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SOUTH PARK SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF
BUDDY AND JANE HEBERT

" THE  FIGHTING  GREENIES "

     FOOTBALL HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL, AND
ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT EXACTY KNOWN, OLD TIMERS FEEL THAT THE FIRST FOOTBALL TEAM AT
SOUTH PARK WAS IN 1911, AND WAS A COMMUNITY TEAM COMPOSED OF SOUTH PARK BOYS AS
WELL AS AREA BOYS SCHOOL RECORDS SHOW THAT IN 1912, FRED WHITE WAS EMPLOYED AS
COACH OF THE SOUTH PARK FOOTBALL TEAM, AND IN 1913, BEN H. PARKS WAS THE COACH, WITH
"RED" WILKINS COACHING IN 1914 AND 1915.

    DURING THE EARLY YEARS OF FOOTBALL, IT WAS LOOSELY ORGANIZED, WITH GAMES PLAY IN
OPEN FIELDS, MAKESHIFT UNIFORMS  AND FANS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT. TRAVEL TO AND FROM
GAMES WAS BY HORSE AND WAGON, AND LATER BY TRUCK.

    RECORDS INDICATE THE FIRST  "ORGANIZED" FOOTBALL TEAM AT SOUTH PARK WAS IN 1915, WITH
THE TEAM CONSISTING OF 14 BOYS, WHO PURCHASED THEIR OWN UNIFORMS. THE BALL USED
DURING THAT TIME WAS ROUND, AND HELD ONLY AS MUCH AIR AS THE TEAM CAPTAIN COULD
BLOW INTO IT BY MOUTH. BACK IN THOSE DAYS, MOST FOOTBALL TEAMS ONLY HAD ONE
FOOTBALL - SO MANY TIMES PRACTICE WAS HALTED WHEN THE BALL SUDDENLY LOST ITS AIR.

    SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL HAS PRODUCED MANY PLAYERS OF UNUSUAL ABILITY, MANY GOING
ON TO COLLEGE AND THE PROFESSIONAL RANKS WHERE THEY ACHIEVED STARDOM. AND DURING
THEIR CAREERS AT SOUTH PARK, THEY WON APPLAUSE, MADE BIG PLAYS, EARNED ALL-DISTRICT
DISTINCTION AND WERE A PART OF THE TRADITION THAT   " GREENIE FIGHT NEVER DIES !"

    THERE WERE MANY GREAT COACHES AND GREAT PLAYERS AT SOUTH PARK, WITH FIVE OF THESE
TEAMS STANDING OUT. THE GREENIE TEAM OF 1939, COACHED BY R. M. "MONK" HODGKISS - THE
GREENIE TEAM OF 1962, COACHED BY, "SPARKY" ADAMS - AND THE 1972, 1973 AND 1974 GREENIE
TEAMS COACHED BY COACH STEVE MC CARTY, COACH JERRY HENTSCHEL AND COACH ALEX
DURLEY ALL HAD ONE THING IN COMMON. THEY ALL WON DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND WERE
THE ONLY 5 TEAMS IN GREENIE HISTORY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS FEAT - WITH THE 1973 GREENIE TEAM
WINNING BI-DISTRICT HONORS.

    ALL OF THESE TEAMS HAD THE ABILITY TO  SCORE POINTS, AND PREVENT THE OPPOSITION FROM
DOING THE SAME.  THERE WERE MANY OUTSTANDING PLAYERS ON THE SOUTH PARK GREENIE
FOOTBALL TEAMS, WITH  MIKE FLEMING OF THE 1962 TEAM POINTS 72 POINTS DURING THE SEASON -
BUD HERBERT OF THE 1973 TEAM SCORING 78 POINTS IN A SEASON AND "DUTCH" FEHL OF THE 1922
TEAM SCORING 90 POINTS IN ONE SEASON.

    THERE WERE OUTSTANDING PLAYERS LIKE  DARRELL JOHNSON, S. J. HALPII,  "BUBBA" RAY, JIMMY
AND FREDDIE CLOTIAUX,  RONNIE WALKER, JAKE VERDE  (THE MIGHT MITE),  "CHUBBY" KIMBROUGH,
AUGIE, SAXE, JR., BILLY BAGGETT, SAM PARIGI, GENE FLEMING, JOHNNY FULLER,  LARRY HEAD,
BILLY WRIGHT, RONNIE BOYETTE,  KY BROWN, CHRIS FREDERICK, JAY AND ROBERT VERDE, "BUBBA"
ANDERS, KENNY HARRISON,  KEN RABALIAS, EDDIE HORN, KENNETH MAXSON,  CLYDE RUSH,
CHARLES STARKE, "TUFFY" FULGHAM,  CRAIG AND TODD CHRISTOPHER, "RED" TURNER - AND THE
LIST GOES ON AND ON.

    JOHN E. GRAY PLAYED FOOTBALL AT SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL, GRADUATINGIN 1923, AND
PLAYED HIS COLLEGE FOOTBALL AT SOUTH PARK  JUNIORCOLLEGE - AND HE HAS THE DISTINCTION
OF BEING THE YOUNGEST COACH  IN  SOUTH PARK FOOTBALL HISTORY. HE WAS ONLY 19 YEARS
OLD WHEN HE COACHED THE 1926 GREENIES, ONE  OF THE OUTSTANDING TEAMS OF ALL TIMES.

COACH GRAY LEAD THE GREENIE TEAMS FROM 1926 THROUGH 1932, AND IT WAS DURING THIS TIME

THAT THE PHRASE "GREENIE FIGHT NEVER DIES" WAS FIRST USED, AND THOSE WORDS REMAINED A

TRADITION WITH ALL SOUTH PARK HIGH ATHLETIC TEAMS.

    UNFORTUNATELY, ALL THIS GREAT TRADITION ENDED WITH THE 1985 SEASON,  AND IN 1986
SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL WAS CLOSED.  BUT I WILL ALWAYS CHERISH THE MEMORIES OF THE
TEAMS, THE PLAYERS, THE COACHES WHO GAVE ME MANY THRILLS WHEN I ATTENDED HIGH
SCHOOL- AND ESPECIALLY THE PLAYERS AND COACHES WHO WERE A PART OF THE 1972, 1973, 1974
SEASON WHEN OUR SON WAS PLAYING.