Looking B(l)ack... 1968 Carroll Football Legacy

Honoring the legacy of the 1968 Carroll High School Football State Champions, Rickey Brantley, the youngest of five in a family where all members graduated from Carroll High School in Monroe, LA, recalls the electrifying atmosphere of Friday nights during football season, marked by the tunes of the Carroll High band, the glow of football stadium lights, and the resounding cheers of fans. Brantley, who played tight end as #86, reminisces about the special feeling and flavor of Carroll football, particularly the memorable year of 1968 when Carroll won the AAA State Football Championship in Louisiana. This victory, 55 years ago, holds significance as the last all-Black High School Championship. Carroll High School football, under the leadership of the late Mr. Morris Henry Carroll, was the top Black high school football team in AAA from 1953-1968, securing championships in 1961, 1962, and 1968, and finishing as runners-up in 1966 and 1967. The 1968 AAA football championship was clinched with an 11-2-1 record, including four shutout victories, fulfilling the prediction made by Principal Carroll.