As the high school football season draws to a close, it is time to go Way Back When some old-timey coaches became legends, way back in the mid-20th century. In the 1950s and early '60s, there were …
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As the high school football season draws to a close, it is time to go Way Back When some old-timey coaches became legends, way back in the mid-20th century. In the 1950s and early '60s, there were six public high schools in Baldwin County: Bay Minette, Foley, Douglasville, Robertsdale, Fairhope and Baldwin Country Training School in Daphne.
Those were the days former football players regard as the best times of their lives, with a lot of credit given to their coaches. The same comment keeps popping up: they trained men, not just football players. These names seem to be tops in those memories, and an entire column should be dedicated to each one and the others who were just as memorable. There is too much to write for one episode, so this will be the first part of a three-part series.
Keith Smith, teacher at Snook Christian Academy, compiled a book titled "The History of the Foley Lions to 1955." When Coach Ivan Jones died in 2021, Smith used his collection of interviews in the tribute to the man that began the Golden Age of Foley football. He first came to Foley at Foley Middle School for a few years then returned home to Jackson, Alabama, to coach, where my husband was among those young men he coached. He was recruited to Foley High as head coach in 1955 and immediately led the team to county championships three years running.
"Coach Jones remained the head coach of Foley through 1968. His record was 110-26-3. His teams won 10 county championships and never had a losing season in his 14 years at the helm. His 1961 and 1962 football teams both were 10-0 and won back-to-back state championships. Including the last three games of the 1960 season, Foley won a school record 23 straight games." — from Keith Smith.
The football stadium in Foley is named Ivan Jones Stadium as a tribute to his character.
His leadership shaped some of the outstanding citizens of the Foley area. One is Lester Smith, former coach and principal at Foley and later athletic director for Baldwin County Public Schools. The heritage continues with Lester's son, Keith, who was head coach at Foley Middle. He and is now head coach at Snook. His dad is his volunteer assistant, on the field every practice and game.
The legacy lives on in many other fine men Ivan developed.
James Williams remembers when curating the Douglasville High School Museum, they had to depend on personal collections since the old school records somehow disappeared when the Black school was integrated with Baldwin County High School. But his memory is perfect recalling his days playing football under Coach Herndon Ellis.
The school actually opened in 1949, but the first football program didn't start until 1951-52. Coach Leroy Bryant was hired as teacher and coach. "Hired" is a misnomer as the pay for coaches at Black schools was a joke. These men worked because of their love for the young men and athletics. Herndon Ellis came in 1961 and won 80% of games he coached at Douglasville. Willams played for Coach Ellis beginning in eighth grade when he entered high school from Vaughn School in Stockton. Willams graduated in 1969, the year before the school was integrated and Coach Ellis was named co-coach with Lyle Underwood.
Willmans reflected that Coach Ellis was a man of integrity, known for his mild manner that left no room for shenanigans on the field where he expected his efforts to be put into play. The exhibit in his honor is on display in the museum in Bay Minette.
Williams is knowledgeable about the history of athletics in the school system. The Black schools were not allowed to play the white schools, but Douglasville was determined to become 3A. They had to travel miles to play schools, one being Williamson in Mobile. But their biggest rival was Baldwin County Training School in Daphne. There was very little county support for their athletics, and when Williams was on the Baldwin County Board of Education, he was instrumental in making amends for the treatment of athletics in the school system in the 1950s and '60s in all-Black schools.
No telling how many men you know today were shaped by these coaches and those since the 1960s, as well.
Let's end with a chuckle about the influence that coaches have on the young people they mold into adults. I'm married to one of those legendary coaches. Perry coached at Grove Hill, Evergreen and B C Rain.
Like every coach, it is always rewarding to see former players. One of the most memorable happened at the County Waste Disposal, which we call the Dump. There were work-release county correctional personnel helping unload. We saw one of them in his white jumpsuit running across the field yelling, "Coach Outlaw, Coach Outlaw!" He picked Perry up with a big bear hug, and with tears in his eyes he said, "It is so good to see you, Coach. I want to tell you that you were a powerful influence in my life. You made me the man I am today." Perry looked at me and said, "Well, at least he's in jail. He's not homeless."
