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WHO’S WHO

IN WINNFIELD TIGER FOOTBALL

 

PLAYERS

 

Criteria used in making up this list (any of the following):

·         1st Team All State

·         Notable Achievement(s) (e.g. school records, first-time accomplishments, etc.)

·        1st or 2nd Team on the 2000 All-Century Poll as voted by either the seven-member “Expert Panel” or Fans.

 

The advantage of using the above criteria is that it keeps me from having to make subjective choices.  The disadvantage is that a whole lot of good football players are left off.  That is why I have a much longer “Who’s Who” list of players, coaches and teams that will be included in the book, “History of Winnfield Tiger Football”. 

 

Members of the “Expert Panel” included the following:

 

For the Old-Timers Squad (1909 to 1959) – Denton Shell, Dudley Shell, Dennis Shell, Conrad Swilley, Pete Varnell, Tracy Lee Harrell and John Glyn Jackson. 

 

For the Modern-Day Squad (1960 to 2000):  Joe Dosher, Tommy Bankston, Tommy Straughan, Mike

Tinnerello, Hershel Machen, Gregg Davies, Bill Stewart and Eddie Jenkins.  

 

1909-1929

Skipwith Adams (1909, Coach)     The program’s first head football coach.

Coached only the inaugural 1909 season where he posted a 6-3-1 record.

 

Alwin Stokes (1917-1923, 1933-1934, Coach)     Head Coach from 1917 to

1923. His 1919 squad went undefeated (8-0-0) and was unscored on (220-0).

The squad was declared State Champions by the New Orleans Times Picayune.

Stokes was minister at the First Presbyterian Church, thus his name Brother

Stokes.  Returned for a second head coaching stint in 1933 and 1934 where he

posted a 10-8-2 record.

 

Otho Long (1918-1919, QB)     Quarterback for the undefeated 1919 squad.

Was named first team all State quarterback that year.  He is the only Tiger

quarterback ever selected to a first team All State team. Top vote-getter at the

quarterback position by the Expert Panel and the second ranked quarterback by

the fans voting in the 2000 All-Century Poll for the Old-Timers team.

 

A. P. Smith (1918-1919, E)     First team All State end on the 1919 state

champion squad. Second-leading vote-getter at the end position by the fans voting

in the 2000 All-Century Poll for the Old-Timers team.

 

Truett Durham (1919-1920, T)     First team All State tackle in 1919 and 1920.

First repeat All State player in the history of the program.

 

Grady Newton (1923-1924, G)     Guard on the 1923 and 1924 squads. Earned

first team All State honors at that position both years.   

 

A. T. Drewett (1925-1927, Back)     Honorable mention All State in 1926 and

1927 at running back. Was the second-highest vote getter by the Expert Panel

voting at running back for the Old –Timers team on the 2000 All-Century poll and

was the top vote-getter at  the running back position by the fans at large voting in

the same poll.

 

John Sowers (1926-1927, G)     First team All State guard on the 1927 squad.

 

Kenneth Teegarden (1925-1928, E)     Four-year starter at end from 1925 to

1928. Named honorable mention All State in 1926, 2nd Team in 1927 and 1st

team in 1928. Top vote-getter at the end position by the Expert Panel voting on the

2000 All-Century Poll for the Old Timers squad. On the powerful 1928 squad

(9-1-0) he rushed for five touchdowns, caught one touchdown pass, returned a

blocked punt 25 yards for a touchdown and booted four extra points.

 

Frank Brewer (1927-1928, B)     Tiger running back on the 1927 and 1928

squads. Honorable mention All State his junior season and 2nd team his senior

season. He was the leading scorer on the 1928 team. Brewer ended the season

with 69 points which is the highest single season scoring total from the pre-1960

era. During the 1928 season Brewer rushed for 9 touchdowns, had a 75 yard

kickoff return for a touchdown and had a fumble return for a touchdown. His total

for rushing touchdowns in 1928 is tied for second-most in the pre-1950 era. He

added three more points on extra point conversions.

 

Byron “Chuck” Skains (1927-1929, T & QB)     One of the most talented and

versatile players of the pre-1950 era.  Earned honorable mention All State honors

as a sophomore at the guard position and then was moved to the tackle slot his

junior season on the vaunted 1928 squad.  He earned 2nd team All State honors at

that spot.  Due to heavy graduation losses after his junior campaign he was moved

to the quarterback slot his senior season.  He scored one touchdown from the

defensive side of the ball his sophomore season when he returned a blocked punt

for a touchdown.  During his junior season he booted eight extra point kicks. He is

one of the most well thought of players from the pre-1960 era as evidenced by the

fact that he was the second highest vote getter at any position by the Expert

Panelist voting on the 2000 All-Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad. That total

was achieved at the guard slot where six of the seven panelists gave his a first place

vote for the guard slot.  He was the third-ranked tackle by the Expert Panel

and also ranked in the top ten of the quarterback position by the Expert Panel.

Was one of six kickers to receive votes.

