AREA SPORTS CHANGE, AND IMPROVE WITH THE TIMES

Carlyle Training School-16, Oak Ridge (town team)-5.

That was the final score of the first organized football game held south of St. Louis. The year was 1895.

That game gave the town of Jackson the distinction of being the first to field a school football team in this area. The next year, 1896, the Carlyle team played Carleton College of Farmington to mark the first game between schools in Southeast Missouri. The final game of a two-game season was against the Cape Girardeau Normal School. In 1897, the Carlyle Training School became the Jackson Military Academy, which existed until 1905 when Jackson High School was formed. Throughout those years until the present, without exception, Jackson has fielded a school football team.

Around the turn of the 20th century, there were amateur baseball teams, usually representing local communities throughout Southeast Missouri and competing against each other in hotly-contested Sunday afternoon games, generally held for bragging rights. Wagering on the outcomes was not unheard of either.

The Cape Girardeau Capahas, organized around 1894, has remained in existence and remains highly competitive to this day.

In 1904, an African-American baseball team, the Cape Stars, began playing throughout the area. Unfortunately, little else is known about the team, including how long the team existed.

Bowling, particularly in Cape Girardeau, was a popular sport in the early 1900s. Bowling scores were regularly posted on the front page of the newspaper and local teams traveled throughout the state to compete in statewide championships.

The Normal School, which became Southeast Missouri State Teachers College in 1919, became the hub of sports activities in the area. Outdoor sports were played at the fairgrounds, now known as Capaha Park, and there was a small gym in Academic Hall. This setting became the site of annual events held by the Oratorical and Athletic Association of Southeast Missouri, formed in 1906. A typical program of the association included girls basketball championships on Saturday morning, 15 athletic contests for boys from 14 high schools for the Southeast Missouri championships, and the oratory contests held on Saturday night, which capped the day's activities.

As the popularity of sports increased throughout the area, better facilities were needed. The prime mover in this effort was local businessman and patron of the college, Louis B. Houck. Houck, as president of the Board of Regents, approved the purchased an abandoned rock quarry adjacent to the college in 1925. Shortly thereafter, construction began on the stadium and fieldhouse.

The stadium, costing $150,000, held its first game in September 1930, a State College loss to SIU. On Oct. 3, 1930, the stadium was dedicated prior to a State College victory over Haskell Institute. The fieldhouse, completed later, was the site of college games and high school district basketball championships for many years. To this day, the stadium and fieldhouse are the only facilities on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University named for a member of the Board of Regents.

In 1932, the Emmett "Abe" Stuber era began at Southeast Missouri State Teachers College. Until his resignation in 1946, the legendary coach led the Indians to football prominence. After four years of mediocrity, Kenneth Knox, former player at Southeast and an extremely successful high school coach at Sikeston High School, returned to his alma mater in 1952 and propelled the football program to new heights. He guided the team to six conference championships during his 15 years at the helm. His 89 career wins make him the all-time leader in school history.

The Sikeston High School football teams of 1948-1968 deserve special mention as the most dominant team in any era. In a 21-year span, their record was a phenomenal 170 wins, 21 losses and 10 ties. That stretch includes the 35-0-3 mark compiled under Kenneth Knox and the 135-21-7 mark of his successor, Bill Sapp.

Basketball on the high school level has always thrived in Southeast Missouri. Arguably the most compelling sports story of the 20th century in this area took place in the most unlikely of places, Puxico. This laid-back little farm town, located midway between Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff with a population of about 800 in the 50s, produced one of the most exciting and prolific basketball teams in the state. With an enrollment of 90 boys, Puxico High School reached the heights of schoolboy basketball in Missouri.

Preaching the gospel of basketball in this town was Arnold Ryan. Shortly after his arrival, there was hardly a backyard in town without a basketball hoop in place. Many observers say the school's log gym was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and never void of the sound of bouncing basketballs. The 1951 Puxico Indians, led by a sharpshooter named Win Wilfong, went undefeated. They led the nation in prep scoring and won the state Class B championship. The '52 team repeated as state champions. The team became media darlings throughout the state. Many of their games had to be relocated to bigger arenas to accommodate the huge numbers of spectators they drew.

An interesting contrast surrounded the Puxico team. Coach Ryan, a strict disciplinarian, imposed uncompromising discipline on his players, yet they played with a loose, freewheeling flair. They played a run-and-shoot style before it was popular. The Ryanmen, as they were called, scored in the 80's and 90's when 40- and 50-point games were common in high school and many colleges. Many knowledgeable basketball people credit Ryan's style of fullcourt pressure defense and run-shoot-run offense with changing the face of basketball in Missouri, and across the country.

Although the meteoric journey of the Puxico team did not translate into a long-time dynasty, their story is still one of the most fascinating in the annals of Southeast Missouri sports history.

When looking for dynasties, consider the Charleston High School and Scott County Central High School boys basketball teams of the '70s, 80s, and 90s. Charleston has won numerous district championships and nine state titles. Scott County Central has won 12 state championships, a state record, including seven in a row, also a state record.

The Southeast Missouri State University basketball teams had been mediocre, at best, during the 70s.

"One of the most impressive accomplishments during my tenure as a sportscaster in this area was the turnaround of the SEMO basketball program, under the direction of Ron Shumate," said Randy Ray, longtime sportscaster at KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau. "When Shumate took over in 1981, the program was in the dumps and he guided them to seven regional championships and two second place NCAA Division II finishes, building his teams primarily with local talent."

Ray said the interest reached such a high level by 1985 that for the first time KFVS-TV televised SEMO games because Houck Fieldhouse couldn't hold the crowds. He feels this may have been an important impetus in the effort to build the Show Me Center, home of the Indians since 1987, which seats 7,000 fans.

Many outstanding athletes have participated in sports in Southeast Missouri and gone on to play on college, university, and professional teams throughout the 1900s. George Woods, Sikeston High School graduate, became a two-time silver medalist in the shot put event at the '68 and '72 Olympic games.

Women's sports have always played a part in the area sports landscape, as evidenced by the formation of such groups as the Girls Athletic Association as early as 1917. But prior to 1972, women's sports was neither very organized nor taken very seriously. That all changed after Title IX legislation was passed mandating equal opportunities for women in education, including sports. Today, women's sports in area high schools and colleges attract many fans and provide an exciting, entertaining brand of competition.

In recent years, the Jackson High School girls basketball team has competed in the state tournament several times, finishing second twice. The Kelly High School girls softball team and the Bernie High School girls volleyball team have enjoyed outstanding success competing at the state level.

The Southeast Missouri State University women's teams, nicknamed the Otahkians, have established themselves as solid performers in softball, basketball, and volleyball. The women's volleyball teams are perennial contenders in the Ohio Valley Conference.

On Oct. 27 they placed the most significant stamp of validity on their program to date with a victory over the nationally ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. The women's basketball team, coached by Ed Arnzen, has recorded some outstanding seasons culminating in an appearance in the 90-'91 NCAA finals.