Since 1923 Deshler and Russellville have met each year except the 1933, 1943, 1986 and 1987
seasons. They have played a total of 89 times with Deshler holding a 46-39-4
advantage in the series. Russellville has closed the gap by winning thirteen
of the past seventeen games in the rivalry. It must be noted that
Russellville has played in Class 5A since 1984 while Deshler has remained
mostly in Class 4A.
The two programs are some
of the winningest in the history of high school football in the state of
Alabama. Deshler has won 646 games while Russellville is close behind with
603 victories. No other teams in our rivalry series have won more combined football
games.
The schools are about 24
miles apart and over the years have met in many epic battles. In 1941 Deshler (8-1) handed the Golden
Tigers their only defeat of the season 20-0. In 1954 they did it again with
a 26-7 victory. In 1961, the Golden Tigers (8-0-2) tied Deshler (8-1-1) in
one of the best games in the series.
Beginning in 1999 the two
teams became powerhouses in northwest Alabama. Regular appearances in
championship games were common for both programs. Several times the loser of
this game would not lose another contest that season. This occurred in 1999,
2002, 2003, 2004, 2009 and 2014.
The two teams have played
in a total of seventeen state championship games since 1987. In 2003 Deshler
(14-1) defeated Russellville (13-2)34-32 during the season as both teams
were on their way to championship games. Deshler won the Class 4A title
while Russellville fell in the title game.
In 2004, The Tigers again
defeated Russellville 23-13 in the regular season and again both teams
reached the Super Six championship game.
Total Meetings: 89 Series Record: Deshler leads 46-39-4 Home Record: Deshler: 23-17-2
Russellville: 21-21-2 First Meeting: 10/5/1923, Deshler 38, Russellville, 0 Last Meeting: 8/28/2015, Russellville 42, Deshler, 12 Longest Winning Streak: Deshler 8 (1947-1954), Russellville 6 (2005-2010) Biggest Wins: Deshler 59-0 (1935), Russellville 43-6 (1983)