 

  

1930-1939

Hovey Harrell (1930-1933, B)     Four-year starter at running back. His most

prolific season was his freshman year when he rushed 9 touchdowns. That single

season rushing touchdown total is tied for second-most in the pre-1960 era.

Following his freshman season in 1930 Harrell posted two rushing touchdowns in

1932 and five in 1933. Four of the five rushing touchdowns in 1932 came against

Oak Grove and that made him only the third player up to that time to rush for four

touchdowns in a single game.  He is one of four players from the pre-1960 era to

accomplish that feat.  Harrell ended his career with 16 rushing touchdowns which

set a school record that was not surpassed until Jimmy Bolton ended his career in

1962 with 19 rushing touchdowns. Harrell’s 16 career touchdowns is the second-

most total touchdowns scored by a player from the pre-1960 era.  Received the

third highest vote total for backs from fans voting in the 2000 All-Century

Fan Poll.

 

E. H. “Kidd” Farr (1931-1934, E, QB, B & C; 1942-1945, Head Coach)     Versatile player who played at the end position as a freshman, quarterback as a sophomore, center as a junior and back as a senior.  He continued his playing career as a center while on a football scholarship at nearby Northwestern State College. Farr is the first player to return to the program as a coach.  That occurred when he took over the reins of the program in 1942 as the head coach.  His coaching tenure lasted three years where he posted a 13-20-0 record. He rose through the ranks of the Winn Parish School system after that, becoming the principal at Eastside Elementary and eventually being named Superintendent of Schools. The fans and Expert Panel voting in the All Century poll remember Farr primarily as a center as the was the leading vote-getter at that position by the fans voting for the pre-1960 era team and was the second leading vote-getter by the Expert Panel for the center position.  

 

Curtis Varnell (1930-1933, G)     Four-year starter at guard.  Was ranked

second by the fans and sixth by the Expert Panel voting on the guard position for

the 2000 All-Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad.

 

Joe Beville (1932 – 1934, QB)     Starting QB for two years after playing at a running back position as a freshman. Was the leading vote-getter at the QB position by fans voting on the 2000 All-Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad and was ranked sixth by the Expert Panel voting in the same poll. Threw one touchdown pass, that going to David Harper, the leading receiver of the era, and rushed for two touchdowns.

 

J. D. “Farmer” Jones (1933-1935, G)     Arguably the best lineman of the 1930s, if not the whole pre-1960 era. The fans voting in the 2000 All-Century poll thought so as he was the top vote-getter at the guard spot for the Old Timers squad.  The Expert Panel also thought highly of Jones as he was the second-leading vote-getter by that group when guards were being selected.

 

David Harper (1935-1936, E & B)     Played end as a junior and was the Tigers

main threat at running back on the 1936 squad. He was on the receiving end of

three touchdown passes in the 1936 game against Oakdale, which was both the

first time a player had caught two touchdown passes in a game or even a season,

much less three.  Only four other players have caught three TD passes in a single

game in the history of the program. Harper ended the 1936 season with 5 TD

receptions, which was the single-season record until 1959 when Tommy Wyatt

caught nine TD passes.  Prior to Harper no player had ever caught more than one

touchdown pass in a season. As a senior, rushed for four touchdowns, including a

45-yarder and a 38-yarder. His longest pass reception for a touchdown went for

65 yards. He is the first player to catch passes totaling 100 or more yards in a

single game. That came in his three touchdown reception game against Oakdale in

1936, with his TD receptions alone totaling over 100 yards. He is the first player

credited with scoring by way of rush and reception in the same game, that

coming in 1936 against Mangham when he rushed for two touchdowns and caught

a scoring pass from Ray Jenkins. Was the eighth-ranked back  of the era, as

determined by the Expert Panel voting on the 2000 All-Century Poll for the Old

Timers Squad.

 

Ray Jenkins (1935-1936, B & QB)     He threw three touchdown passes in the 1936 game against Oakdale, all going to David Harper. That marked the first time a player had thrown multiple touchdown passes in a game or a season. His three touchdown performance wasn’t matched again until 1966. To date, there have only been six players throw three or more touchdown passes in a single game. Jenkins ended the 1936 season with five touchdown passes, a single-season record that was tied in 1941 and 1957, but not broken until 1959 by Mike Tinnerello.

 

 

 

1940-1949

Eddie Parker (1941-1943, RB and Kick returner)     A versatile player who

was a dangerous return man and running back. Was the team’s leading scorer both

his sophomore and junior seasons.  During his sophomore season he caught three

touchdown passes, which was the second most touchdown passes ever caught in

one season up to that time. Two of those touchdown receptions came against

Natchitoches, making him only the second player in the history of the program to

have two or more TD catches in a single game.  During his junior season he had

four rushing touchdowns, including a 60-yarder. During Parker’s final season he

rushed for three touchdowns, including one that went 75 yards. Parker had an 87-

yard punt return in 1943 that broke the school record for length by 22 yard.  That

distance wasn’t surpassed until 1962 (Bob Wyatt, 92 yards vs. Ville Platte) and

has only been topped four times since 1943. Parker was thought highly of by the

Expert Panel voting on the 2000 All-Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad as

he was the highest vote getter for kick-returners of that era and the third-leading

vote getter among running backs. Eddie was the  “father-end” of the only Father/Son

combination in the history of the program to have rushing touchdowns that covered

70+ yards.  In 1961 and 1962 Parker’s son Ronnie had rushing touchdowns that

covered 82 and 73 yards respectively.

