Four former football lettermen from Andalusia High School, including one who returned to coach a state championship team, and the 1960 Ralph Bunche Wildcats team will be inducted into the Andalusia High School Football Hall of Fame this year.

 

Coach Shelby Searcy

Shelby Searcy lettered in football at AHS from 1944-1946, and in baseball and track from 1945-1947.

As a junior, he won a 100-yard dash event against 63 other invited high school players during half time of the Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery. The race was billed as “the race to find the fastest prep high school football player in Alabama.”

He received the J.J. Moates Most Valuable Player award in 1946 and was named captain of the 1946 team. He also served as president of the student body that year.

His performance on the football field earned him a scholarship to Troy State College where he was a four-year letterman. After graduating in 1951, he served four years in the U.S. Navy. He earned a master of science degree from Long Beach State College.

He was an assistant coach of Andalusia’s 1958 state championship football team, and served as head coach here from 1960-1964. He was named Coach of the Week by The Montgomery Advertiser after a win over Enterprise in 1964.

Coach Searcy later served as superintendent of education for Butler County Schools from 1973 until 1987, and as superintendent of Union City Schools in Mississippi from 1987 until 1991.

 

Larry Moulton

Larry Moulton lettered in football from 1962-1965. He was named best blocking back in 1964, and averaged 6.4 yards per carry as a running back. He was named first-team All Conference and first-team All-State in 1964. He carried the ball nine times for 16 yards against Ozark in 1965, and was selected to play in the North-South All-Star game in July 1966.

He earned a football scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was the school’s leading rusher his sophomore, junior and senior years. As a sophomore, he had 113 carries for 497 yards and five touchdowns. As a junior, he had 157 carries for 604 yards and six touchdowns. And as a senior, he had 164 carries for 778 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He was USM’s 11th all-time leading rusher with 1,879 yards and 10th all time in career touchdowns.

He was inducted into the University of Southern Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.

 

Byron McDougald

Byron McDougald was a football letterman at AHS from 1970-1973. He was named first team All-South Alabama Conference in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973. He was named Andalusia’s defensive lineman of the year in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973. He was named first-team All-State in 1973 and played on the state runner-up team in 1973. He was selected to play in the North-South All-Star game in July 1974, where he was named Most Valuable Defensive Player. He signed a scholarship to play football for Alabama State University, and later transferred to Livingston University.

 

Albert Weeden

Albert Weeden lettered in football four years and was named AHS’s most valuable player and most valuable offensive back in 1972. He was named All-Conference Running Back in 1972 and 1973, and scored more than 29 touchdowns while amassing more than 2,000 rushing yards in 1973.

He was named to the Super All-State Team and the first-team All-State in 1973. That same year, the Bulldogs named him permanent team captain and most valuable player. The Bulldogs were the state runner-up team that year.

He signed a football scholarship to Livingston University, where he started at running back.

 

Ralph Bunche Wildcats 1960 Team

Ralph Bunche High School’s 1960 team was the school’s first undefeated and untied team. The Wildcats went 8-0 for the season, beating Eufaula, Enterprise, Ozark, Greenville, Brewton, Ashford, Evergreen and Georgiana.

J.C. Hall was the head coach and S.W. Simmons was his assistant. C.C. Baker was the principal.

Team captains were Richard Robertson and Fred Crittenden. Other players on the team included John Henry Daniels, Dewitt Daniels, Warren Owens, Roger Hartley, Anderson Jones Jr., Jenkins Logan, Benny Davis, James Ray Stone, Jake Upshaw, Willie B. Mullins, Hayward Whitley, Colon James, Willie Stephenson, Willie Robertson and Neal Whitley.

 

The induction banquet is set for 6:30 p.m. Fri., Aug. 10, at Andalusia High School. Tickets are $25 and available at Harold’s Furniture, Advantage Realty, Massey Automotive, Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce, or from any Andalusia Quarterback Club member.