LA History, Vol. II

[LAfoozball]

On 12/23/2008 at 3:22 PM, LAhistorian said:

Livingston Academy Top Players in History

(Numbers 1-25 listed alphabetically)

 

Hillary Carr (1951-54) Carr was a three time All-Midstate performer in 1952, 1953, and 1954. In 1954 Carr scored 89 points and along with Ken Sadler formed one of the most dynamic duos in school history. In the 1954 win over Celina 21-20 to open the season Carr ran in the conversion for the deciding point with 0:45 remaining. Later against Cookeville Carr scored two touchdowns and set up a third with a 47 yard punt return in a 19-6 win. It was the first win over Cookeville since 1940. The 1954 team finished with a 13-12 win over Celina in the 1st Annual Tobacco Bowl. Carr accepted a scholarship offer along with Sadler to the University of Tennessee.

 

Wilson Cates (2002-05) Cates led the 2005 team to a state championship. The 3A State title is the only one in LA football history and is only time a team with a 5-5 regular season record has won it all in Tennessee. The Wildcats defeated David Lipscomb 28-13 to earn the title. Cates finished his career as the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,585 yards. His 1,512 yards rushing in 2005 set a school record and a TSSAA state record for single season rushing yards by a quarterback. A four year starter he was named All-State in 2005 and also finished among the leaders in career passing yards finishing third all-time with 4,273 yards and 2nd in touchdown passes with 44. He currently plays strong safety at the Ivy League??™s Princeton University.

 

Whitney Coleman (2000-03) Coleman was a hard hitting linebacker who had a nose for the football. He set the school standard for career tackles finishing with 373 during his stellar career. The All-Region linebacker was a defensive leader on teams that made 2 playoff appearances during his career.

 

Matt Eldridge (1978-81) Eldridge was a stalwart on both sides of the football during his playing career. He made his mark on offense earning All-State honors his senior season when he had 1,032 yards receiving to set a single season school record. He graduated with 99 career catches and 1,514 career receiving yards. He was a four year letterman at Tennessee Tech following his playing days at LA.

 

Matt Garrett (1994-97)- Garrett was a four year contributor on both sides of the ball who left school as the all-time leading rusher with 2,968 yards. Garrett rushed for 1,130 yards in 1996. He was part of a 4-4 defensive unit that included arguably the top group of linebackers in school history with four players who started 37 games together. Garrett had numerous games with double figures tackles, finishing 1996 with 100 tackles. He was named honorable mention All-State as a junior and a senior and played at Maryville College.

 

Mark Hill (1981-84) The 1984 Midstate Player of the Year, Hill was the first player to throw for over 1,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season as he became one of the greatest dual threats in school history during his senior season. Earlier in his career Hill was a prolific receiver and set the school record for catches in a season in 1982 with 55. In addition to the 1981 playoff season he played in the Chestnut Bowl (1982) and the Highlander Bowl (1984) during his career. He finished his career with 124 catches and 1,677 receiving yards.

 

Matthan Houser (1996-99)- The only freshman in Tennessee history to be named AP 1st Team All-State, he went on to be named All-State all four years of high school, no other male athlete at Livingston Academy has been named more than twice. The school's All-Time leading receiver he caught 116 passes for 2,078 and 17 TDs while passing for 1,733 yards in his career. He is also one of the top punt and kickoff returners and amassed 7,104 all purpose yards in addition to starting on defense for four seasons with 156 tackles and 7 interceptions. Houser went on to become the first Ivy League athlete from LA playing wide receiver at Dartmouth where he led the team in yards per catch in 2002.

 

Jack Keisling (1945-48) Keisling was a tremendously talented runner who set school and state records in 1948 when he scored 9 touchdowns and 60 points in a single game while also setting a record for rushing yards in a single game with 477 vs. Gordonsville in an 85-0 win. Keisling went to West Hills Community College in Coalinga, California where he played football after high school. Tragically he died on October 8, 1956 in a 2 a.m. car crash while living in Coalinga.

 

James Massengille (1986-89) - Massengille was a tough football player who played tight end, defensive end, and linebacker. He even lined up at quarterback when needed. He willed the 1989 team to the state playoffs by making big play after big play. He was a sack machine on defense and holds the school record for 22 career sacks. His play led him to Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennesse after his senior season. It was there that he earned NAIA All-American honors.

 

Mike Matheny (1959-62) Matheny was All-Midstate in 1962 and gained 1,120 yards in total offense. He caught 20 passes that season for 413 yards and 4 TDs, he also ran 11 times for 707 yards, a 6.4 yard average. On defense he intercepted 4 passes and he averaged 36.3 yards per punt. For good measure he ran two kickoffs back for scores, one for 80 one for 82. and was such a well known athlete Auburn coach Ralph ???Shug??™ Jordan came to watch him play against BGA. Matheny went on the play at Middle Tennessee state were he a captain of the team in 1967. On September 16, 1967 he intercepted 3 Roger Staubach passes while playing against Pensacola Navy.

