The Lipscomb Football Chronicles
Who gets the credit of getting the ball started for a renewal of the program at Lipscomb? According to sources close to the school and the program shared this with us. It was his belief that a new and now familiar name in Lipscomb history-Staggs. William B. Staggs considered moving his large family from Dunlop, Tennessee to Nashville and David Lipscomb. However, Mr. Staggs had reservations about enrolling his crew at Lipscomb to then President of the school, Athens Clay Pullias because there was no football team. Mr. Staggs had played football at Portland High School and after WWII, spent some time with the Vanderbilt team. Dr. Pullias indicated that they might be able to put something together. Most of the more influential people on campus discussed the possibility which included Elementary School Icon, Margaret Meador, and Executive Council Member and Elementary School Principal, Margaret Leonard Hopper were in favor of the idea along with current High School Principal Damon Daniel. Initially, Dean Mack Wayne Craig shared his concern that football would not best meet the needs and intentions of the High School Department. (We might also add that Mrs. Meador was related to the Stagg family- a family blessed with athletic ability.) Pullias and the board approved the program and fielded its first team in nearly 30 years in the fall of 1967. This news of Lipscomb starting a football team produced quite of bit of coverage in both of the local newspapers.
Jacky Ray Davis Named First Coach of the 1960's
A young Jacky Ray Davis, a recent graduate of David Lipscomb College had been hired in 1960 to become the head football coach at Howard High School in Nashville. However, before the school term began, Athens Clay Pullias and Damon Daniel persuaded Davis to come to Lipscomb and to start up a track program. (Davis had been a local track star at East High School and later at David Lipscomb College. Not only did he start up a boys track program but also a cross country team, he organized the first golf team, and the girls basketball team. Around 1964, Davis noticed there seemed to be some very talented girls who could run fast. So Davis called his old coach at East and challenged Vic Varrallo to some limited events indicating that the Lipscomb girls could beat his East Girls. So, the first ever girls track meet in Nashville pitted Lipscomb and East High Schools. This private event caught the eye of the local papers and thus began Girls' track programs across the entire state. The first female track star was Sherrie Smith, who was sponsored in those days in independent and private meets across the country by the Una Men's Club. She also worked out with Coach Ed Temple and the TSU Tigerbelles and future Olympic star Wyomia Tyus. Soon the school bought uniforms and the teams were competing with other local schools.
Athens Clay Pullias asked Davis to seek help and input from local football star at Vanderbilt and All Pro former Chicago QB, Bill Wade who at that time was in Banking. It was Davis' intentions to make playing football fun. While he was familiar with the old single wing, Davis wanted an offense that was modern so that the Mustang Players could see it on television. He sought the help of other Metro coaches including Dick Hayes, the coach at Antioch. The two with the input of other local coaches developed the Lipscomb playbook. It included a number of trick plays such as the tackle eligible and the old guard around made famous by Ron Swang, who always wanted to run the ball and a lot isolation plays. Ernie Smith was chosen to be the quarterback as he had a keen mind and was athletic and able to make things happened. His only downfall was that he was height challenged. With handicaps in size and ability, the offense used their guards to pull a lot and to role out the pocket.
The early Mustang teams had to take advantage of their better conditioning and hopefully being smarter players on the field, as their knowledge of the game and their experience was truly limited.
Jacky Ray Davis had a difficult time finding assistant coaches with experience to work within the program. With the help of Fessor Boyce at the College and the approval of Athens Clay Pullias, Buck Dozier was hired to primarily work with the defense. Mr. Davis' experience came from his high school playing days at East High and his coach there, Tommy Owens. College students came down to help and were given scholarship assistance as they worked with the team. Davis now had a team with nowhere to play with virtually no budget. The first couple of years games were played on the Maplehurst field with a few temporary bleachers in place. Davis scheduled as many "B' teams as he could during the first couple of years to gain experience without jeopardizing the physical health of his players having to play against the more establish teams of the N.I.L.
Jacky Ray Davis was extremely busy during those days as he worked with the Track Teams, taught classes, coached Football, while being the assistant principal. In addition to his duties at school, he also worked nights at The Western Auto Store on Nolensville Rd.
Mr. Davis still takes great pride in not only the Lipscomb athletic programs, but he also instituted the Art program. He gave up his football duties for the 1970 season in order to succeed Dr. Willis Wells as the High School Principal. He turned the program over to Buck Dozier and told him to take it and run with it as far as he could. He has many fond memories of his days at the helm of the program and he likes to remind those who are interested that he saved Buck Dozier from being thrown in the shower after a rare season win. In looking back, he indicated that times were tough from a budget standpoint and that the high school administration often butted heads with Dr. Pullias over a number of matters. Even with pot holes in the road, football at David Lipscomb has surfaced as one of the premier programs in the State. Mr. Davis left after the 1981 school year and was succeeded by Richard Jones.
Coach Jacky Ray Davis standing between (L) Joel Wilson and (R) Pat O'Brien
Principal Jacky Ray Davis
Athens Clay Pullias
Bill Wade
Eugene "Fessor" Boyce
Principal Damon Daniel
Margaret Leonard Hopper
Margaret Meador
Dean Mack Wayne Craig
Present Day Ron Swang
Wyomia Tyus
TSU'S Coach Ed Temple