High school football: Greatest coach, players and teams from the 1960s

The 1960s was the decade in which high school football went South. The top teams in the country could be found in Florida, Georgia and Texas and the best player of the decade played in Louisiana.

Miami (Fla.) and Coral Gables (Fla.) dominated the 1960s, collecting seven national championships between them. Newly formed Reagan (Austin, Texas) also joined the mix in the late 1960s, winning a pair of national championships, as chosen by the National Sports News Service.

Valdosta (Ga.), meanwhile, had possibly the best team as it captured its first national championship in 1962 under coach Wright Bazemore.

Joe Ferguson of Woodlawn-Shreveport (La.) was the best player of the decade. He became the nation's all-time passing leader with nearly 7,000 yards through the air while leading Woodlawn to a state championship.

The winningest program and coach, however, came from a small town in Colorado. Limon, led by coach Lloyd Gaskill, used a high-scoring single-wing attack to win over 100 games in the decade.

Following is a look at the top players and teams from the decade. The members of the all-decade team had to receive at least honorable mention All-America to be considered.
All-Decade Team
Offense
WR — Isaac Curtis, Santa Ana (Calif.), 1968
WR — Lance Rentzel, Casady (Oklahoma City), 1960
WR — Jim Mandich, Solon (Ohio), 1965
TE — George McGinnis, Washington (Ind.), 1967
OL — George Buehler, Whittier (Calif.), 1964
OL — Dave Foley, Roger Bacon (Cincinnati), 1964
OL — Rich Saul, Butler (Pa.), 1965
OL — John Hannah, Albertville (Ala.), 1968
OL — George Kunz, Loyola (Los Angeles), 1964
QB — Joe Ferguson, Woodlawn-Shreveport (La.), 1968
QB — Steve Spurrier, Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.), 1962
RB — Calvin Hill, Riverdale Country (Bronx, N.Y.), 1964
RB — Gale Sayers, Omaha Central (Omaha, Neb.), 1960
RB — Sam Cunningham, Santa Barbara (Calif.), 1968

Defense
DL — Bubba Smith, Charlton-Pollard (Texas), 1962
DL — Mike Reid, Altoona (Pa.), 1964
DL — Dave Butz, Maine South (Park Ridge, Ill.), 1968
LB — Ted Hendricks, Hialeah (Fla.), 1964
LB — Tim Rossovich, Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 1963
LB — Tommy Nobis, Jefferson (San Antonio, Texas), 1960
LB — Dick Butkus, Chicago Vocational (Chicago), 1960
DB — Dick Jauron, Swampscott (Mass.), 1968
DB — Dave Elmendorf, Westbury (Houston), 1966
DB — Tommy Casanova, Notre Dame (Crowley, La.), 1967
DB — Tucker Frederickson, South Broward (Hollywood, Fla.), 1960
P — Ray Guy, Thomson (Ga.), 1968

Winningest Program
Limon (Colo.), 103-8-4

Winningest Coach
Lloyd Gaskill, Limon (Colo.), 103-8-4

Leading Passer
6,701 — Joe Ferguson, Woodlawn-Shreveport (La.), 1966-68

Leading Rusher
5,422 — Steve Worster, Bridge City (Texas), 1964-66
Note: Herbie Phelps likely has the most yards in the 1960s, but his sophomore and junior totals are unavailable. He reportedly averaged 20 yards per carry as a junior.

Leading Scorer
722 — Herbie Phelps, Old Kentucky Home (Ky.), 1961-63

Greatest Game
Washington (Massillon, Ohio) 20, McKinley (Canton, Ohio) 14, 1964
While there have been a number of great games in this historic rivalry, the 1964 battle had to be one of the most exciting. Both teams entered the game 9-0 with the mythical state championship within their grasp. Washington trailed 14-0 in the fourth quarter when second string quarterback Dave Sheehog took control and led a comeback that concluded with a 14-yard touchdown with 54 seconds remaining. The game was played in front of 22,000 fans.

Greatest Teams
1. Valdosta (Ga.), 12-0, 1962
2. Coral Gables (Fla.), 13-0, 1967
3. Reagan (Austin, Texas), 15-0, 1968, now called Northeast Early College (Austin, Texas)
4. Miami (Fla.), 12-0, 1965
5. Coral Gables (Fla.), 12-0, 1964
6. Washington (Massillon, Ohio), 11-0, 1961
7. El Rancho (Pico Rivera, Calif.), 13-0, 1966
8. St. Rita (Chicago), 9-0, 1963
9. Reagan (Austin, Texas), 14-0, 1967
10. Miami (Fla.), 8-0-1, 1960