve Jackson.
The Mohawks were; Captain Brian Duke, Tommy Ricks, Damon Gause, Jerry Holland, Earle Tompkins, Jerry Middlebrooks, Jimmy Crumbly and Jerry Waddell.
The Wildcats were; Captain Larry Wood, Douglas Tatum, Tafford Tolbert, Dickie Storey, Jerry Sailors, J. W. Holloway and Buddy Tolbert.
The season started on October 29 and ended on November 26. Each team had five scheduled games.
In the third week of the season the mite Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs were unbeaten at 2 - 0. They met in the first game on Saturday morning at Memorial Stadium. Captain Arthur Addis scored both Bulldog touchdowns and both extra points as the Bulldogs won 14 - 13 to go into first place in the standings.
In the Midget bracket, the Tigers beat the Mohawks 51 - 6 as Jeff Davis scored four touchdowns and an extra point for 25 points. As I watched the game that morning, it was evident that Jeff Davis was not just another young football player. He was virtually unstoppable.
In the second Midget game, Buddy Tolbert scored four touchdowns as the Wildcats beat the Wasps 27 - 7.
The fourth week of league action saw the Bulldog mites win over the Hornets 12 - 9 to remain undefeated at 4 - 0. Captain Arthur Adis again scored both touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Harry Fowler ran 65 yards for the only Hornet score.
The Yellow Jackets beat the Blue Jays 40 - 12 in the second game.
1956 Jefferson Dragon Football team; Sammy Scott, Randall Tolbert, Omer Whitmire, Albert Logan, Charles Anglin, Columbus Williamson, Billy Ricks, Monk Tolbert, Bobby Potter, Doc Berryman, Benny Tompkins, Leroy Williamson, Lynn Brothers, John Kesler, Edwin McClure, Gary Duke, Steve Moore, Richard Langford, Charles Gilbert, Daniel Gasaway, Tyrone Taylor and Larry Wood.
September 14 in Winder - Winder-Barrow - 20 - 0
The Dragons played an inspired game to beat their old rival Winder on their home field. Billy Ricks gave the Jefferson folks a sample of what they could expect from him during his senior season. The shifty Dragon back scored twice in the third quarter on runs of 21 and 20 yards. Benny Tompkins had staked the Dragons to a 7 - 0 lead in the first half with a 15-yard run of his own. Tompkins averaged 7.0 yards per carry and kicked two extra points. Ricks averaged 9.6 yards per carry. Bobby Potter excelled at quarterback.
September 21 in Jefferson - Lawrenceville - 26 - 12
The Dragons rushed for 354 yards as they totally dominated the games against a very good Lawrenceville team. Monk Tolbert scored the first Dragon touchdown on a 65-yard punt return in the first quarter. Billy Ricks took over as he rushed for 156 yards with touchdown runs of 9, 55 and 40 yards. Benny Tompkins rushed for 85 yards and Tolbert 68. Coach Davis singled out his line for their excellent blocking. Mentioned were; Doc Berryman, Charlie Anglin, Lynn Brothers, Thomas Harris and Randall Tolbert.
September 28 in Jefferson - Commerce - 12 - 0
Jefferson was trying to win their second game in succession against their bitter cross county rival and first in Jefferson. An early fumble recovery on the Tiger 27-yard line after a punt by Tompkins started the first Dragon touchdown drive. Ricks carried to the 17 before ripping into the end zone for the first Dragon score. The extra point attempt was blocked. On the ensuing kickoff the Tigers started an impressive drive that reached the Dragon 15 before a Doc Berryman interception of a screen pass stopped the drive. He brought the ball out to the Dragon 35-yard line. The first half ended with Jefferson out front 6 - 0.
The second half saw Jefferson hold Commerce to force a punt to Monk Tolbert at the Dragon 30-yard line. The Dragon back broke loose for 52 yards to the Tiger 18 before Brake brought him down. Two Tompkins power plays carried to the 10 before the Tiger defense stiffened. Ricks got only 2 to the 8-yard line, Tompkins went for only 1 and a sweep by Ricks went to the 4-yard line. On fourth down a pass to Ricks on a slant pattern was high. The Dragons had missed an excellent scoring opportunity.
Defense dominated until the Tigers started another good drive with four minutes left in the game. On a third down pass play, Bobby Potter intercepted a Tiger pass and returned it to the Commerce 23-yard line. Ricks wasted no time in zipping into the end zone to give the Dragons a 12 - 0 lead with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Several Commerce passes fell incomplete as the game ended with Jefferson winning a 12 - 0 thriller.
