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AHSFHS Article Series


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





Team Records Pre - 1966  


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          Every fan that visits AHSFHS.org is aware of the winningest teams of all time when it comes to Alabama high school football. Three teams are fighting for the top spot every week during the football season. Fayette County (662), Oneonta (662) and T.R. Miller (661) have distinguished themselves as the best schools over the past 100 years when it comes to winning football games.

          One thing I like to do is to play the 'what if' game. What if the playoffs had been implemented in 1950 instead of 1966? Did you know there were actually discussions around that time to implement a playoff system in the state? Georgia first held playoff games in 1950.

          Which schools would have won those state championships? The 'what if' game I have pondered for some time is who are the teams with the most victories when the playoffs were finally implemented in 1966.

          Most true fans would quickly identify Sidney Lanier, or simply Lanier as they were known by their fans, as the likely candidate for the best teams prior to 1966. And correctly so by a wide margin. The Poets won 333 games prior to 1966, well ahead of their closest competitor, Bessemer, with 293.

          To say Lanier has not enjoyed their earlier success recently would be an understatement. The Poets rank 232nd among the winningest teams since 1966 with a record of 239-277. Once the largest school in Alabama and the mightiest of football powers, the football team has managed just a single winning season over the past fifteen years.

          Notice that while Fayette County makes our list, T.R. Miller and Oneonta are nowhere to be found. The Tigers of Miller have won a staggering 87 playoff games which helps them jump near the top of our all time wins list. In 1966 the Tigers ranked 69th with an overall record of 190-175-17. That means that since 1966 T.R. Miller has gone 471-129-3 over the last fifty seasons. That is an average of 9.4 wins per year. Not too shabby.

          Oneonta ranked 35th in 1966 with a record of 232-138-29. Since then the Redskins have gone 430-152-2 to get their name among the leaders.

          This was mostly a time without classifications when very small schools would often take on the larger schools. A smaller school appearing on this list is an example of a great program. Pickens County won 257 games with many of the victories coming against larger schools. 


Team Records 1900-1965
Team Won Lost Tied
Sidney Lanier 333 120 39
Bessemer 293 146 28
Dothan 291 126 28
Tuscaloosa 286 125 33
Albertville 284 166 38
Fayette County 282 140 32
Benjamin Russell 282 133 23
Enterprise 280 109 32
Escambia County 274 128 27
Decatur 271 123 23
Guntersville 268 160 18
Anniston 267 130 24
Coffee 266 142 29
Sylacauga 266 148 35
Walker 266 136 31
Etowah 257 168 24
Pickens County 257 135 12
Thomasville 256 123 45
Hamilton 254 149 31
Fort Payne 251 136 24


Team Records 1965-2015
Team Won Lost Tied
T.R. Miller 471 129 3
Colbert County 446 166 4
Hoover/Berry 446 152 6
Oneonta 430 152 3
Brantley 427 161 3
Sweet Water 419 160 5
Hazelwood 418 106 1
Reeltown 415 176 2
Addison 414 161 2
Clay County 414 124 5
Deshler 408 186 6
Russellville 406 175 3
Maplesville 394 184 3
Fyffe 392 176 0
Gordo 387 187 1
Alexandria 384 170 4
Fayette County 380 194 3
Jackson 377 172 5


David Parker
  AHSFHS.org
  dparker@ahsfhs.org




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