12-05-2019, 06:55 PM
Small group this time, didn't want to cut the next batch in half.
Stuart Robinson Eagles (1913-1957) â Also known as the Letcher School, Stuart Robinson was initially founded as a Protestant female only settlement school. It is unclear when the school went co-ed, but they fielded their first football team in 1952, a squad that went 0-8. They would follow that up with a 2-4 record in their sophomore season. Their third and final season took place in 1954, going 0-5 and scoring only 6 points. In 1957 the school closed and a decade later the campus was repurposed as a college.
Sturgis Golden Bears/Bears (19??-1964) â Sturgis is memorable, unfortunately more so for the 1956 School year when Governor A.B. Chandler had to send 200 National Guardsmen to Sturgis, so that 9 black children could attend school after Kentucky schools had integrated. The students had been turned away the prior day by angry protestors. Sturgis High traces back to at least 1907 and existed until it consolidated into Union County in 1964. They had football dating back to at least 1929, in the early years Sturgis was often a hard victory for the likes of the Little Sixteens top schools. Often springing upsets on the favorites to win the conference. Their best season may have come in 1936 when they finished in a 4-way tie for 2nd place in the Little 16 Conference. By the mid-1940s that scrappy underdog reputation was replaced with a loosing reputation. One that Sturgis would carry until 1962 when they recorded 7 wins and 3 losses. Their final year in 1963 saw them step back going 4-5-1.
Temple Hill Bulldogs (19??-1973) â The Bulldogs of Temple Hill only took to the grid for two varsity seasons in its long school history. In 1971 and 1972 the Bulldogs went a combined 9-7 (8-5 district), from 1968-1970 the Bulldogs had played a JV schedule.
Thomas Jefferson Patriots (1962-1981) â The Patriots took to the field for the first time two years after the school opened, going 6-2, they followed that up with a 9-1 record and things at Jefferson looked off to a good start and that success would continue until 1973. Between 1961-1973 the Patriots went 72-18 in regular season play, won their district 6 times, won three regional titles, two Jefferson County titles a state runner up. During the 61-73-time frame TJ allowed over 100 points in a season only once. In â67 (a 21-0 loss to Flaget), in 1971 TJ would win a Co-State Championship in the only tie game in state title history (a 6-6 tie against Flaget) Watch an absolutely awesome YouTube video of that game here . From 1974 until they were controversially closed in 1981 Jefferson would not see another playoff appearance and only one winning season.
Tompkinsville Bears (19??-1985) - The Bears began play as early as 1936, most likely earlier. During the playoff era the Bears would win 7 district titles and 3 regional titles. From 1965 â 1970 Tompkinsville went 47-9 outscoring regular season opponents 1911-467. From 1975-1984 the team only had 3 loosing seasons, two of those coming in the final two seasons before consolidation swallowed them up into Monroe County High School in 1985.
Vanceburg Lions (19??-1962) â the first mention of Vanceburg High School is first mentioned in 1908, the school was replaced and renamed Lewis County H.S in 1963. While the current iteration of Lions football started in 1969 the Vanceburg Lions played varsity grid schedules from 1934-1942, the team had one winning season (5-3-1) in 1937 under Head Coach Ivan Van Winkle who coached them from 1934-1938. The Vanceburg area traditionally basketball and baseball oriented started a football program the same year that the NFLâs Portsmouth Trojans left Portsmouth, Ohio (about half an hour from Vanceburg) for Detroit to become the Lions. Portsmouthâs grid success may have helped cultivate interest in a High School football squad.
Van Lear Bank Mules (????-1968) â One of the most interesting nicknames I have ever run across the Bank Mules played football from 1926-1941. Van Learâs two best seasons came almost a decade apart, in 1927 the Mules went 5-1-1 and in 1935 they would go 6-4. In their 16 year history Van Lear would go winless 5 times and win only 1 game 3 times. Outside of the two seasons previously mentioned the Bank Mules never won more than 4 games in a single season. In 1941 Van Lear found themselves without a Coach and would play 4 games, folding the program after that season. In 1968, 27 years after Van Lear last took to a football field the school closed due to consolidation with Meade Memorial, Flat Gap, and Oil Springs to become Johnson Central.
