Best Reidsville Team Ever : The 1954 Reidsville Golden Lions

[TheMule]

In 1954 there were only three classifications: 3A, 2A, and 1A. Three state champions, no split classifications.

In the sixth game of the season, Reidsville and Greensboro Senior played to a 6-6 tie. Greensboro Senior was the only NCHSAA team in Greensboro at that time.

Reidsville pretty much dominated the game with a blocked extra point kick attempt by Greensboro resulting in the tie game. The high school kicking games in those days was very much an adventure.

If memory serves me correctly, Greensboro Senior went on to win the NCHSAA 3A championship with the tie with Reidsville the only blemish on their season. That team was considered by many to be the best team Greensboro Senior ever put on the field.

Reidsville went on to win the 2A championship, snapping Charlotte Harding's 35 game winning streak in the playoffs and beating undefeated Andrews (mountain team) in the semi-finals. The championship game was played in Reidsville on a very muddy field with Reidsville defeating Graham 20-6.

That Reidsville team had numerous Div I college stars including Kelly Minyard who later was a Captain for rambbq's N.C. State Wolfpack (notice I did not give them an insulting name) and Don Coker who was a star running back for the Tar Heels until he tore his ACL. He later transferred to Georgia Tech and was their punter. In those days a torn ACL was normally a career ender. Minyard is now deceased and I think Coker is living in the Burlington area at this time.

The Reidsville backfield was much bigger than most other team's defensive lines.

I had seen the 1950 Reidsville State Championship team play but the 1954 games were the first that I remember.

Thanks for all the posters who have written about their school's best teams ever. I have enjoyed reading about them all.

 

[tarheel fan1]

I put 2002 rams they go undefeated if not for crews missing a game. They also beat a very dangerous Burlington Cummings team. I put 2002 due to mainly crews being the difference maker. But I also would say 2003 and 2007 bring close. 2007 beat a very good north east Guilford team and Shelby. 2003 had 4 big time wr. Lost to Cummings without Jerome Simpson.

 

[rambbq]

In 1954 there were only three classifications: 3A, 2A, and 1A. Three state champions, no split classifications.

In the sixth game of the season, Reidsville and Greensboro Senior played to a 6-6 tie. Greensboro Senior was the only NCHSAA team in Greensboro at that time.

Reidsville pretty much dominated the game with a blocked extra point kick attempt by Greensboro resulting in the tie game. The high school kicking games in those days was very much an adventure.

If memory serves me correctly, Greensboro Senior went on to win the NCHSAA 3A championship with the tie with Reidsville the only blemish on their season. That team was considered by many to be the best team Greensboro Senior ever put on the field.

Reidsville went on to win the 2A championship, snapping Charlotte Harding's 35 game winning streak in the playoffs and beating undefeated Andrews (mountain team) in the semi-finals. The championship game was played in Reidsville on a very muddy field with Reidsville defeating Graham 20-6.

That Reidsville team had numerous Div I college stars including Kelly Minyard who later was a Captain for rambbq's N.C. State Wolfpack (notice I did not give them an insulting name) and Don Coker who was a star running back for the Tar Heels until he tore his ACL. He later transferred to Georgia Tech and was their punter. In those days a torn ACL was normally a career ender. Minyard is now deceased and I think Coker is living in the Burlington area at this time.

The Reidsville backfield was much bigger than most other team's defensive lines.

I had seen the 1950 Reidsville State Championship team play but the 1954 games were the first that I remember.

Thanks for all the posters who have written about their school's best teams ever. I have enjoyed reading about them all.

Here is the schedule and scores for the 1954 team:

Reidsville 12 High Point 0

Reidsville 26 Charlotte Myers Park 14

Reidsville 19 Tri City Central (now Morehead) 0

Reidsville 19 Winston Salem Gray 0

Reidsville 33 Winston Salem Hanes 7

Reidsville 6 Greensboro Sr. (now Grimsley) 6 (Tie)

Reidsville 20 Thomasville 13

Reidsville 14 Mount Airy 0

Reidsville 27 Mineral Springs 14

Reidsville 21 Charlotte Harding 0
(Harding was 2 time state title winner & won 35 straight)

Reidsville 21 Andrews 7

Reidsville 20 Graham 6

(Reidsville avg. 18.3 points per game and gave up 5.8 ppg.)

 

[TheMule]

In 1954 very few teams passed. It was virtually a run, run, and run some more offenses. Games lasted about one and a half hours usually. If a team scored three touchdowns it was like scoring fifty points with today's go go offenses.

In one game Reidsville scored a touchdown running behind big Kelly Minyard from about 40 yds out but the TD was called back because of illegal procedure. So next play the same play was run. Same result, TD and called back.

Third time the same play was run for a TD. No penalty. Three straight plays off tackle that took it to the end zone.

Reidsville's Don Coker was a first team high school All American. He was a Jr.

 

[rambbq]

remember which game that was Mule??.......that was a strange schedule..... Myers Park also played W-S Hanes and W-S Gray in addition to Reidsville...I guess conference games for Reidsville were Tri-City, Hanes, Gray, Mount Airy and Mineral Springs....pretty sure Thomasville was in WNCHSAA....

