Oklahoma All-State football facts: The 9s

“An interesting thing about the good natured tackle is that every team watching him play throughout the season picked him for the all state team,” The Oklahoma reported.

WEWOKA END WAS IMPRESSIVE IN 1929

Sports writers at The Oklahoman were impressed with Wewoka receiver Willie Goetting in 1929, calling the 6-3 player the most outstanding end in the state.

“Goetting stood out like a beacon on the receiving end in forward pass attacks,” The Oklahoma reported.

He also punted for Wewoka and averaged “more than 40 yards to the boot,” the newspaper reported.

1939 TEAM HEAVY ON BLOCKERS

After the 1938 All-State game ended in a scoreless draw, The Oklahoman placed a special emphasis on selecting linemen for the 1939 All-State team.

The 1938 squad “had hipper-dipper backs galore, boys who were full of mischief, but heavens! No one had remembered to invite the blockers,” according to the newspaper.

The 1939 team “is well-fortified in that respect,” The Oklahoman claimed.

QUARTERBACKS HIGHLIGHT 1949 TEAM

The 1949 All-State roster had a plethora of good quarterbacks, especially for the North squad, with “three brilliant passing quarterbacks in Billy Bledsoe of Cushing, Leo Canaday of Blackwell and Jack Ging of Alva,” The Oklahoman reported.

Jack Van Pool of Capitol Hill was “the only fulltime T quarterback on the Southern squad.” But running backs Chuck Kelly of Shawnee and Charles Murdock of Central “both have spent considerable time under center,” The Oklahoman reported.

BUD'S BOY ON 1959 SQUAD

Jay Wilkinson, son of University of Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, was a member of the 1959 All-State team.

Wilkinson guided Norman to the state Class AA finals against Northwest that season.

“He is a 190-pounder who excels as a runner and defensive performer with the best of them,” The Oklahoman reported.

Another famous coach's son also was on the 1959 team, C.B. Speegle III of Capitol Hill. C.B. Speegle II was a longtime Capitol Hill coach and the man for which Speegle Stadium is named.