Looking Black

Terzia/Richwood Football History 3

The 1962-63 season saw the addition of a new coach to the staff. Former four-year letterman and team captain Eugene Hughes returned to the Richwood family.

The year saw the Rams complete an undefeated, untied season capped off with a 2A State Championship, defeating T. A. Levy 18-12.

The 1963-1964 season produced another undefeated state championship team lead by Robert Stewart, Murphy Reed, Simon Profit, Welton Holman, Earl Hollis, Roger Cooper, Donnell Williams, Jerry Ford, William Henderson, Richard McNeal, Charles Cloman and Elroy Smith.

The 1964-65 season returned most of the starters from the 1964 championship team. This team was probably coach Freeze's most dominating team as it rolled to another state championship. The high point of the season was not winning the state championship, but rather playing the Carroll Bulldogs for the first time on the gridiron. In those days as far as the people in Monroe were concerned, Richwood and Carroll were the 2 best teams in the state of Louisiana no matter what classification. The Rams defeated James (Shack) Harris, the best high school quarterback in the nation at that time by a score of 12-0.

On the roster of the 2 teams that night were 8 players that went on to have careers in professional football and 3 others that were drafted by other professional teams.

The 1965-66 season saw the development of new talent as leaders of the Rams. Among these players were Henry Stewart, Bruce Walker, James (Truck) Smith, Clarence Washington, Ronald Hollis, Roger Ross, Willie Chatman, Leonard (Puddin) Wilson, Perry Thomas, Joe Profit, Leo (Bull) Hill and Don Zimmerman.

The team won 6 straight games before losing to Peabody. Richwood was awarded the win because Peabody played an ineligible player. The team finished with a record of 9-1. The loss was to Carroll High 19-14, ending Richwood's winning streak of consecutive wins.

The 1966-67 season closed the book on a legendary career. This was coach Mackie Freeze's last season on the sidelines. The team returned only 4 starters from the 1965-66 team. Plagued by inexperience and injuries to key players, coach Freeze probably produced the best coaching job of his career. The team finished with a 6-3-1 record, losing to two State Championship teams: Richardson and Carroll. The third loss was to W. O. Boston of Lake Charles.

Coach Freeze retired from coaching at the end of the 1966-67 season with 13 straight winning seasons and 4 State Championships. Eugene Hughes succeeded coach Freeze as Richwood's head coach for the 1967-68 season and continued the Richwood winning tradition. The 1967-68 team was led by junior QB Matt Reed and seniors Ruben Jones, Charles Smith, Amos Augustine, Andrew Harris, Joe Newton, Marvin Coleman, and Clinton Beckwith. Coach Hughes' 1969-70 team was the state runners up.

Adopted from African American High Schools in Louisiana before 1970