Harrell, Newsome, Futrell made the NFL
The News-Herald, Friday, July 2,1993
AHS football teams produced college, pro standouts
"Of all the schools in Carolina,
Ahoskie High's the best."
By Tommy Mitchell
Former AHS assistant coach
This quote from the alma mater
sums up Ahoskie High School
football from 1926 to 1988.
Through the years, many players
went on to play college football,
and three played professional foot
ball. They were running back Sam
Harrell (class of 1974) for the Min
nesota Vikings, running back
Timmy Newsome (1976) for the
Dallas Cowboys and defensive back
Bobby Futrell (1979) for the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers.
The proud tradition began more
than 60 years ago. In the fall of
1926, 11 young men took the field
for the first time in Ahoskie High
School history.
The linemen were A1 Early,
Henry Miller Harris, Crawford
Lawrence, Lloyd Britton, Vernon
Cowan, Henry Clay Odom and
Buck McKeel. The backs were Theo
Mitchell. Dick Newsome, Whimey
Saunders and Edmund Hill.
The first game was played in
Williamston and was won by
Ahoskie as Mitchell scored the first
touchdown in AHS history. George
D. Underwood coached the team to
an 8-1 record.
Home games were played on the
field where the old AHS band room
now stands at the comer Main and
Colony streets.
"Hoot" Gibson was the next
AHS football coach and was fol
lowed by Ira Ainsley (1930-32),
Charles Garner (1933-34), Fred
Smith (1935-36), Robert Bryan
(1937-38), John Bonner (1939), the
Rev. J. Dunlap (last name un
known) and Arthur W. "Pitt" Ed
wards (1940-47).
Then John W. "Jack" Young Jr.
was head coach and athletic director
from 1947-62.
The main assistant coach was
Julian Freeman. Other assistants
were Floyd "Dutch" Overton, Jake
Smith, Leonard Cashion, Joseph J.
Lassiter, John Daughtry, Archie
Brigman, Luther "Bright Eyes"
Brake, Chet Rogerson, Carroll
Daniels, Vernon Baker and Tommy
Mitchell.
AHS principals at this time
were R.A. Mobley, F.M. Tucker
and A.W. Taylor.
Young's career highlights
1947 — Formation of the Albe
marle Conference through his ef
forts.
Oct. 17, 1947 — First night
game in Ahoskie (AHS 18,
Columbia 0).
1947 — AHS Athletic Associa
tion started by Carlton Cherry,
Lowell Powell and Phil Woodley.
1947-49 — AHS has 24-game
winning streak.
1948 — AHS wins state Class B
championship (AHS 26,
Jamestown 0)
1951 — AHS wins state Class A
championship (AHS 52, Walnut
Cove 0)
Jack Young, Al
Vaughan and
Darryl Allen were
among the
coaches.
1952 — AHS wins slate Class A
championship (AHS 48, Bessemer
City 6).
1961 — AHS wins Eastern Class
AA championship (AHS 33, More-
head City 7)
September, 1985 — More than
150 former AHS football players
hold reunion for Young.
September, 1992 — Young is
inducted into the North Carolina
High School Athletic Association
Hall of Fame.
During the 1963-64 seasons,
Julian Freeman was head football
coach and athletic director. The
assistants were AI Vaughan, Ver
non Baker, Tommy Mitchell and
Richard Murray. Young was the
principal.
Then Vaughan became head foot
ball coach and athletic director from
1965-70. His assistants were Baker,
Mitchell, Murray and Lee Wilson.
Principals were Young, Robert Al-
ligood and J. Eiey Newsome.
Vaughan career highlights
1966 — AHS wins stale Class
AA championship to finish with a
12-0 record (AHS 52, Clayton 7)
1970 — Full integration took
play, and the Indians became the
Cougars. New assistant coaches
were Fred Hall and Daryl Allen.
1970 — AHS wins state Class
AA championship to finish with a
Ahoskie High faithfui
How many of these Ahoskie High School football fans from
1948 do you recognize? They included (front row, from left) Joe
Burden, T.D. "Red" Northcott, Lillian Norlhcott, Henry Clay
Odom and Clara Belle Odom; (second row) Ivey Johnson, Myra
Basnight, Martha Hope Basnight, W.H. Basni^lit and an uniden
tified man; (third row) Frances Welch and Lela Godwin; and
(fourth row) three unidentified persons, Norvin Garrett, Norman
Earl Godwin and an unidentified young lady. Even today local
fans still support the consolidated Hertford County Bears (Photo
courtesy of Carolyn B. Mitchell)
12-0-1 season. (AHS 28, Allen Jay
12).
Following Vaughan, Daryl Allen
was coach from 1971 to 1989, and
Richard Murray served as athletic
director. J. Eley Newsome was
principal.
Assistant coaches included Mur
ray, Hall, Mitchell, Godwin White,
Wilson, Mariie Marsh, Daryl Mor
ris, Jack Byrd, Gerald Hall, David
Edwards, Paul Moore, Ben An
thony, Mike Kincaid, Vann Pen
nell, Bryan Ferree, David Eubanks,
Jesse Dickens, Kevin Lancaster,
Larry Holloman and Hancel Phipps.