 

John G. Jackson (1942-1943, RB)     Two-year starter at running back. Had

three rushing touchdowns his junior season, with the longest going for 60 yards.

Was the team’s leading scorer his senior season with 31points. Those points were

gained by a combination of three rushing touchdowns, one pass reception and a 55

yard return of an interception.  He also booted one extra point kick. One of his

touchdowns during the 1943 season was a 97-yarder against Ruston.  That set a

school record for longest run from scrimmage; a record that lasted for forty years

(see Garlon Powell, 1983 who had a 99 yard run).  Jackson was the leading vote-

getter at the running back position, or any position for that matter, by the Expert

Panel voting on the 2000 All Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad and he garnered

the fourth highest votes at running back by fans in the same poll.      

 

Buster Keaton (1944-1945, T & C)     Started at tackle his junior season and moved to starting center for his senior campaign. He was the second-leading vote-getter at the tackle slot by the Expert Panel voting on the 2000 All-Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad

 

C. C. Carter (1943-1946, C & G)     Alternated between the center and guard

positions, playing guard as a freshman and junior and center as a sophomore and

senior. He is best known by those who know the history of the program as one of

the program’s best centers. He also booted five extra point kicks his junior season.

Earned honorable mention honors on the All State squad both his junior and senior

seasons at the center spot. The members of the Expert Panel voting on the

2000 All-Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad gave him the most votes at center.

Carter received the most votes from the fans when they selected a kicker and he

ranked third by the Expert Panel as a kicker.

 

Jackie Givens (1945-1946, B)     One of the most versatile players of the pre-1960 era. In 1945, his junior season, he was the team’s leading scorer with 36 points.  That point total was gained by five rushing touchdowns and one kickoff return.  A testimony to his speed is evidenced by the fact that one of this rushing touchdowns went for 80 yards and his kickoff return went for a school record 95 yards. That kickoff return distance has been tied but not broken.  In 1946 he scored three touchdowns by way of two rushing touchdowns and another

kickoff return, the latter covering 85 yards. He is one of only seven players in the

program that have returned two or more kickoffs for touchdowns in a career, with

all of the others coming from the 1970 to 2000 era. He was the first to accomplish

that feat. Givens received the third highest vote total at the kick return position by

the Expert Panel voting on the 2000 All-Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad.  He

was ranked fourth at back by the Expert Panel.  Earned honorable mention

All State honors at the back position his senior season.

 

Durwood Swilley (1947-1948, T)     Swilley is arguably the best lineman of the

first fifty years of Tiger football.  He is the only first team All State selection of

either the 1940s or the 1930s, as he earned that honor in 1948.  Swilley was the

leading vote-getter at the tackle position by the Expert Panel voting on the 2000

All-Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad and he garnered the second-most first

place votes at tackle by fans voting in the same poll. Swilley was the third highest

vote getter at any position, trailing only John Jackson (1944) and Chuck Skains

(1928). In addition to his play on both sides of the line, Swilley was the most

prolific kicker the program had ever seen up to that point as he successfully booted

22 extra point kicks in 1948.  No previous kicker had ever booted half as many in

a single season. As such, the 22 points he scored  by kick was easily the most

points ever scored by a player without factoring in touchdowns. Swilley was way

ahead of his time as a kicker as it wouldn’t be until the 1961 season that another

kicker would successfully convert 20 or more extra point kicks.  In the earliest

years of  football and extra point was considered a bonus because teams rarely

converted them.  It was not unusual for a team to go through a whole season

without reaching double-digit numbers in PAT tries.  That is because most teams

relied on the run to score their single PAT point. Therefore, Swilley gave the 1948

team a scoring weapon that most teams simply did not have.   

 

Bobby Bass (1947-1950, B)     Four year starter at running back. Scored two rushing touchdowns as a freshman, including a 70 yard run against Neville. His versatility was shown his sophomore season (1948) when he scored one touchdown by rush, turned two receptions into touchdowns and returned a kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown. Both of those TD receptions came against Oil City, making him only the fourth player in the history of the program up to that time to have two or more TD catches in a single game. He is the first player in the history of the program to score a touchdown by rush, reception and return in the same season. In his final two seasons he recorded two additional rushing touchdowns and two additional receiving touchdowns. That gave him nine career touchdowns, which is good enough to place him in a tie for seventh place for total touchdowns scored by players from the 1909 to 1950 era. Was the second-leading vote-getter from among the fans for the kick-returner spot.

