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   The best of the best in Alabama High   
  School Football over the past 100 seasons.





Wigwam Wiseman All-Americans



In 1947 John Clark "Mose" Simms, The athletic director of Oklahoma City University took leave-of-absence to organize a high school football game between the best players east and west of the Mississippi River. To choose the players he wrote to 134 sports editors and writers for nominations.


 After evaluating the submissions, and visiting some of the high schools of nominated players, he chose 44 to play in that game and be designated as the first high school All-American team. From 1947 through the early 60's an organization headed by Simms known as the Wigwam Wisemen picked an All-American team and published the results in the national sports weekly "The Sporting News". From the original four deep teams, the list was eventually expanded to seven teams of thirteen players.

 In most of those years the nominations exceeded 5,000 players. Some that didn't make one of the squads were designated as Honorable Mention Wigwam Wisemen All-Americans. Those honorable mention lists, for the most part are lost in time.

The greatest honor a high school football player could receive during the years of the Wigwam Wisemen, was to be named to their team.

A copy of one of the certificates appears at the bottom of this page.



 Player   Team   Position   Ht.   Wt.   Team   College 
 1947 
 McGowin Hunt  McGill G6-4 1863rd  
 John Baumgartner  Ramsay B5-9 1853rd  
  
 1948 
 Jack Lewis  Ramsay E6-0 1901st  
 John Rohmer  McGill B5-11 1854th  
 James Kimbrough  Deshler E HM  
  
 1949 
 Jack Smalley  Tuscaloosa T6-1 2151st  Alabama
 B. Partidge  McGill B 5th  
  
 1950 
 Bobby Luna  Huntsville B6-1 2051st  Alabama
 Bobby Duke  Phillips Birmingham B6-0 1802nd  Alabama
 Jerry Lambert  Emma Sansom E 1953rd  Alabama
 Jerry Elliott  West End Birmingham E HM  
 Jack Creel  Dothan B HM  
 Harry Lee  Phillips Birmingham T HM  
 Frank Reed  Albertville E HM  
 Enos Parker  Murphy B HM  
 Don Abernathy  Sidney Lanier B HM  
 David Bratcher  Central Florence T HM  
 Charlie Gilmer  Anniston T HM  
 Charles Dismukes  UMS B HM  
 Buddy May  Winfield G HM  
 Wyman Townsel  Etowah B HM  
 Tom Danner  Tuscaloosa G HM  Alabama
 Sonny Hendrix  Geneva B HM  
 Sargent Prickett  Alexandria B HM  
 John OBar  Etowah G HM  
  
 1951 
 Bart Starr  Sidney Lanier QB6-0 1771st  Alabama
 John OBar  Etowah G 7th  
  
 1952 
 Fred Sington Jr.  Ramsay G6-2 2351st  Alabama
 Noojin Walker  Falkville HB 1856th  Alabama
  
 1953 
 Jerry McBee  Ensley FB5-11 180  
 Richard Autry  McAdory C6-2 224  Alabama
  
 1954 
 Tommy Lorino  Bessemer B 2nd  Auburn
 Kenneth Roberts  Anniston C 6th  Alabama
 Bobby Jackson  Murphy B 7th  Alabama
  
 1955 
 Roy Swift  Fairfield B5-10 1802nd  
 Bobby Lauder  Foley B 5th  
 Jimmy Putman  Phillips Birmingham E 2006th  Auburn
  
 1956 
 Henry OSteen  Anniston E6-3 2001st  
 Ed Dyas  McGill B 6th  Auburn
 Danny Mastream  Foley C HM  
 Bobby Solomon  Decatur E HM  
 Gene Warhurst  Murphy G 200HM  Alabama
 Guin Holland  Decatur FB 170HM  
 Gerald Burch  McGill E HM  
 Gary Phillips  Dothan G HM  Alabama
 G.W. Clapp  Hanceville T HM  Auburn
 Freddie Cruce  Coffee HM  
 Fred Tice  Enterprise HM  
 Frank Meyers  Sidney Lanier T 230HM  Auburn
 Eugene Gann  Hamilton B HM  
 Erskine Mercer  Demopolis HB HM  Tennessee Chattanooga
 William Porter  Fayette County T HM  
 Wayne Frazier  Evergreen LB HM  Auburn
 Walt Sansing  West Blocton B HM  Alabama
 Wallace Hulgan  Charles Henderson HM  
 Richard Wirth  Foley B HM  
 Neil Henderson  Enterprise E 195HM  Auburn
 Ned Lindsey  Lanett FB 185HM  Clemson
 Morris Ed Haney  Winfield HM  
 Larry McCoy  Tuscaloosa G6-0 190HM  Alabama
 Jimmy Bird  Deshler HM  
 Jim Pettus  Oxford DB HM  Auburn
 Jerry Gulledge  McGill G HM  
 Jack Cochran  Cherokee HM  
  
 1957 
 Billy Coleman  Vigor B 4th  Alabama
 Bill Lyons   E 5th  
  
 1958 
 Marlin Mooneyham  Sidney Lanier HB 1803rd  Alabama
 Carlton Rankin  Piedmont FB 4th  Alabama
 Terrell Wallen  Gadsden E 2204th  Alabama
  
 1959 
 Eugene Deal  Fayette County G 2051st  Auburn
 Zack Roberson  Emma Sansom G 3rd  Auburn
 Shannon Egge  Shades Valley E 180HM  Alabama
 Ray Mendheim  Valley B HM  
 Mike Helms  Gadsden T HM  
 Larry Wall  Valley B 175HM  Alabama
 Kenneth Mitchell  Coffee G HM  
 John Cox Webb  Demopolis B HM  
 Jimmy Dill  Murphy E HM  Alabama
 James Finley  Fayette County B HM  
 Harvey Morris  Decatur C HM  Alabama
 Harold Warren  Alexandria E HM  Auburn
 Claude Neilson  Demopolis T HM  Alabama
 Calvin McCoy  Guntersville B HM  
 Ben Wood  Sidney Lanier B 180HM  
  
 1960 
 Ernest Pilgreen  Lee Montgomery G6-0 1952nd  Auburn
  
 1961 
 Bill Sharpe  UMS-Wright E 3rd  Clemson
 Paul Crane  Vigor C 7th  Alabama






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