 

[rambbq]

lol....really is a sad state of affairs................instead of talking about upcoming season we all are re-living past glories of teams....in this case a team of 66 years ago....when few if any of this sites posters were even alive....I was...... being born in 1950 but don't really remember the '54 team....just knowing about them from my Dad who considered them one of the greatest..................

 

[TheMule]

remember which game that was Mule??.......that was a strange schedule..... Myers Park also played W-S Hanes and W-S Gray in addition to Reidsville...I guess conference games for Reidsville were Tri-City, Hanes, Gray, Mount Airy and Mineral Springs....pretty sure Thomasville was in WNCHSAA....

Sorry, don't remember which game. Probably early in season since I don't remember going to any cold weather games. The Harding game was in Charlotte. Coker had over 200 yds rushing in that game and he was named to the Helms Foundation All American team in large part based on his domination of a great Charlotte team that day.

One play from the Andrews game stands out. Reidsville had the ball on the goal line and an Andrews player tried to tackle Don Coker going around right end and Coker hit him so hard that it broke the Andrew's player's collar bone. That game never got as much attention as the Harding game but Andrews, who wore State Red jerseys, was undefeated and had one of the highest scoring offenses in the state.

Of course you can't compare teams from sixty or seventy years ago to teams of the current times. Teams have to be compared to others of their times and what they accomplished against those teams.

Back in those days most linemen were 150 lbs or so and any team that had any player over 200 lbs was extremely rare.

Reidsville's backfield was Bobby Cooke (180), Don Coker (200) and John Medley (220). They ran from both the T Formation and a variation of the Notre Dame "box" which looked a lot like a wing T offense.

Cooke turned down a scholarship offer from your Wolfpack to play baseball and David Amos signed with Wake Forest but got homesick and came back home after a month or so.

Nice to remember old times since we can't talk a lot about the current season as we just don't know whether we will even have one or not this year.

 

[rambbq]

Just heard today...there will definitely be NO Middle School football this year (in Rockingham County system)....hate it so much for the kids.........................

 

[TheMule]

Just heard today...there will definitely be NO Middle School football this year (in Rockingham County system)....hate it so much for the kids.........................

No surprise here. When the "elected officials" get involved they will never take any chances with the health or safety of the students. And they shouldn't.

 

[Stanimallector]

The head line of this post is laughable to seriously think that 1954 3 yards and a cloud of dust Offense with their 200lb lineman could beat any of Reidsville state championship teams starting with the 2002 team. That 1954 team wouldn’t even beat the 93 team, Y’all are funny

 

[easternNCfan41]

No surprise here. When the "elected officials" get involved they will never take any chances with the health or safety of the students. And they shouldn't.

Relatively speaking kids are at no freaking danger with this politician/media driven virus

 

[TheMule]

The head line of this post is laughable to seriously think that 1954 3 yards and a cloud of dust Offense with their 200lb lineman could beat any of Reidsville state championship teams starting with the 2002 team. That 1954 team wouldn’t even beat the 93 team, Y’all are funny

Stan, of course you can't compare teams from 60 or 80 years ago with current teams. No comparison at all. Teams from six or eight decades ago could not compete with teams now. Totally different football and athletes. The standard has to be how good was any team based on what they accomplished when they were playing against the teams of their generation.

And none has accomplished more than the 1954 team.

Five players off that 1954 team had Div I offers. Coker was a first team Helms All American, the only high school All American team. What's the most any current team has had? That fact alone shows how dominate the 1954 team was during their time.

They played the best large school team in the state to a standstill and should have won the game.

Of the current generation my personal pick for the best team Reidsville has ever put on the field was the 2009 champions. I think they could have competed with any school in the state.

 

[TheMule]

Relatively speaking kids are at no freaking danger with this politician/media driven virus

I agree but put yourself in the place of a school board member. If but a single child died of the Covid-19 how could you live with yourself? Not to mention your life would be tied up for months or years in court facing law suits by parents and others.

 

[tarheel fan1]

Stan, of course you can't compare teams from 60 or 80 years ago with current teams. No comparison at all. Teams from six or eight decades ago could not compete with teams now. Totally different football and athletes. The standard has to be how good was any team based on what they accomplished when they were playing against the teams of their generation.

And none has accomplished more than the 1954 team.

Five players off that 1954 team had Div I offers. Coker was a first team Helms All American, the only high school All American team. What's the most any current team has had? That fact alone shows how dominate the 1954 team was during their time.

They played the best large school team in the state to a standstill and should have won the gam

Of the current generation my personal pick for the best team Reidsville has ever put on the field was the 2009 champions. I think they could have competed with any school in the state.

2009 beat southwest Edgecombe and a pretty good northeast Guilford team. Along with some pretty good teams in the playoffs. I actually think 2002-2009 would bda a tough out for anyone. Most of those teams played a tough schedule too. Wish we got a Dudley or page on the schedule then though. But did play gw Danville, Cummings, Shelby etc.