  

1950-1959

Thomas Straughan (1951-1952, B; 1957-1963, Assistant Coach)     Starter at

running back for two seasons.  Scored 30 points as a junior and was the team’s

leading scorer his senior season with 66 points.  That is the second most single-

season points scored by any player from the pre-1960 era.  During his junior

campaign he rushed for five touchdowns, with the longest being an 82-yarder

against Jena.  He career game came against Jena in 1952 when he rushed for three

touchdowns, with one covering 46 yards and another going 31 yards.  During his

senior season he rushed for seven other touchdowns and scored on a 30-yard

interception return. All total Straughan scored fourteen total touchdowns, which is

third most of any player from the pre-1960 era. Earned Honorable Mention All

State pick in 1951. Was the second leading vote-getter at running back by fans

voting on the 2000 All Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad. Returned as

an assistant coach from 1957 to 1963. Was the first head coach when Winnfield

Junior High School was established.  Served in that capacity two years, with his

first ninth grade team going 10-0-0 and his second and final team going 5-2-0.

  

Conrad Swilley (1950-1952, Kicker, Back & Quarterback)     Alternated at

back and quarterback his sophomore season, but moved to running back his junior

season.  Was the starting quarterback his senior season before his season ended

with an injury.  As a sophomore he rushed for one touchdown, ran an interception

back 35 yards for a touchdown and booted  7 of 11 PAT tries. The following

season he added one more rushing touchdown to his total and converted 3 of 4 in

extra point kicks. During his senior season he rushed for two more touchdowns,

including a career-high 60-yarder vs. Farmerville. Swilley also had a 60 yard

interception return for a touchdown in 1952 and converted 10 of 13 extra point

tries.  His career kicking total was 20 of 28. Up to that point in the Tiger program

only Swilley’s brother Durwood had converted more career extra point kicks with

22. Swilley was the second-leading vote-getter as a kicker by both the Expert

Panel and the fans voting on the 2000 All Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad.

He trailed his brother Durwood in the Expert Panel poll results and C. C. Carter in

the fan poll.  He was ranked in the Top Ten at running back by the fans voting in

the same poll.

 

Hershel Machen (1953-1954, Quarterback)     Quarterback on the 1954

squad. Rushed for two touchdowns, and his 96 yard punt return against

Farmerville in 1954 is the longest punt return for a touchdown in the history of the

program. Machen was ranked third at the quarterback position by the Expert Panel

voting on the 2000 All-Century Poll. He became the second head football coach at

the Winnfield Junior High School in 1966, taking over for Thomas Straughan (1951-

1952). In the remaining years of the 1960s his 9th grade teams went, 7-1-0 (1966), 7-

2-1 (1967), 6-0-1 (1968) and 8-1-0 (1969), for a combined record of 28-4-1 in the

1960s. Machen left the Jr. High program after the 1973 season to accept the position

of Principal at Winnfield Senior High School.  During his tenure, he compiled an

amazing 62-8-2 record (.875) at the Jr. High level.

 

Stanley Bass (1953-1955, Center & E)     Starter at center his sophomore and

junior seasons and then moved to end his senior season. Earned honorable mention

All State honors at center in 1954 and at end in 1955. Was a third team All District

performer his junior year at center and a second team All District selection his

senior year at end. Was the second-leading vote getter at that center slot by the fans

voting on the All-Century poll and the top ranked end by the fans in that poll. The

Expert Panel of the All Century poll made him the second ranked end.  His vote total

by the fans for the end position tied A. T. Drewitt (1925 1927) for highest total

regardless of position.

              

Johnny Newman (1954-1955, T)     Two-year starter at tackle.  Earned

Honorable Mention All State honors as a junior.  Was a third team All District

performer his junior year and a second team All District selection his senior year.

Newman the fourth-highest vote getter at tackle by the Expert Panel voting on the

2000 All-Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad and was the second-leading

vote getter at tackle by the fans voting on the same poll.

 

Mickey Frazier (1955-1956, B)   Starter in the Tiger backfield for two seasons. In the opening game of the 1955 season the Tiger pulled off arguably the biggest upset in the history of the program when Winnfield defeated Neville by a score of 13-12. Neville went on to win that schools first state title later that season. Frazier played a pivotal role in that win. The Tigers scored on an 80-yard pass from Dale Reeves to Brooks Broussard on the final play of the game to secure that win; however, that run only tied the score at 12-all. Junior running back Mickey Frazier got the call on the crucial extra point try and he responded by bowling into the end zone to secure the Tiger win. Earlier in the game Frazier had scored the Tigers other touchdown, that coming on a 15-yard run.  Frazier would score six more touchdowns in 1955 and end the season with 43 points. His other six-pointers came by way of a 52-yard fumble return (vs. Ruston) and five rushing touchdowns.  He became the third player in the history of the program to record four rushing touchdowns in a single game when he turned that feat against Farmerville in 1955.  One of those four touchdowns went for 60 yards and another was a 30-yarder. In 1956 Frazier added four more rushing touchdowns, one more pass reception for a score and one more PAT run to his career total. That gave him eleven rushing touchdowns and thirteen total touchdowns. His career total for touchdowns was 13.  That total is tied for fourth place among players from the pre-1960 era. Only Hovey Harrell (16 between1930-1933) and Dan Carr (14 between 1948-1950) rushed for more touchdowns in a career in the pre-1960 era.  Frazier was an Honorable Mention All District pick in 1956. 