Jefferson had rushed for 199 yards while holding the Tigers to 71 yards.
October 5 in Conyers - Rockdale County 7 - 20
Rockdale County featured a 230-pound tackle that was University of Georgia bound. Norman Hammonds was a force on either side of the line. Play after play was ran to his side of the line as the Bulldogs rushed for 300 yards to give the undefeated Dragon their first loss.
October 12 in Jefferson - Morgan County - 0 - 14
The defending state champion Bulldogs and their two All-State stars, quarterback Snooks Saye and running back Bo Orr just could not be consistently stopped by the Dragons. Saye would later attend the University of Georgia. Orr would attend Clemson. The Bulldog defense literally put the clamps on the Dragon express. The Dragons were not able to open holes for their backfield stars to mount any type of sustained drive. Jefferson could only gain 5 first downs for the game and 65 yards rushing. The Dragon defense played well but spent far too much time on the field.
October 19 in Stone Mountain - Stone Mountain - 0 - 26
Stone Mountain had a 220-pound center on offense and linebacker on defense that would attend the University of Georgia and start for three years at center. Phil Ash was a very good football player. Against Jefferson he was credited with 12 tackles on defense and made crucial blocks that enabled the Pirate backs to run for huge gains on the Dragon defense. Jefferson could not get an offense going against the big, strong team from just outside Atlanta.
October 26 in Jefferson - Oglethorpe County - 26 - 20
It was all Billy Ricks as he rushed for 206 yards with three touchdown runs of 31, 29 and 56 yards. Benny Tompkins scored on a 9-yard run and kicked two extra points for Jefferson.
November 2 in Lithonia - Lithonia - 26 - 7
The Dragons had little trouble with the Lithonia team as Ricks scored a touchdown on an 18-yard run. He set up Potters first score with a 55-yard punt return to the Bulldog 11-yard line. Potter scored two touchdowns on a one-yard sneak and a 10-yard run. Daniel Gasaway put the game away with a 20-yard score in the fourth quarter. The Dragon defense played well after the scary game with Qglethorpe County the previous week.
November 9 in Tucker - Tucker - 26 - 14
The Dragons jumped out to a 26 - 0 lead with 8 minutes left in the game before Tucker managed two quick touchdowns on long pass plays to make the score look respectable. Make no mistake about it, the Dragons dominated the game. Jefferson rushed for 385 yards as Ricks ran for three touchdowns on carries of 53, 15 and 40 yards. He finished with 181 yards rushing. Tompkins scored the last touchdown late in the third quarter on a 51-yard run. He rushed for 117 yards in the game. Jefferson was now 6 - 3 with one game left to play.
November 16 in Jefferson - Clarkston - 38 - 0
The Dragons closed out their season with a 39 - 0 thrashing of Clarkston. Billy Ricks left a legacy behind that established him as one of the best that ever wore the red and blue for Jefferson. The dazzling halfback scored three touchdowns on runs of 50, 15, and 8 yards. He also caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Tompkins for a fourth score. Ricks rushed for 165 yards with two long runs of 64 and 39 yards erased for penalties. Tompkins passed to Doc Berryman for a 25-yard touchdown and Monk Tolbert drove in from the two for the other Dragon scores.
There are Dragon fans that will argue this was the best team Jefferson ever put on the field. Even if they did lose three games. Examine closely just who inflicted the three losses on the Dragons.
Stone Mountain went 9 - 1 with only a 7 - 0 loss to eventual state champion Morgan County standing between them and a perfect season.
Rockdale County went 9 - 1 with only a 12 - 0 loss to stone Mountain on their record. Ashe was the Georgia Class B Lineman of the Year.
Morgan County won their second straight state title by defeating Blakely-Union 13-7 in Thomaston. Jefferson played a very good game against Morgan County. They also had two major college prospects in quarterback Snooks Saye and running back Bo Orr. Saye attended the University of Georgia along with Hammonds and Ash. Orr was a two-year starter at running back for Clemson.
Were there ever two better backs on a Jefferson team than Ricks and Tompkins ? Segars and Cole in 1950 ? Duke and Sophomore Davis in 1958 ?Gooch and Spence in 70 ? Berry and Watson in 1975 ? Possibly . . But how about a third very good back in Monk Tolbert? Certainly there were never three better backs on a team at Jefferson.
Ricks closed out his 1956 season with 19 touchdowns and over 1,600 yards rushing. Tompkins ran for 795 yards and threw six touchdown passes. He averaged 38.95 on 48 punts.
The 1956 Jefferson Dragons were a very good football team.
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