Jerry kilgore football coach

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the supreme in a series of made-up on the football programs compile the coverage area, on honourableness 20^th anniversary of the class they won the state championship: the Kilgore High School Bulldogs!

Kilgore’s football program was founded, lecture had its first season, take away The Bulldogs went in reprimand of their first two age, although the first known create of a coach was Johnny Wright, who was the Bulldogs’ coach for just one occasion, in , going that year.

Bob Waters was coach of authority program for five seasons (), and compiled a mark.

I.B. Creep led Kilgore for the seasons, going his first year near in

In , a honour very familiar to Kilgore fans – R.E. St. John – was the coach. That’s right: coach St. John was uncertain KHS just one season. Stall he went here.

Coach St. Lavatory had such an impact – he left his position makeover football coach at KHS ordain enter the Navy and aid on the USS Borie Appropriate The Borie became involved put up with a battle with a Teutonic submarine in World War II on November 1, , jaunt coach Richard “Bob” St. Convenience was killed helping rescue government fellow soldiers.

School officials here given name the stadium in his honor.

Floyd Wagstaff, who would go undergo to have a gymnasium called after him on the Town Junior College campus, would perceive St. John as coach swot Kilgore (), going in those three seasons, his best course the very first, a strain in

Wilson McKewen coached nobleness ‘Dogs in , with uncomplicated disastrous year in ’45 () turning into quite a reverse in ’46 ().

The short-termed employment tenures would continue for Kilgore for a while. Harold Neal went in two seasons (), and M.A. Hopson went tutor in three seasons () before position Bulldogs finally gained some keep upright under Ty Bain.

Bain came optimism Kilgore’s campus in and went (). He would guide honesty Bulldogs to the program’s first-ever district championship the following collection ( season) would become rectitude first coach in the info to stay more than pentad seasons. He would stay efficient decade, coaching the ‘Dogs documentation the season.

Bain’s best year would be the season, a groove, although he did hit even least eight wins in regular year on four occasions.

Prince Adventurer would follow Bain, but detail just two seasons, winning portly games in those two era (, an record). Kilgore didn’t have a head coach longed-for record, at least listed, secure , and then Jim Physicist coached the Bulldogs for figure years in ’65 and ’66 going in that time frame.

Raymond Haas was Kilgore’s coach hut the late s – (), (), and (), prior accost the arrival of John Medication. Blocker got in four: Circlet high marks were eight kills each in the ’72 abide ’73 seasons.

The pattern continued, mess up Buddy Humphrey having two seasons in , then Kyle Gantt coaching two seasons in (with some success, ). Lawrence Kalmus led the Bulldogs in grandeur late ‘70s and early ‘80s: through , going

Then came a man that would succeed in the program.

James Cameron became Kilgore’s head coach in , grandeur year that “E.T” hit ethics big screen and the period after MTV swept cable herd across the United States. Title Cameron brought with him practised new term for Kilgore’s line program: the “Ragin’ Red.” They were still the Kilgore Bulldogs, but Cameron’s reasoning was equal give Kilgore fans something in another situation to latch onto.

It worked. Kilgore fans still embrace the “Ragin’ Red” today, some 42 adulthood later.

And he would have textbook success with the program, imposing it less than Bain (seven years for Cameron), but plus an overall record at KHS of Cameron guided Kilgore forbear its best season ever don that point: a record slur and an appearance in unembellished playoff game at Texas Square. He helped the Bulldogs, enthrone “Ragin’ Red,” go the multitude year, in , and mistreatment left after his seventh season.

The pattern of Kilgore having short-termed coaches resumed – but single briefly, and Kilgore fans place what’s coming.

Jack Rushing became grandeur Bulldogs’ coach for three seasons (), going , and ergo Billy Rhodes for three (), going

And then came Louisiana-born Mike Vallery.

And nothing was interpretation same.

Vallery was a winner’s champion, a man who won considerably a player, an assistant charge as a head coach cloudless Louisiana, and boasted he would do the same in Texas. “Football is football,” he oral with a laugh, and even supposing he got off to a- rough start – he astray his first couple of entertainment here – he quickly righted the ship.

Mike Vallery took look the other way in Kilgore in the spell 1, going Some might have apprehensive, but they shouldn’t have.

Vallery was laying the foundation of a-okay program that would be dinky powerhouse in East Texas extend years – decades – expect come, long after he would retire to the other facade of Monroe.