 

Hank Ford (1956, T & G)     Tackle on the 1956 squad who earned honorable

mention All State honors. Earned first team All District honors at guard in 1956,

making him one of only ten players from the decade to earn first team All District

honors.  Ford was the leading vote-getter at tackle by fans voting on the 2000 All

Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad and placed in the Top Ten by the Expert

Panel list of tackles from the pre-1960 era.

 

Brooks Broussard (1955-1956, QB & B)     Quarterback on the 1955 squad

who was moved to running back his senior season.  Broussard is the first Tiger

quarterback to be selected as a first team All District performer at that position.

Earned honorable mention All District honors the next year at back. Received

honorable mention votes on the All State squad both his junior and senior season.  

In the first game of his junior season the Tiger pulled off a 13-12 upset of Neville in

one of the program’s biggest upsets of all time.  Broussard was under center on the

final play of the game with the Tigers trailing by six.  After taking the snap he

pitched the ball to back Dale Reeves who ran to his right, stopped and turned and

tossed the ball back to Broussard rolling out of the backfield to his left.  After

catching the pass Broussard ran 80 for a touchdown as time ran out. That tied the

score and the Tigers also converted on the extra point to take the win.  Without

question that is one of the most decisive pass receptions in the history of the

program.  Later that season Broussard scored two more rushing touchdowns, but

it was against Natchitoches in 1955 that he made history when he returned an

interception 100 yards for a touchdown.  That remains tied for the longest

touchdown run (of any kind), and is the longest interception return in school

history, though that mark has been tied twice, first in 1965 by Mike Kelley and

then in 1984 by Andrew Riggs. In 1956 Broussard rushed for six touchdowns,

with his longest touchdown run being an 81-yarder against Natchitoches. 

 

Hoss Newman (1956-1965, Head Coach)     Took over a program that had losing seasons six of the seven seasons prior to his coming and a program that had never played in a playoff game.  Newman went 5-5-0 his first season (1956), but he took his second team to the program’s first district title and first playoff game in 1957. After a one year drop-off in 1958 his 1959, 1960 and 1961 teams won consecutive district titles, going 13-0-0 in district play during that time. His 1960 team broke a 19-year losing streak to Ruston with a 13-13 tie and the 1961 went one step further by defeating Ruston 21-6 in 1961 to break a twenty-five year streak of non-wins (losses and ties). Both his 1960 and 1961 teams were ranked No. 1 in the LSWA poll and his 1961 team posted an undefeated regular season. When Newman left the program after the 1965 season he held the record for most wins (53), longest tenure (10 years) and most games coached (108) in the Tiger football program. He sent four teams to the playoffs and his overall record at Winnfield was 53-50-5.  Other than Alwin Stokes (1919-1923, 1934-1935) he is the only coach between 1909 and 1965 who served the program more than one year and left with a winning record.

 

Darrell Mayes (1956-1957, G & T)    Considered one of the best lineman in the

history of the program and particularly of the pre-1960 era. Was one of only two

players to earn first team All State honors during the 1950s when he achieved that

honor at a guard position his junior season. He was a two-year starter in the line,

earning first team All District honors at guard his junior year and first team All

District honors at tackle his senior year. Mayes is the third-highest vote getter at

guard by the Expert Panel on the 2000 All Century Poll for the Old Timers Squad.

Was also the third-highest vote getter at guard by the fans voting on the same poll.

 

Tommy Wyatt (1958-1959, E)     During the 1959 season he, along with

quarterback Mike Tinnerello, ushered in the most prolific passing attack the

program had ever seen. Wyatt caught nine touchdown passes in 1959 to break the

single season record of five which had been set in 1936 by David Harper. That

single-season total also established a career mark for touchdown catches; a record

that lasted until 1973. His single season mark stood until 1982. He was the first

receiver to gain 400 yards in a single season in 1959 when he finished the year with

458 yards.  Wyatt caught touchdown passes in seven of eleven regular season

games in 1959, including five games in a row at one point. That consecutive string

of touchdown catches has only been matched by one player, that coming in 1989

when John Michael Spangler also caught touchdown passes in five consecutive

games. Wyatt was the leading scorer of the 1959 team, ending the year with 56

points. That is the third-highest single season total of the pre-1960 era. He is one

of only seven players from that era to surpass the 50-point mark for a season.

Wyatt was a first team All District and All State player in 1959. He was top vote

getter at end by the fans and received the second most votes at that same position

by the Expert Panel.  That vote was for the Modern-Day era of Tiger football.