Allen's career highlights
1973 — AHS loses in Eastern
Class AAA final to finish 11-2
(East Bladen 6, AHS 0).
1974 — AHS wins Eastern Class
AAA final but loses in slate cham
pionship game to finish 13-1
(Jamestown Ragsdale 34, Ahoskie
0).
Club was chartered in 1968
FCA chapter smoothed the way
for total integration in Ahoskie
By Tommy Mitchell
Ahoskie FCA adviser
During the late 1960’s at Ahoskie
High School, when freedom of
choice and total integration came
into effect, one major unifying
force between the races was the Fel
lowship of Christian Athletes.
In May, 1968, the idea of the
FCA was started by the Rev. Billy
Moore, the minister of First Pres
byterian Church in Ahoskie, who
contacted Paul Anderson, then the
world’s strongest man, to share his
feats of strength and his Christian
testimony in the school gymna
sium, This event sparked the fire
which created the local club.
; Al Vaughan, then athletic director
and head football coach, asked me
as the junior varsity football coach
and girls' basketball coach, to head
up this group.
• Principal Robert Alligood, Rev.
Moore and 1 met with Johnny
Clements, North Carolina State's
freshman football coach and district
director for the FCA, to organize
(he chapter.
; Ahoskie businessman Bud
Streetman was chairman, and Pete
Chalk, David McCaw, Joe Bryant,
Don Craft, Carlton Cherry. Harold
McCoy, Malcolm Copeland,
Howard Hunter, Ed Konderla,
Tommy Tucker and Norman Earl
Godwin served as directors.
AHS Club chartered
Then in November, 1968,
Ahoskie High received its official
charter. The 47-member club then
began with these officers: Tommy
Pope, president; Winston King,
vice president; Cheryl Magette,
treasurer’ Sherry Riddick, secretary;
and I as sponsor.
- The purpose of the FCA — and
It still is — is to encourage coaches
and athletes to follow Christ, and
through them the youth of the na
tion in fellowship will be living
witnesses.
The FCA is open to all religions,
races and creeds.
Locally, the chapter was opened
to female students who were ex
cluded nationally.
Club begins ministry
With these guidelines, the AHS
club began its ministry by witness
ing and speaking at civic clubs,
schools, and black and white
churches; collecting and distributing
food baskets and money gifts at
Christmas; teaching Sunday school
classes; and Christmas caroling at
rest homes and for shut-ins, led by
junior varsity coach Godwin While
and Carolyn B. Mitchell.
Youth rallies were widely at
tended by local citizens. Among the
famous athletes who spoke were
Bobby Mitchell of the Washington
Redskins and Don Shinnick of the
Baltimore Colts in 1969, Paul
Crane of the New York Jets in
1970 and Jim "Catfish" Hunter of
the Oakland A's in 1971.
Because of expenses involved, lo
cal college athletes later spoke, in
cluding C.G. Newsome of Duke
and Paul Sharp of N.C. Slate.
Fees from local rallies were paid
by proceeds from FCA projects.
Male students, headed by eighth-
grade coach Lee Wilson, cut and
sold firewood. Female students
baby-sat after school, and each girl
was encouraged to bring in $12.
Other needed money was donated
by the directors and interested citi
zens.
In 1971-72, when Richard Mur
ray became athletic director, the
Varsity Club began supplying
funds for the FCA camp.
Athletes sent to camp
Among the major local projects
was the sending of AHS male ath
letes to the national camp at Black
Mountain. The first two to attend,
in June, 1969, were President Mike
Alston, now a local doctor, and
Vice President Stuart Pierce, now a
local businessman and farmer.
Yearly, the upcoming officers
were invited to attend this spiritual
retreat to inspire them to lead the
members. When they returned home
from camp, many spoke at area
churches. Some of them included
Paul Viser, Cameron Bowser, Bart
Riddick, Jimmy Godwin, Russell
Harrell, Jerry Askew, Louis Mizelle
and Tim Turner.
Presidents of the chapter from
1971 to 1980 were Creech New-
some, Louis Newsome, Tommy
Newton, Gregory Goss, Tom New
born, Timmy Newsome, Allen
Fenno, Curtis Newsome, Johnny
Murray and Rodney Sessoms.
After my leadership, other
coaches became sponsors. At
present, coach Paul Moore, a for
mer Ahoskie High football star,
heads the FCA.
It is with the greatest of pleasure we
extend our best wishes to Ahoskie on it's
Centeimial Celebration!
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Nov. 3,1977 — A stuffed cougar
mascot was presented by County
Commissioner Jimmy Flowers for
school display.
1979 — AHS wins the Eastern
Class AAA final but lose in the
slate championship game to finish
12-2 (Belmont South Point 34,
AHS 13).
1979 — Tommy Mitchell retires
after 19 years of coach, including
12 as junior varsity coach, where he
had a record of 60-15-3 and six con
ference championships.
1986 — AHS wins Eastern Class
AA final but loses in the state
championship game to finish 13-2
(Lexington 34, AHS 6)
1988 — AHS wins Eastern Class
AA final but loses in the state
championship game to finish 14-1
(Thomasville 13, AHS 10).
1989 — Ahoskie and Murfrees
boro high schools were consolidated
to form the Hertford County School
(See FOOTBALL, Page 20A)
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