1969-1976
The Lipscomb Football Chronicles
When football was re-instated
in the mid-1960's after a 30 year absence, Former East High Track Star
and future Lipscomb High School Principal Jacky Ray Davis served as
Head Coach. Eugene "Fessor" Boyce, the legendary David Lipscomb
College Icon convinced a young 22 year old Norman Dozier, Jr. to
come and join this new staff at the high school as it was going to field
a team for the 1967 N.I.L. season with the idea that he would be in line
to take over as head coach sometime in the future. Dozier, a
graduate of Cohn High School of West Nashville fame and David Lipscomb
College was a coaching junkie. While he was in college, he coached
in the youth leagues both in baseball and football. On Friday
nights and even on Saturdays, he was scouting both high school and
college football games. One of his early goals was to become a
high school football coach and hopefully by the age of 25. He felt
by scouting all of these games would give him a better insight of the
X's and O's and prepare him as he worked to become a high school head
coach. Under Davis during those first two years, he primarily
concentrated on the defense while Jacky Ray worked with the offense.
During year two, Dozier began to become more involved with the offense.
Those first two years were tough going for all involved. It wasn't
because there were no athletes available, it was because the players had
to learn the game first. Dozier indicated that there were some
great athletes in those early years, but they had to be fine tuned to
the game of football. Jacky Ray Davis stepped down as the
head coach to assume the duties of being the new principal at the school
while at the same time Athens Clay Pullias, the President of the school
offered Dozier the head coaching position.Going into year one, Dozier knew that things were going to be tough. Dozier's "Road Map" to success had the following elements: 1) Change attitudes, 2) Develop a work (practice) ethic, 3) Teach the players how to win. Dozier and his staff worked hard with the number of players they had. Those early squads of 69-70 only had around 22-23 players. They had to make sure that they had the right player in the right position. The staff included 2 faculty members, Bud Chumley and Bob Goff, neither had experience on this level. At that time, Buck began to assemble a staff of volunteer coaches who had a knowledge of the game and knew what Dozier wanted to accomplish during practice and during the games. Some of those volunteers included: Tom Chaney, Jim Vincent, Larry Walker, Bobby Milam, Ron Swang, Ron Cook, Keith Earle, and Burton Elrod. Dozier was even able to assemble a scouting staff that hit the road on Friday nights to review and scout the next week's opponent. Dozier and his staff knew going into that season that they may not win a game but it was a toll that needed to be paid in order to better prepare for the coming seasons. There were some positives even in blow out losses. TPS, that year's State Champion defeated the Mustangs by a score of 88-12. But the staff was surprised that they were able to score on the Busters. The Mustangs moved the ball up and down the field all night and was able to score twice on a team that did not usually give up any scores. They would build on this success for next year.
Year two, Dozier and his staff knew they had something. Dozier loved the passing game. He felt most schools could not defend against the pass. He had a passer and good receivers. Houston Wood, set N.I.L. (Nashville Interscholastic League) records in passing that year, while senior running back Steve Staggs led in the N.I.L. in rushing with over 3000 yards. They defeated Bellevue to claim their first of five N.I.L. Class A Championships. That season put Lipscomb on the Football map both in the local media and on campus. Nearly 50 players came out for the next season despite the fact that Dozier and the football program had no home field, no facilities, no weight program, and virtually no budget. All games were on the road. During the Dozier years, the team called several schools home such as: TPS, Glencliff, West, and Hillwood. Year three, most of the skill players of that first championship season had graduated but enough remained for the Mustangs to finish the season with a 5-4-1 record and their 2nd Championship. This ended up being a very remarkable season as the injury bug hit a team hard. Dozier had to experiment heavily toward the end of the season. David Shaub moved into the single wing backfield as QB and Big Tackle Jamie Kimbrough was also moved next to Shaub. While there was good size and speed on this team, they still had the smallest offensive guard in school history with Mike Hassell. Since there was no true State Playoff system, The N.I.L. Championship was huge and brought with it major media coverage. State Championship games were determined by the old Litratings Poll and Litkenhaus Polls in those days. Year 4, the Mustangs were now finding it difficult to schedule their season. The competition got a little stronger and the 1973 season with David Cook as QB, Louis Etheridge, and Bob Majors leading the team finished the season 5-5.
