Little League Football - Then and Now

In 1972, Alton Lingerfelt, John Narramore, and Dartis Francis started the 1st youth football league at Midway that I know about. These 3 were the first coaches, there were only 3 teams. Midway played the first 2 years against Lenoir City, Loudon, Sweetwater, Madisonville, and others. Wins were hard to come by, huge losses were not. It was like having to play Kingston every week. I remember scores like 52-0 many games.

Some differences in the game back then were no coaches were allowed on the field, even in the younger age groups. Another was the weight limits. There was no such thing as striping the helmet back then for the larger players. If you were over the weight limit, then you didn’t play. The only way you could play if you were over the weight limit was if the other team had a player over the limit and the two coaches could strike some kind of deal where “yours can play if mine can.” One year I remember I was a little thick. Dad would make me mow the yard and not eat all day just to get under the weight limit. Then at halftime Dad would slip me a Milky Way. I still remember the look on the other kids face as I ate that candy bar. I always felt bad eating that in front of them but I don’t remember offering anybody any.

One Saturday I had mowed and starved all day and come weigh-in time I was a half pound under the weight limit, “phew…”, but my cousins Jr and Rusty Galyon, who were never really that close to the weight limit, both were overweight. Dad, the coach, asked Rusty what he had done all day. To which Rusty stated that he had laid on the couch and watched TV all day. So Dad said “well what did you eat”? To which Rusty, who was a big boy himself, replied “For lunch I had 5 Sandwiches”. I don’t think Rusty was all that concerned about the weight limit. Adults I remember being involved were Jr Galyon, Jim Shaw, Phil Tucker, Rusty Patterson, Fred Beason and Steve Edgemon. Alton Lingerfelt was the President of the league those first 3 years.

The 3rd year, in 1975, Midway was able to join the Tri-co league. This is the league that we play in now except that Kingston, Harriman, and Rockwood were not in this league. This league was comprised of communities more our size then the league we had been in. One Midway team I remember finished 2nd in the league that 1st year in the Tri-Co. league. I think we were playing Sunbright. Sunbright scored late in the game and beat us 6-0 in a hard fought game and that gave Sunbright the championship. I think this was the same year that Randy Humphreys broke his collarbone.

Before the 1976 season, Midway officials attended the winter meeting and didn’t have a clue that at that meeting they would be voted out of the league by 1 vote. Reason given was that it was too far to drive for some of the Morgan Co. teams. Alton Lingerfelt told me that the league president did not like what had transpired and resigned on the spot. This left Midway with no place to play and the Midway Youth Football program disbanded.

Another story I remember: We were playing Kingston at Midway (I think this would have been 7 and 8 year olds team). Kingston had a scat-back that we just couldn’t catch. The boy scored 3 or 4 TD’s on us during the game and after he scored each time he would do a little dance that included rubbing his butt on the goalpost. After the second TD we were really starting to hate this kid but he was too fast for us to catch. Years later in 1983-84 season that same scat-back from Kingston would lead the Midway High School Green Waves to a #1 ranking in the state. That player was none other than 1983-84 QB, Bryan Ogle. Even though we became friends with Bryan we really never fully got over him rubbing his rear on our goalposts.

Not until 1996 would Youth Football be played in Midway again. That year some members (there were about 100 at that time) of the Green and White Club decided to start a Football program. The members of the Green and White club raised $20,000 to get the league going. Linda Townsend was the President, I think, of the Green and White Club and was President of the Midway Saturday Youth Football League that first year. After that 1st year, Eric Moore took over as President. Eric would serve as President for 5 years. The Midway teams had at least 1 maybe 2 Championships during this time. Some of the adults I remember being involved were the Parks, Curt and Steph Raby, Leslie Davis, Donna Patterson, Roger and Cindy Myers, Fred and Teresa Beason and many others I’m sure. In 2001 Eric Moore stepped down as President of the youth football and Eddie Lentz took over for 1 year. The next year a board of directors was formed out of the coaches and other members. Gerald Davidson was elected President. Board members I remember were Rusty Campbell, Myself, April Narramore, Fred Beason, Steve Branson, Marty Davidson Lewis Edwards, Kevin Sergent and Ronnie Arwood. Gerald would serve as President for 2 years. It was during this time the name of the league was changed to The Midway QB Club. Since 2004 Lewis Edwards has served as President of the Midway QB Club. Current Board of Directors are Vice President Marty Davidson, Sec. Johnny Burnum, Jeff Burton, Brian Thompson, Gary Hillard, Randy Gibson, and Gerald Davidson.

A normal home game in youth league football is a nightmare. It takes about 15 adult volunteers to run 1 game. At least 3 coaches per team, 1 announcer, 1 clock person, 3 people to run the chains, 2 people to run the gate, at least 3 in the concession stand, 1 to run the grill, and 1 person to weight in the players for the next game. But Green Wave Parents and fans always step up to the cause. Midway home games are as well staffed as any place we play, better than most. That says a lot about the commitment our parents have made to the Green Wave program.

Below are some pictures from some of the first Midway Youth Football teams.