 

Jimmy Maynard (1971-74) - A dual threat to run or pass Maynard was a three year starter and tremendous athlete and leader. He made others around him better by his leadership skills. He threw for more than 1,000 yards in 1974 to lead a 10-1 team and also ran for over 600 yards during that season and was named to the All-State team. A competitor Maynard chose Tennessee Tech and was a three year starter there as well. The 1974 Wildcats team scored 366 points, a record for 30 years and Maynard??™s ability to run the veer option and to be effective on play actions passes were the keys to that team.

 

Danny McCoin (1979-82)- The only player at Livingston Academy to be drafted in the NFL draft (Detroit Lions 1988) McCoin's high school career is legendary. He threw for 5,451 yards and 55 touchdowns in his career making All-State as a senior. He quarterbacked the Wildcats to a District title in 1981 and to its first playoff game in which the Cats lost a heartbreaker to Beech. In his senior season the Cats went to the Chestnut Bowl. McCoin played for 3 different head coaches in his high school career.He signed with the University of Cincinnati and rewrote the record book there concluding his college career in the East-West Shrine All-Star game in San Francisco, CA. He is in the University of Cincinnati Hall of Fame.

 

Greg McDonald (1989-92) McDonald rushed for 2,511 yards in a career that saw his team advance to the playoffs for four straight seasons. He broke the school record for touchdowns in a season with 22 in 1992, setting a new standard for scoring with 132 points. He went to Tennessee Tech after high school and played as a wide receiver for the Golden Eagles.

 

Jeremy McDonald (1996-99) McDonald was a force in the defensive front throughout his high school career. Offensively he was a big man with soft hands who could catch the football in traffic. He continued to grow however and by his senior year he was an offensive lineman. It was this position that would prove his ticket in college as he became a four year starter in the offensive line at Tennessee Tech. McDonald??™s biggest catch as a receiver came in the closing seconds at White House in 1997 in the corner of the end zone. The score bought LA within 2 at 20-18, in a game they would lose to the eventual state champs.

 

L. E. Oakley (1942- 46) - Oakley??™s high school career was interrupted by World War II but he was a fullback on the 1942 team. After high school he attended Austin Peay University where he was captain of the 1950 team and was twice named All-Conference in 1949 and 1950 as a defensive end.. In 1982 he was inducted into the Austin Peay State University Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

Mark Ogletree (1971-74) - One of the greatest two way players of all-time Ogletree held the school??™s single season rushing record for over 30 years at 1,146 set in 1974. Ogletree left school as the team??™s all-time leading rusher with 2,464 yards and was an All-State performer his senior season. Defensively he was the team??™s leading tackler and had 15 tackles in a game three different times during his career. He signed with Tennessee Tech where he was a dependable linebacker, earning accolades until a knee injury cut short his career during his senior season.

 

Billy Parrott (1979-82) Billy Parrott was a two time All-State selection in 1981 and 1982. Quickness and strength made Parrott a force in the defense line. He finished his career as the school??™s sack leader with 20 in 1982. He also graduated as the school??™s all-time leader in tackles with 285 in his career, which currently ranks eighth. Parrott played on the first team in Livingston Academy history to appear in a TSSAA playoff game.

 

Carl Poston (1955-58) - Poston was one of the captains of the 1957 and 1958 teams. In 1958 he rushed 169 times for 1,179 yards, scoring 16 touchdowns and 98 total points. He also completed 19 of 41 passes for 292 yards in being named All-Midstate and All-Conference. Nicknamed the ??

This top 25 needs to be updated bad half these guys aren’t even top 5 in the record books at LA so makes no sense why they’d be still in top 25 

[UpperCumberlandMan]

On 5/24/2024 at 3:05 PM, LAfoozball said:

This top 25 needs to be updated bad half these guys aren’t even top 5 in the record books at LA so makes no sense why they’d be still in top 25 

Stats abd records set in diffrent era's are very subjective 

[ChineseFlu]

On 12/23/2008 at 11:57 PM, LAhistorian said:

 

 

 

Thanks, There are a couple of other scores I need and can't seem to find. (1.) The final score of the chestnut Bowl loss to York in 1982 (2.) The Highland Bowl score vs. Horace Maynard in 1984. (3.) The playoff game LA won in 1992 vs. Harriman before the fateful trip to Marion County..

82 Chestnut Bowl:  York 14  LA 6

[LAfoozball]

On 6/20/2024 at 5:00 AM, UpperCumberlandMan said:

Stats abd records set in diffrent era's are very subjective 

Half the guys on your list are a was bums. Just like the HOF list at LA it’s a joke 

[walterwood]

Loved watching the 5-5 team that made the Championship run