 

  

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1960-1969

1960-1969

Wayne McFarland (1957-1961, T)    Four-year starter at tackle and the first multi-year first team All District selection.  McFarland earned All District honors in 1959, 1960 and 1961 and was an honorable mention All State selection in 1959.  He was a two-way player in both the offensive and defensive lines. McFarland was the third-leading vote-getter at tackle the Expert Panel voting on the 2000 All Century Poll for the Modern Squad; though he received the most first place votes from among that group.  He was the leading vote-getter at tackle by fans voting in that poll and in fact the only player at any position who received either more first place votes or overall votes by the fans was running back Anthony Thomas.

 

Don Jones (1957-1961, G)    Jones is the second member of the 1959 to 1961 line listed in this Who’s Who list.  He too was well decorated, earning first team All State honors in 1961 (the only player that season to be named to a first team slot and the only lineman from this group to earn first team honors).  Jones was a first team All District selection in 1960 and 1961.  Like his teammate McFarland, he was the third-leading vote getter at guard by the Expert Panel voting on the 2000 All Century Poll for the Modern Squad and was the leading vote getter at guard by fans voting in that.  Jones was a two player in both the offensive and defensive lines. He is the son of J. D. Jones (1933-1935), who is listed in this list and in fact they comprise the only father-son combination in this list.

 

Carroll Long (1958-1961, C, LB & PK)    Long is the third and final member of the 1959 to 1961 offensive line cited in this list. He was a first team All District selection at center in 1961. Long was the place kicker for the 1960 and 1961 squads, where he converted 46 of 66 extra point tries.  Established a new single season record for PAT kicks by converting 29 ties in 1961.  Ended his career with the most PAT kicks.  Long also kicked the first field goal in the history of the program.  That came during the 1961 season and was a 32 yarder against Jena. The fans voting on the 2000 All Century Poll made him their top choice at center, while the Expert Panel tabbed him their second choice. Long was a linebacker on the defensive side of the ball.

 

Mike Tinnerello (1959-1961, QB, Punter, DB)  Versatile player who started at quarterback three years, played at a fullback position some during his senior season, played a defensive back position on that side of the ball and was the team punter for three seasons. Tinnerello was the first Tiger QB to throw for double-digit touchdown passes in a single season; that coming in 1959 when he tossed 13 touchdown passes. That shattered the previous single-season record of five. He is the first Tiger QB to throw for double-digit touchdown passes in a single season; that coming in 1959 when he tossed 13 touchdown passes.  Prior to that, the single-season record was 5 touchdown passes. He was the first Tiger QB to throw for 150 yards in a game, that coming in 1961 when he threw for an even 150 against Mansfield. He threw at least one touchdown pass in every one of the eleven regular season games and is the only Tiger quarterback to have ever done that.  His string of touchdown passes was snapped in the playoff game of 1959, but his streak of 11 straight games with at least one touchdown pass is the longest in the program. Tinnerello rushed for 16 touchdowns, with his two longest being 75-yarder against Jena in 1961 and a 60 yarder against Ville Platte that same year.  Tinnerello is one of only six Tiger quarterbacks who have touchdown runs of 50 or more yards and he joins Greg Powell (2) and Thomas King (6) as the only Tiger quarterbacks with multiple touchdown runs covering fifty or more yards. In 1961 Tinnerello also returned two interceptions for touchdowns, with those covering 45 and 37 yards. He was the second-leading vote getter at quarterback by fans voting in that poll.  He was a first-team All District selection at quarterback his sophomore and junior seasons and a second team selection his senior season.  He was an honorable mention All State at quarterback in 1959.  

 

Mike Kelly (1965, DE)   Tied the school record for longest touchdown run with a 100 yard interception return against Mansfield in 1965.

 

Tommy Bankston (1966-1969, Head Coach)   Took over program as head coach in 1966 and had immediate success. After two straight losing seasons prior to his coming, his first team posted a 9-4-0 record and secured a playoff spot as the district runner.  The seven win improvement between 1965 and 1966 is the biggest turnaround from one season the next in the history of the program. His second and third teams were back in the title hunt, with his 1968 team knocking off district foe and No. 1 ranked Winnsboro to secure the district title.  Coach Bankston’s 1968 team became the first Winnfield Tiger football team to win a playoff game When they defeated Northwood of Shreveport 7-0 in Stokes Walker Stadium.  Coach Bankston preached pride, work, conditioning and fundamentals. His overall won/loss record at Winnfield was 29-14-3 (.656) and his district record was 13 6-1 (.675).  In 1970 he became principal at Winnfield Senior High School and from there moved to Superintendent of Schools in Winn Parish.  All four of his team’s produced winning records.  The only Tiger coaches who stayed in the program more than three years and did not have a losing season are Joe Dosher (1970-1974),

Doug Moreau (1979-1984) and Bankston.