During the Dozier years, the team ran multiple offenses and it may have changed from year to year based on the personnel. The 1974 season was no exception. While Dozier had a good passing game in the earlier years, this year's squad had younger skill position players with one extremely talented wide receiver and safety Kevin Doak. Dozier turned to the Wishbone Triple Option offense. Everybody on the offense had to learn it quickly as there was no spring practice during those days. Linemen had to learn a new stance and the splits were different. Junior Keith Thetford ran the offense as QB with a stable of talented underclassmen as backs. The senior power was in the trenches and on defense. The Team finished the season 8-3 and another Class A Championship. Doak went on and set a N.I.L. record of 14 interceptions in one season and went on to play in the Tennessee All Star game and later played with Memphis State. With so many underclassmen getting to play during the 74 season, Dozier knew once again that he had another special team in the 1975 season squad. Doak, Coles, Tucker, Ezell, Pardue, and David Harper had graduated, but Thetford, Mabry, Pratt, Wolfe, Eric Jayne led their team to another Class A Championship and a 10-1 record. Their only loss came at the hands of East Tennessee football power, Rockwood, the eventual Crowned State Champion. The Mustangs were hit hard by the Flu the week of the game and were short handed.
1976 turned out to be Dozier's last season as head coach. He had a veteran squad with proven Senior leadership and a few underclassmen that fill in the gaps. The squad with Greg Harper, Perry Pratt, Bill Knight, Ricky Elrod, and big Jay Williams, who went on to play for the UT Volunteers finished their successful season with a 8-3 record and another and what would turn out to be Lipscomb's last N.I.L. championship in football. Things started to change in Dozier's personal life and would cause him to start having to make some new choices. Sandra, his wife became pregnant with their second child. Dozier's schedule was already filled up by his football and baseball coaching duties, his classload, teaching a course at the college and being a senior class sponsor. Coach Dozier made a tough decision in leaving Lipscomb after the current school year and seek a new profession that paid somewhat better in order to support his growing family. He regretted the timing of the situation as he knew that the coming year would probably produce a state championship both in football and baseball. With a left-handed Stinson quarterback and a Jim Kay linebacker and a great surrounding cast-the football team was destined for a state championship run. The school just was not in a position of being able to pay him any more money than he was already making.
What ever Buck Dozier got into he always went in head first. He changed the attitudes at the school. He instilled a new discipline. Football players cut their hair, behaved and went to class if not they were punished. There was no team in the entire N.I.L. who was in better shape condition wise than the Mustangs. The team was conditioned to play a minimum of 5 quarters. He emphasized the difference between being hurt and just hurting. If you were just hurting-you stilled practiced and played. No one was ever cut from the football team. If you could survive the conditioning and the grueling practices you were on the team. Dozier realized that with football, he could teach boys on how to become men and be able to mentor them thru this process. Football in those days was tough especially with the conditioning. Lipscomb football built many long lasting relationships between the teammates and the staff. There was a sign in the locker room which help build the bond: "What you did here, what you saw here, what you heard here, let it stay here, when you leave here." The locker room and the grid became a place where boys learned what it took to be a good man.
Coach Dozier still keeps up with his old staff and the players. He indicated that one of his former assistants, Jim Vincent, a coach that I have great memories of past away a few years ago after a battle with cancer. I will always remember what he did for me. Yes, Coach Dozier still keeps an eye on the Mustangs even though his wife is a teacher at Goodpasture. He reads the news on the teams in the local sports pages, visits the Mustangfanpage periodically and occasionally will pick up the radio broadcast of a Mustang game. When ever the Mustangs and the Goodpasture Cougars meet on the field Coach Dozier will be found close by surrounded by a number of his former players.
There are so many stories that have come out of that era. Old friends and classmates still today reminisce of playing under Coach Dozier. We encourage you to share your Dozier memories on our Message Board. There is a section dedicated to that era.
Here is Coach Dozier's top 5 Mustang Football Games:
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A reminder to all players who played during this era--Coach wanted to remind you that even today--he is not Mr. Dozier or Buck---he's Coach Dozier! Don't forget it. "Gentlemen...on the line" "Have I ever showed you the forearm?" "Go to the track and don't come back until I get you" "Coach Elrod, I need a couple extra game jersies" "Don't be a communist" "We run on Lombardi time...if you are 10 minutes early you're 20 minutes late" "Hey Peetie, Howard, here's .25 go get me an orange aid from Hutcherson's." (The drink actually cost .35) "Dewberry, Neighbors tie up big bertha on the goal post" "Hey Coles, there is air conditioning in the shed-shut the door and cool off"--"Oh..........You're not hurt!" "Binkley...did you not drink any milk growing up?" "I would like to introduce you to my wife....Mrs. Coach Dozier" "Everybody...You are now healed!" "If you get hurt during the game, you better crawl off the field because we are not coming to get you"
(A DID YOU KNOW): In 1972 after the Mustangs defeated Brentwood Academy, a younger Coach Carlton Flatt at BA came up to Dozier on the field after the game and accused him of running up the score on his squad and he wouldn't forget it. (Two years later in 1974, BA defeated the Mustangs 55-6 as the Eagles went on to win their first state title.) The series ended for a time until the two schools were placed in the same region once again.