Versailles Yellowjackets (18??-1963) â In 1962, their final year on the gridiron, Versailles was led by head coach John Snowden to a Class A State Championship over Lynch East. Snowden would leave in 1964 with a consolidation with Midway looming, to take over for Roy Walton at Lexington Lafayette in â64 and in â65 he took over the newly opened Woodford County, the result of the previously mentioned consolidation. In their final two seasons on the football field the Jackets went 17-3 and outscored opposition 605-105
Stuart Robinson Eagles (1913-1957) â Also known as the Letcher School, Stuart Robinson was initially founded as a Protestant female only settlement school. It is unclear when the school went co-ed, but they fielded their first football team in 1952, a squad that went 0-8. They would follow that up with a 2-4 record in their sophomore season. Their third and final season took place in 1954, going 0-5 and scoring only 6 points. In 1957 the school closed and a decade later the campus was repurposed as a college.
Sturgis Golden Bears/Bears (19??-1964) â Sturgis is memorable, unfortunately more so for the 1956 School year when Governor A.B. Chandler had to send 200 National Guardsmen to Sturgis, so that 9 black children could attend school after Kentucky schools had integrated. The students had been turned away the prior day by angry protestors. Sturgis High traces back to at least 1907 and existed until it consolidated into Union County in 1964. They had football dating back to at least 1929, in the early years Sturgis was often a hard victory for the likes of the Little Sixteens top schools. Often springing upsets on the favorites to win the conference. Their best season may have come in 1936 when they finished in a 4-way tie for 2nd place in the Little 16 Conference. By the mid-1940s that scrappy underdog reputation was replaced with a loosing reputation. One that Sturgis would carry until 1962 when they recorded 7 wins and 3 losses. Their final year in 1963 saw them step back going 4-5-1.
Temple Hill Bulldogs (19??-1973) â The Bulldogs of Temple Hill only took to the grid for two varsity seasons in its long school history. In 1971 and 1972 the Bulldogs went a combined 9-7 (8-5 district), from 1968-1970 the Bulldogs had played a JV schedule.
Thomas Jefferson Patriots (1962-1981) â The Patriots took to the field for the first time two years after the school opened, going 6-2, they followed that up with a 9-1 record and things at Jefferson looked off to a good start and that success would continue until 1973. Between 1961-1973 the Patriots went 72-18 in regular season play, won their district 6 times, won three regional titles, two Jefferson County titles a state runner up. During the 61-73-time frame TJ allowed over 100 points in a season only once. In â67 (a 21-0 loss to Flaget), in 1971 TJ would win a Co-State Championship in the only tie game in state title history (a 6-6 tie against Flaget) Watch an absolutely awesome YouTube video of that game here . From 1974 until they were controversially closed in 1981 Jefferson would not see another playoff appearance and only one winning season.
Tompkinsville Bears (19??-1985) - The Bears began play as early as 1936, most likely earlier. During the playoff era the Bears would win 7 district titles and 3 regional titles. From 1965 â 1970 Tompkinsville went 47-9 outscoring regular season opponents 1911-467. From 1975-1984 the team only had 3 loosing seasons, two of those coming in the final two seasons before consolidation swallowed them up into Monroe County High School in 1985.
Vanceburg Lions (19??-1962) â the first mention of Vanceburg High School is first mentioned in 1908, the school was replaced and renamed Lewis County H.S in 1963. While the current iteration of Lions football started in 1969 the Vanceburg Lions played varsity grid schedules from 1934-1942, the team had one winning season (5-3-1) in 1937 under Head Coach Ivan Van Winkle who coached them from 1934-1938. The Vanceburg area traditionally basketball and baseball oriented started a football program the same year that the NFLâs Portsmouth Trojans left Portsmouth, Ohio (about half an hour from Vanceburg) for Detroit to become the Lions. Portsmouthâs grid success may have helped cultivate interest in a High School football squad.
Van Lear Bank Mules (????-1968) â One of the most interesting nicknames I have ever run across the Bank Mules played football from 1926-1941. Van Learâs two best seasons came almost a decade apart, in 1927 the Mules went 5-1-1 and in 1935 they would go 6-4. In their 16 year history Van Lear would go winless 5 times and win only 1 game 3 times. Outside of the two seasons previously mentioned the Bank Mules never won more than 4 games in a single season. In 1941 Van Lear found themselves without a Coach and would play 4 games, folding the program after that season. In 1968, 27 years after Van Lear last took to a football field the school closed due to consolidation with Meade Memorial, Flat Gap, and Oil Springs to become Johnson Central.
Versailles Yellowjackets (18??-1963) â In 1962, their final year on the gridiron, Versailles was led by head coach John Snowden to a Class A State Championship over Lynch East. Snowden would leave in 1964 with a consolidation with Midway looming, to take over for Roy Walton at Lexington Lafayette in â64 and in â65 he took over the newly opened Woodford County, the result of the previously mentioned consolidation. In their final two seasons on the football field the Jackets went 17-3 and outscored opposition 605-105