INSIDE ? CLASSIFIEDS A DEATHS A ENTERTAINMENT A RELIGION A BUSINESS Sports Bi KbflflBBBHi "A History of Struggle and Triumph" The Tiny Indians Football League is presently signing up for its fall season at 14th Street Community Center for football players and cheerlead ers ages 5-15. Tiny Indians program book the history of this 955 at the Salvation Army Boys' Club. A char ter member of the Northwest Midget Football League, which was formed by Pop Warner, the Red Shield Boys' Club Football Team began playing as a member of an all-white league. It used the name Red Shield because of the emblem the Salvation Army uses. During the early years, the team struggled to attract youngsters from the south side of W.S. to participate on its three teams - Junior Pee Wees, Pee Wets and Midgets. Every now and then Red Shield was able to attract a standout such as Brew Buie, who went on to become a professional player with the Oakland Raiders. Most seasons. the program was hard-pressed to field competitive teams. In 1 966, the name changed to the Tiny Indians Football Club. The pro gram began a slow climb toward respectability and pushed toward a new direction. Black children from Happy Hills Gardens Housing Project found out about the program and asked to try out for the team. It took a period of adjustment for the program to rise above conflict, as most of the other teams in the league frowned upon having blacks in their programs, but the Red Shield team decided to give it a try. In the beginning, the coaches in the program were reluctant to use black players in starting position where thy could take advantage of their athletic skills, but with losing records staring them in the face, they soon gave in. By 1967, the second season that blacks participated in the program, the coaches realized that despite racial intolerance by other teams, the Tiny Indians could only field competitive teams by prominently using black players. Among the first blacks to succeed in the program were Earnest Brown, Walt Larry, Phillip Jeffries and Frank Draper. The 1969 season marked a milestone in the program. The Midget team finished the season with an undefeated record and advanced to the play offs for the first time in the program's history. And, ironically, the team included the first group of black players who -had gone through the pro gram from the Junior Pee Wees to the Midgets. The blacks on that team included Marvin Bonner, Reginald Little, Verlie Fields, Vincent Pledger, Tim Davis, Curtis Speas and Karl Gary. I 1 1 1 1 i ? 1 i . J. ?.JUi J .L. -W- ..,>M '.la. MA "" Mi .'All J. I . . Although no one really noticcd, that 1969 team set the standard for the Indians programs for years to come, not only in athletics, but also in other fields of endeavor. Many of the aforementioned players were not only exceptional athletes, but many were also exceptional individuals. Most not only excelled in athletes, but also in academics and in life. Today Reginald Little is a business executive living in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Rev. Curt'is Speas is an ordained minister and holds a master's degree from Abilene Christian University; Vincent Pledger became a fireman in the City of Winston-Salem; the Rev. Verlifc Fields became a minister; and Karl Gary holds a master's degree and juris doctorate. Following the success of the 1969 team, blacks throughout W.S. began to join the organization. They included Kenny Duckett, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys; Leonard Horn, W.S. State University; Danry Nicholson, University of NC and played professionally in Canada; Edward SEE RELATED STORY ON PG B4 Byers, WS State University^ Kennard Martin, University of NC; Julius Reese, high school stand out at Mount Tabor, David Pearson WS State University; Willie Mac, East Carolina standout, and our own Coaches Thomas Eaton and Charlie Imes, Jr. Imes' father, Charles Imes, Sr. and wife, Yvonne, were, perhaps, two of the first black volunteers to work actively with the program. According to Don Moore, Executive birector of the Salvation Army Boy's Club, "Charles was very instrumental in building the progress of the football pro gram through the years, and a very positive influence to the organization". Joe Adams became the program's first black head coach in 1975. He was followed by other head coaches and assistants. The first group of black coaches included Robert Wynn, Arthur "Boss Hog" Rapley, Ulysses Hunter, Ike Howard, Doug Joiner and Tom Brown. It was during this peri od that the program's Junior Pee Wees began their era of domination. The team won Sertoma Championships in '74 '75 and '76. The program also fielded championship teams in '77, '78 ,79 and '80. Despite the programs' success in athletics and in molding the lives of black youth, the future of the organization hung in limbo in 1981. The Please see page B4 Betty I awler is shown with president of the Roosters Club , Wayne Rousseau as she receives the Color 7T she won in drawing at the 14th Street Community ( enter from Tiny Indian fund raiser. Kids Thoughts . ~ ' ' " ??' ,yr' /? "Look Boys, / can