 

Jerry Hightower (1965-1966, RB & DB)    Two-year starter at running back and defensive back. Beginning in 1962 players were selected to Offensive and Defensive All District squads.  In 1966, Hightower, along with teammate Mike Spangler, became the first players named to a first team spot on both sides of the ball. Hightower was named as both an offensive and defensive back. He was the leading scorer on the 1966 team, tallying 54 points.  Those came by way of nine touchdowns, with four of those being by rush and five coming from receptions. He was the rushing and reception leader of the 1966 team, rushing for 483 yards on 83 carries (5.8 ypc) and adding 398 reception yards to his total yardage figure.

 

Mike Spangler (1965-1966, E & DE)     Spangler was one of only four players to be named to a first team All State spot during the 1960s. That came during his junior season when he earned that honor at defensive end. He also earned first team All District honors at both offensive and defensive end in 1966, joining teammate Jerry Hightower as the first players to earn first team honors on both offense and defense. Spangler blocked four punts in his career, with the most critical being a block of a punt against long-time rival Tallulah in 1966. Winnfield came into the Tallulah came never having defeated the Trojans in six tries. Then again, not many people had beaten Tallulah in the 1950s or 1960s.  In the comeback season of 1966, Tallulah loomed large on the Tiger schedule as they were picked to win the District title.  Winnfield served notice that the program was back with an early season 6-0 win over Tallulah.  The lone touchdown came when Spangler not only blocked a Trojan punt, but he also sprung up from the ground, grabbed the football off the turf and ran five yards into the end zone for the score. During the rest of the 1966 season he scored by way of a 55 yard interception return and two pass reception.  During his senior season Spangler blocked a punt in a playoff game against Jesuit, Sp. which led to a Tiger touchdown and he caught one touchdown pass. Spangler ranked first in the fan vote at defensive end and third by the Expert Panel.

 

the most first place votes from fans voting in that poll. 

Charles Poisso (1966-1967, C & LB)    Fierce competitor on both sides of the ball, Poisso is considered one of the best players in the history of the program at two positions, those being center and linebacker. The Expert Panel named Poisso the starting center on the 2000 All Century Poll for the Modern Squad as he garnered five first place votes from the eight panelists. The fans made him their second choice at center in that poll.  He received the third most votes at linebacker by the Expert Panel and fans voting in the All-Century poll, falling behind legends Lionel Johnson and Ricky Chatman (arguably two of the best football players in the history of the program) at that spot. Poisso is credited with 174 tackles in 1967, which includes both solo and assisted tackles.  Poisso scored two touchdowns in 1967 from his linebacker position, the first coming on a 27-yard interception return against Jena and the second coming in the playoff game against Jesuit, Sp. When he returned a blocked punt 36 yards for a score.  He was an honorable mention All District choice at center his junior year, but he was named to the first team at both center and linebacker his senior season.

 

Steve Stroud (1965-1967, PK, OT & DT)     Two year starter at both the offensive and

defensive lines at tackle, but is better known for his place kicking proficiency. In his career he converted on 37 of 50 attempts, but his most prolific season was his senior season when he made 21 of 23 extra point attempts. One of those attempts was blocked and the only other miss came in the final game of the season against Jesuit, Sp. That .913 kicking percentage is the second highest single-season percentage in the history of the program. In 1967 game against Jena Stroud converted 7 of 7 extra point tries. That broke the school record of 5 PAT kicks set by John Harrington in 1955. He also made three field goals in 1967, which were the second through fourth field goals ever made in the program. He is the first player to boot more than one field goal in a season and that feat wasn’t duplicated until 1978 when Tommy Latham kicked four field goals.  Stroud’s three field goal performance is tied for second most field goals in a single season. Stroud was the first choice by one of the members of the Expert Panel voting on the kicker

position for the 2000 All Century Poll and received the fifth-most votes from fans.

 

Ricky Jordan (1965-1966, Quarterback) Had a break out season in 1966 when he attempted 195 passes and completed 92 of those for 1,286 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those totals shattered the previous single season school record set by Mike Tinnerello in 1959 when he became the first Tiger quarterback to throw for more than 500 yards in a season by throwing for 629.  Therefore, Jordan threw for over double the previous school record and Jordan is the first Tiger QB to throw for over 1,000 yards in a single season.  His 1966 marks still ranks 5th highest all-time. Jordan's career game came against Jena in 1966 in a rematch forced by a tie in the district standings.  In the regular season finale the Tigers needed a win over Jena to secure the district crown but fell to the Giants by a score of 19-13.  In that contest Jordan completed 8 of 10 passes for an 80% completion rate.  That set a single game completion percentage record that has only been surpassed once. In the tie-breaker game, which game four days later, the Tigers prevailed in a 33-13 mauling of Jena.  In that contest Jordan completed 13 of 22 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns.  That marked the first time a Tiger quarterback had thrown for over 200 yards in a single game and broke Jordan's own single game record of 199 yards set earlier in the season against Tioga.  Jordan's single game yardage total has only been surpassed three times since then.  Jordan connected on 12 touchdown passes in 1966 which was one shy of Mike Tinnerello's record 13 TD tosses in 1959.  Up to 1966 no other Tiger quarterback threw for more then five touchdowns in a single season. That total remains among the ten highest single season totals  Jordan also tied a thirty-year old school record by throwing for three touchdowns against Jena.  Jordan threw for 1,606 career yards, which is currently 6th highest all time. His fifteen (15) career touchdown passes remains in the Top Ten all-time.  Jordan ended his career with 113 pass completions, becoming the first Tiger QB to cross the 100-completion mark in a career.

