The introductory column reminded me of the most unique high school football team I've covered in a 52-year career: the Homer "Iron Men," in 1957 -- my first year at the Shreveport Journal.

Rival coaches considered the "Iron Men" a publicity stunt by their colorful coach, Glenn Gossett. "He has more players," one coach told me, "but he doesn't let them dress out because of the Iron Men label."

In some games, only 17 players dressed out. Late in the season, the number grew to 20 as an August dropout rejoined the team on the condition that he sit out three games to make up for missing two-a-days. Twelve members of the Iron Men received football scholarships -- four to LSU, one apiece to Tulane and Texas A and M, the others to smaller schools. A tackle, Fred Miller, was an All-American at LSU and later played for a Baltimore Colts team that beat the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl. A sophomore on the team became a world-renown orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews.

"If you put it in fiction," Gossett recalled a quarter-century later, "it wouldn't sell. But I don't know of another high school team that captured the public's imagination the way that group of kids did."

There have been smaller squads in the lowest classification of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, but Homer was competing in the second highest classification, against schools that were competitive at any level of football, and opened the season with a victory over Ouachita, which was in the top classification.

In 1957, Homer High's enrollment (94 boys) was small enough to qualify for Class B, the state's smallest football classification at that time. But because of a proud tradition dating back to the oil boom days of the 1920s, when Homer won a championship at a time when all Louisiana schools competed in the same classification, a drop in class was not a viable option.

Homer was in a district that had produced state champions in three of the previous five years: Springhill in 1952, Minden in 1954 and 1956, when Homer had won only two games. With Gossett, who had been an assistant for two years, replacing Audis Gill as head coach, prospects for 1957 weren't much better. There was absolutely no depth.

Because he didn't have enough players for an intra-squad scrimmage, Gossett felt the team needed a preseason scrimmage and asked principal Hugh Whatley to arrange for a school bus to take the Pelicans to Class B Cotton Valley.

"Don't go to Cotton Valley," Whatley advised him. "You're going to get some people hurt, and you'll have even more problems."

Gossett insisted on making the trip. He got some people hurt, and had even more problems. Center and linebacker Ray Weaver suffered a dislocated knee, and missed the first two games.

In a 13-6 season-opening victory over Ouachita, Homer lost another key player, halfback Sammy Camp, because of a shoulder separation. Camp, who was expected to be the team's top offensive threat, didn't play in the Bossier game two weeks later. That was the first time I saw the Iron Men. With 127-pound Daryl Ackley replacing Camp, the Pelicans had only one first down and 32 yards total offense in the first half. But their defense held Bossier to 83 yards, as neither team threatened to score.

The game's first break came in the third quarter, when Bossier's Nathan Allen blocked a punt by Homer quarterback Bobby Flurry at Homer's 14-yard line. But Bossier couldn't capitalize on the opportunity, as quarterback Freddy Shewmake fumbled on fourth down.

Three plays later, with Homer facing fourth-and-one at the 17, Flurry kept the drive alive by gaining three yards on a quarterback sneak. On the next play, Ray Wilkins turned the left corner, broke into the open at midfield and won a foot race with future LSU teammate Johnny Mercer for an 80-yard touchdown run. A bad center snap spoiled the extra point attempt.

Bossier responded with a 63-yard touchdown drive capped by Mercer's one-yard run. Herman Coleman blocked the extra point kick after the controversial touchdown (Homer players and fans claimed Mercer didn't cross the goal line). The game ended in a 6-6 tie.

The Iron Men were expected to run out of gas in the fourth quarter. Instead, they grew stronger, outgaining Bossier 63 yards to three after the disputed touchdown. A 45-yard pass from Flurry to Wilkins was erased by a penalty. A touchdown run by Wilkins was erased by another penalty.

A few weeks later, Homer played host to defending state champion Minden in a game that would decide the district championship. The game featured a matchup of two of the best tackles in the state: Homer's Miller (6-2, 205) and Minden's Billy Joe Booth (6-1, 220). They also would be LSU teammates for the next four seasons.

Homer led 7-6 at the halftime of a fierce defensive struggle. The Iron Men scored two more touchdowns in the second half for a 19-7 victory.

In the state playoff semifinals, the Iron Men faced Ruston, the only team that had defeated them (13-6, a week after the Bossier game). Trailing 15-0 late in the third quarter, Homer scored three touchdowns in the last 13 minutes for a 21-15 victory as Wilkins went over 1,700 yards rushing for the season and boosted his scoring total to 151 points.

I called it "the greatest comeback in Louisiana prep football history." Ferriday overcame a bigger deficit (18-0 at halftime) in a 1944 playoff victory over Arcadia, but Ferriday wasn't 15 points down with 13 minutes to play.

Roland Jackson, Ruston's 190-pound fullback, was injured on the drive to the Bearcats' second touchdown. Ruston gained only five yards in seven plays after that touchdown. Flurry scored on a one-yard sneak, Wilkins on an 11-yard run and Camp on a 40-yard pass from Flurry.

Legendary Ruston coach L.J. "Hoss" Garrett always maintained that the clock stood still in the fourth quarter of that game. "They played till they got ahead," he recalled more than 20 years later.

Wilkins suffered rib injuries in the Ruston game and had only one good run against Morgan City in the state championship game a week later. He didn't play at all in the second half. A fumble recovery by Durwood Thomas set up a touchdown that gave Homer a brief 7-6 lead in the third quarter, but Morgan City responded with two more touchdowns and won its first state championship since 1923.

One thing the Homer Iron Men couldn't do was put two tough games back-to-back. Wilkins, who had played linebacker the previous season, set a Claiborne Parish rushing record with 1,782 yards rushing, including 140 against Bossier and 155 against Minden. Wilkins, Miller and center Ray Weaver represented the Iron Men on the All-State team. End Edward Ellis and Flurry made the honorable mention list, along with Ruston halfback Don Shows, who later coached West Monroe teams to six state championships.

.... kenramsey.com is very grateful to receive permission to share this high school sports article with everyone in our state. Are there any more writers out there who would like to share their stories with us? please contact kenramsey today!