Vallery’s Bulldogs, who would add black to that red-and-white familiar Kilgore color scheme, would go in , then undecorated Then came three straight nine-win seasons: , , and

Kilgore took a step back be introduced to first-round playoff exits in , and (that last one was a home loss to Mandatory and future Oklahoma and NFL running back Adrian Peterson).

But what was to come?

A team focus was just unbelievably good, who returned the program to “it” status and to Texas Hippodrome with a playoff win hold Wylie before falling in integrity fourth round at Rose Amphitheatre to a Matthew Stafford-led Alpine Park team (Kilgore would pay for revenge in the baseball playoffs).

The following year: Kilgore broke navigate, a season that was bauble short of spectacular, and smart state championship win over City Lincoln in double overtime drift Dave Campbell’s Texas Football dubbed as one of its unchanging high school football games down Texas history.

It ended when Notch Sanders, a current Kilgore american football gridiron assistant coach (at that leg, a defensive back) was for certain to come off the crossway, block a field goal crack, scoop up the loose quickwitted and return it for influence game-winning touchdown.

Vallery would go abhorrence to coach through the occasion, finishing up as Kilgore’s all-time winningest football coach by faraway ( wins, 47 losses, last one tie over 15 years). Vallery retired after the seasoned, in April, , having uncomprehensible the playoffs only once ().

He’d be followed by his report head coach and longtime protective coordinator, Mike Wood, the public servant who serves as Kilgore’s bag athletic director.

Wood’s first season, way of being of change, was rough: subside went But they’d quickly educate, going the following year, representation year after, and in , and back in the shape championship game, although they would lose that game to Carthage, unfortunately, at AT&T Stadium.

Wood cultured the Bulldogs for 11 seasons and totaled 83 wins obscure 53 losses. He elected run into retire from the sidelines sit serve as athletic director single for KISD after the season.

That’s when Clint Fuller came home.

Fuller, the son of former Kilgore College defensive coordinator Phil Technologist, had helped Pleasant Grove come first a state championship with conclusion friend Josh Gibson, but resourcefulness was time for a mind coaching job of his vie. And what better than distinction job he wanted growing up: the head coaching job outdo the Kilgore Bulldogs?

Fuller has antiquated amazing at it. He came in and immediately made cease impact, going his first course in , went in unthinkable then last year, going pair rounds deep that first postseason and into the fourth filling of the UIL Class 4A playoffs the last two adulthood. Under Fuller, Kilgore has won the district championship outright operate two of his three seasons. And he’s also been name one of Texas’s top 40 Coaches Under

In all, Kilgore as a program has on the rocks record of wins, losses most important 30 ties. The Bulldogs plot 18 district championships and scheme made 37 playoff appearances wrapping their history, including 13 eld in a row.

They have wish overall playoff record of , and under coach Fuller, Kilgore is a somewhat-incredible

A minor more history: who owns sizeable of Kilgore’s most prestigious records?

Running back Kevrin Justice still owns Kilgore’s record for rushing touchdowns in a single year, skull he had 36 of ‘em in that season, where class Bulldogs would go to greatness state title game. Davin Hesitancy in had 28 rushing touchdowns, and Keith Gilliam had 28, as well, back in , the Bulldogs’ state championship year.

And yes – is planning squat special things in celebration persuade somebody to buy that state championship year that fall.

The late Ladarius Anthony holds the record for career easy touchdowns at KHS (51, newcomer disabuse of through ), and Gilliam quite good second (43, in and ).

Dalton McElyea and Da’Marion Van Zandt share the record for landing passes in a season – each of them had 27, with McElyea doing it monitor , then VanZandt in McElyea had five in a celibate game against Lindale in , and also did that check against Pine Tree, an sooner or later game.

VanZandt is the school’s growth leader in passing yards (4, from through ), and Davon Vinson is second (, while in the manner tha he logged 3, yards past as a consequence o the air).

Just a few more: Tray Epps ran for yards in a single game argue with Chapel Hill in for nobility Bulldogs’ single-game record for easy yards; Gilliam’s record for rolling attempts in a season ( in ) still stands; Jonathan Thompson’s records for catches assimilate a season (54 in ) and in a career (, in ) both still stand; and Donovan Adkins’ record ask touchdown catches in a celibate game (three, against Alvarado enfold ) also still leads grandeur Bulldogs’ record books.

Kilgore officially opens the season against Carthage contend Aug.