Articles and Book Excerpts
OUR TWO UNDEFEATED FOOTBALL SEASONS IN HIGH SCHOOL
In 2011, my friends Edgar Welden, Mary Gantt, and Butch Gantt produced an outstanding 772-page book which covered the colorful history of the football teams at Wetumpka High School (WHS) between 1942 and 1965. The book, Wetumpka—The Golden Years (1942-1965), delved with detail into the local history of the town and the post-football personal lives of the players. The book also featured the astounding success of the high school band that played the half-time shows during that same time period and beyond. The two major characters in the storyline were Head Coach Jack Ray and Bandmaster Truman Welch, who both helped to mold the character of the thousands of aspiring students who, during their formative years, walked the halls of WHS. The dedicated principal, O. M. Bratton, who provided sound guidance to the students during those same years, was also mentioned.
I had the privilege of providing my personal viewpoint with respect to the two undefeated teams that I quarterbacked in the falls of 1963 and 1964, my junior and senior years at WHS. Below is some of what I wrote, as it appears on pages 571-572:
“I knew that what we were attempting to do was important to us. I knew that an undefeated season was rare, and I knew that two [consecutive] undefeated seasons was [more rare]. There’s a psychology involved in learning how to win and expecting to win. I have never forgotten those two football seasons. I still distinctly remember many crucial plays and many games. Those two years are tattooed on my mind. We acted out the lessons that deal with dedication, persistence and sacrifice, and the never-give-up attitude.
I have never forgotten for one moment the thrill and excitement of playing with these guys and watching them consistently play with commitment, dedication, determination, and down-right intestinal fortitude. To this very day, if I see any of them around town, for instance Jimmy Rushing delivering the mail, or Mike Kenney putting in a telephone line, the first thing I think of when I see them is that we were once hard-working teammates that dedicated a major portion of our young lives to successfully achieving something really special. There’s an unspoken bond there. It’s almost like family. We know we can count on one another. We do not have to say anything about it or even bring it up. It automatically permeates our thoughts because to us it was important.
To our minds, [football] was by far the most important thing happening in high school. If there had been something else more important, like girlfriends or hunting or joy riding or spending time with some small clique, then we would not still be talking 40 years later about our undefeated seasons. I know that all of us who were members of those teams are deeply grateful and thankful to God for that unique athletic experience in our lives. Our accomplishments have bolstered us and given us confidence in our personal endeavors throughout adulthood.
With the help of a great coaching staff composed of coaches Jack Ray, Billy Carr, Mac Palmer, Sonny Raley, and others who unselfishly assisted, we learned the true meaning of sacrifice, something that does not come with playing thumbs games or watching television.
There is not the slightest doubt in my mind about the immeasurable value of that one-of-a-kind, high school football experience. It was worth every trickle of sweat, every drop of blood, every scratch, every scrape, every bruise, every two-a-day, every chastisement and every gut check of every kind. We are all the better for it and always will be. The older I get, nothing seems like long ago. Everything seems like yesterday.”
Please allow me to add one more personal belief that I have regarding those two undefeated teams. I wish I had mentioned this in the book. I honestly believe that if we were to remove from the team equation any single regular starter during those two years, whether it be a pulling guard on offence, a defensive right tackle, a roving cornerback, or any other player at any position on the team, we would not have been undefeated. The contribution that every player made to the team was essential to our succession of wins. A lesser committed player at any position would have doomed our undefeated seasons.
John E. Enslen