Duke Linebacker David Helton (47)
Rob Healy (back row) with former Lookout Mountain School classmates the late Rev. King Oehmig (left front) and Forrest Smmons
Baylor's 2015 Mr. Football Ryan Parker (15)
photo by Eddie Davis
"To be a great linebacker you have to like contact and want to hit people. Ryan Parker likes to hit people."
- Baylor head football coach Phil Massey
Penn State has been labeled over the years as Linebacker U. and Baylor School can lay claim to the title of "Linebacker Prep" for the greater Chattanooga area.
While the impressive Penn State linebacker honor roll includes touts teammates and College Football Hall of Famers Jack Ham and Dennis Onkotz, Baylor has produced a pair of college All-Americans in Rufus Guthrie (Ga. Tech) and Chip Healy (Vanderbilt) and an Academic Heisman winner in David Helton (Duke).
Choosing at least one ‘backer per decade since the 1950s, the Baylor grads excelled in more than one sport in high school and some led their college teams to bowl wins. Six of these linebackers were champion wrestlers in either the Mid-South Association or the TSSAA or at the national prep tourney.
Player and years playing for Baylor in ( )
1950s
RUFUS GUTHRIE (played fall of 1956-57-58) …. All-American guard at Ga. Tech (1962) … All-City, All-Mid-South at Baylor … 2x Mid-South wrestling champion, 1958-59
1960s …
CHARLIE MOORE (played fall of 1959-60-61) … defensive end and defensive back at LSU … Academic All-SEC in 1965 …. linebacker at Baylor … All-City and All-Mid-South … national prep wrestling champion (1962) … played on LSU teams which won the 1964 Sugar Bowl (1963 season) and 1966 Cotton Bowl (1965 season) .. as a senior at Baylor in winter of 1962 he won four wrestling titles … City Prep, Mid-South, TSSAA State and National Prep … also was three-time Mid-South champion in the high hurdles.
HAPPY DICKS (played fall of 1962-63-64) - linebacker at Georgia … all-city and all-Mid-South in high school … All-SEC (2nd team) and Academic All-SEC for the Dawgs … Member of SEC champion Georgia team in 1966 … beat SMU in Cotton Bowl … led Georgia with 11 tackles that afternoon … two other Chattanooga natives – Bobby Etter (3 PATs and 1 FG) and Dickie Phillips (9 tackles) - were Chattanooga Central grads for the Dawgs on that Cotton Bowl team.
CHIP HEALY (played fall of 1962-63-64) … played two years in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals … All-SEC and All-American linebacker at Vanderbilt … All-South and All-American in high school … was 2x national prep champion in wrestling
ROB HEALY (played fall of 1966-67-68) … running back at Ga. Tech … played in three bowl games … all-state and all Mid-South linebacker at Baylor … 2x national prep champion in wrestling … scored touchdown in 1970 Sun Bowl win against Texas Tech as a freshman and three touchdowns in losing effort to Ole Miss in 1971 Peach Bowl … Tech also won the 1972 Liberty Bowl against Iowa State.
ROB DAVIS (played fall of 1971-72-73) member of 1973 national championship team … all-city … all-state … played at UTC
CHRIS FITZGERALD (played fall of 1988-89-90) … all-star linebacker/fullback for Red Raiders … founder of the Orion Cooker …
DAVID HELTON (played fall of 08-09-10) … All-ACC linebacker at Duke … led ACC in tackles and tackles per game as a junior and senior … won the Academic Heisman award (William V. Campbell Trophy), the most prestigious award given to a student-athlete for academics … a CoSIDA Academic All-American … all-state in football and state champion in wrestling for Baylor
RYAN PARKER (played fall of 2012-13-14-15) … TSSAA 2015 Mr. Football ... will attend Notre Dame as a preferred walk-on next fall … all-state in football and 3x state champion in wrestling and state champ in the discus.
Baylor Red Raiders in College Bowl Games
1964 Sugar Bowl - LSU - Charlie Moore was a So. Defensive end/defensive back … interesting match-up … he was a 2x national prep wrestling champion … Syracuse fullback JIm Nance was an NCAA wrestling champion …. Moore did score a takedown of sorts on Nance in the game with a tackle of the big running back
50 Years Ago Today
1966 Cotton Bowl – LSU 14, Arkansas 7 … Moore also played in the bowl win as the Tigers from Baton Rouge upset No.2 Arkansas and ended the Hogs 22-game winning streak.
Was first domino to fall to open the way for Alabama to win the national championship that day.
Cotton Bowl - LSU defeated No.2 Arkansas, 14-7
Rose Bowl - UCLA defeated No.1 Michigan State, 14-12
Orange Bowl – No.4 Alabama def. No.3 Nebraska and moved past Arkansas and Michigan State and was crowned national champions
Sugar Bowl – Missouri defeated Fla. but had no effect on national championship
The SEC won four of the eight bowls that year as Ole Miss (Liberty) and Tennessee (Bluebonnet) were also victors.
1967 Cotton Bowl – Happy Dicks led with 11 tackles as SEC champ Georgia beat SMU, 24-9, in a game actually played on Saturday, Dec. 31 since Jan. 1 fell on a Sunday. He also played in the Liberty and Sugar Bowls as the Dawgs lost both games.
Ga. Tech – Rob Healy played in three bowl games, scoring a touchdown in a 31-30 win against Texas Tech and scored three times in 1971 Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss.
Duke – David Helton played in three bowl games, but unfortunately the Blue Devils lost all three – Belk, Chik-fil-A and Sun
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net