 

Gary Green (1965-1967, Quarterback)    Green was the second Tiger quarterback to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a single season, that coming in 1967 when he threw for 1,063 yards.   Green ended his career with 1,671 passing yards, which at the time was a new career high. He ended his career with 126 completions. In his senior season he attempted 156 passes and completed 78 of those for an even 50% completion rate. All of those numbers were all-time highs at the time. His single-season completion total has only been topped six times and his completion percentage has only been topped three times. Green was voted first team All District at quarterback his senior season.

 

Randy Poisso (1966-1968; DB, RB & KR; Assistant Coach, 1976-1984 & 1991-1995)

Poisso is the program's first 1,000-yard rusher. That occurred in 1968 when he gained 1,088 yards on 188 carries in that 12-game season.  That is a 5.78 yard per carry average and a 90.6 yard per game average.  For that effort Poisso was voted to the Class AA All State team and was named Class AA Back of the Year.  He was also a first team All District selection at running back that year.  Poisso was a two-year starter at running back and a three-year starter at defensive back.  He also returned kickoffs.  Poisso had seven career rushing touchdowns, but his most decisive touchdown came when he returned the second half kickoff of the 1968 Winnsboro game.  Winnfield was engaged in a battle for the district title in that game and were facing the undefeated, No. 1 ranked team in Class AA in Winnsboro.  Poisso's touchdown gave Winnfield a two-score margin (14-0) at the time and essentially enabled the team to play the second half knowing one play would not tie the game. Winnfield went on to win that game by a 21-7 margin.  Poisso's best single-game rushing night came against another tough district foe, that being Tallulah in 1968.  That night Poisso rushed for 145 yards on 17 carries.

 

Robbie Richards (1967-1969, QB, RB, DB, Punter)     Richards was the first special team player to earn All State honors as a Tiger.  That came in 1969 when he was voted to the Class AA All State team as a punter. He also earned All District honors as a punter that year. Though Richards had to contend with injuries his senior season.  He was a three-year letterman, playing in both the offensive and defensive backfield. Richards was the leading vote-getter at punter in the All Century poll by both the Expert Panel and the fans at large. On the offensive side of the ball he was used primarily as a quarterback early in his career, though he was moved to a running back his senior season. Richards had a 65 yard fumble return for a touchdown as a sophomore, and he scored three touchdowns as a junior, with the longest being a 60-yard run from scrimmage against Natchitoches Central.  During his senior season Richards rushed for three touchdowns, including a 55-yarder against Winnsboro, and he caught two touchdown passes.  His best night as a quarterback came in the 1969 game against eventual Class AA runner-up Tallulah when Richards completed 11 of 21 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown. That was the third highest single game total at the time.  Two weeks later he switched to the receiving end of the ball and gained 174 yards on four catches to establish a new single-game receiving record. Two of those receptions went for touchdowns covering 78 and 60 yards in length. He is the first, and one of only two players to catch touchdown passing that covered 50 or more yards in the same game.  The other player to accomplish that was Freddie King in 2000 against Jena. In fact, Richards is only of only five players to have two touchdown passes of 50 yards or more in the same season. 

 

Terry Skains (1968-1969, RB, DB)     Durable fullback and defensive back for two

seasons. He is the first Tiger back to gain 200 or more yards in a game, that coming in the

1969 Caldwell contest when Skains gained 201 yards on 17 carries. Skains scored one

rushing touchdown as a junior and nine as a senior to end his career with 10 rushing

touchdowns. At the time that ranked Skains in the top ten for career rushing touchdowns. 

He was the scoring leader for the 1969 Team with 54 points. His longest scoring run was a 54-yarder against Winnsboro in 1969.

 

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1970-1979

Joe Dosher (1966-1969 & 1977-1982 Assistant Coach, 1970-1974 Head Coach)    Overall

career won/loss record of 42-14-0.  Guided the 1971 team to the school’s first state

championship game played on the field.  Is the first coach to win multiple playoff games as the

1971 team went 3-1 in the playoffs.  His 1971 team went 10-0-0 during the regular season to

become only the third team in school history to complete a regular season with an unblemished

record. His career record in district games is 29-7-0, which is the most district wins by any head

coach at Winnfield. All five of this teams had winning records. The only coaches in the history

of the program to have five or more winning seasons are Dosher and Alwin Stokes (1917-1923,

1934-1935)) with five, and Doug Moreau (1979-1984) and Joey Pender (1998-2005) with six.

Dosher sent three of his five teams to the playoffs, where he had a 3-3 record.  Came in third in

The Expert Panel Poll and fourth in the fan poll in the 2000 All Century Poll.  All five of