The pictures are as represented in the Woodrow Wilson High School, Portsmouth, Virginia yearbook or annual of the year indicated on the page. The Memory pictures may not be complete and pictures and names may have been removed by request of the person involved. Also, it does not offically indicate the year of graduation and/or that the party in question graduated. This section of the website is dedicated to the memories of all alumni and are found in personal items that alumni have saved and were kind enough to allow it to be shared with others. Thank You. If you are not represented in your class, or have other pictures for the memories section you may submit a photo to be added. John “Eddie” Lee ’68.
Football -- the Presidents were among . . . . . . best in District at season's end!
Row one: Tommy Rice, Ronnie Baker, Robert Bartlett, Frank Culpepper, Wayne Shepard, Donald Powell, James Ponton, Tommy Morgan, Charles Mastro, Row two: Ray Reinhole, Eddie Johnson, Bobby Cook, Larry Davis, Ches Forester, Richard Sorrell, Bernard Doleman, David Moody, John Brooks, Bobby Cross, James Matesiak. Row three:
DALE HEELY
Co-Captain
Heely drives over for score against Churchland
RALPH GAHAGAN
Coach
ROBERT CROSS
Co-Captain
Morgan scores standing up to win over Maury. Other Presidents pictured are Culpepper (32), Davis (15), Cook (32)
Coach Ralph Gahagan, Carl Robertson, Al Harmon, John Nobrega, John Kern, Wally Buntang, Donald Langston, J.B. Edwards, Dale Heely, Mike Opauski, Tommy Foxworth, Coach Stan Fischer, Coach Howard Beale. Row four: Steve Butt, Donald Bradley, Mike Martin, Ronnie McEwen, Harvey James
ROBERT BARTLETT
Guard
JOHNNY BROOKS
Tackle
RONNIE McEWEN
Guard
TOMMY MORGAN
Halfback
FRANK CULPEPPER
Halfback
LARRY DAVIS
Quarterback
BOBBY COOK
Center
BERNARD DOLEMAN
Tackle
HARVEY JAMES
End
J.B. EDWARDS
Guard
WALLY BUNTING
Guard
WILSON 6 --- NEWPORT NEWS 33
WILSON 19 --- NORVIEW 6
Assistant Coach Stan Fischer prepares to set up a passing drill
Head Coach Ralph Gahagan explains graphically what he wants his quarterbacks to do.
Assistant Coach Howard Beale is all set to observe line drills.
Assistant Coach Jim Paine explains the fine points of end play.
Coach Gahagan points out downfield blocking assignments.
WILSON 0 --- OSCAR SMITH 7
Morgan about to cross goal line against Truckers
DONALD POWELL
Quarterback
TOMMY FOXWORTH
Halfback
EDDIE JOHNSON
Halfback
JAMES MATUSIAK
Tackle
RAY RIENHOLZ
Halfback
DAVID MOODY
End
Managers Ronnie Stewart, George Rice, Jimmy Craig, and Buzzy Barclay with equipment manager Bill Strawn
TOMMY BARNES
End
CHARLES MASTRO
Tackle
Harvey James about to gather in a pass from Davis for a substantial gain against Norview
JAMES PONTON
Halfback
WAYNE SHEOHERD
Guard
MIKE OPAUSKI
End
DONALD BRADLEY
End
Larry Davis picks up short yardage against a stubborn Oscar Smith defense
WILSON 20 --- FERGUSON 6
WILSON 14 --- HAMPTON 0
AL HARMON
Center
TOMMY RICE
Halfback
JOHN NOBREGA
Guard
RONNIE BAKER
Halfback
STEVE BUTT
Halfback
DONALD LANGSTON
Center
WILSON 14 --- HAMPTON 0
Harvey James gathers in a Davis pass for a score in the Granby win
WILSON 27 --- MAURY 13
Culpepper (32) helps spring Morgan loose for long yardage in Cradock route
WILSON 7 --- PRINCESS ANNE 13
WILSON 33 --- GRANBY 15
RICHARD SORRELL
Guard
CHESTER FORRESTER
Tackle
CARL ROBERTSON
Tackle
JOHN KERN
Tackle
Davis sweeps the Ferguson end for yardage with his familiar keeper play
Culpepper in one of his many gainers against the Churchland Truckers
Oscar Smith made good on its only sustained drive of the game in the second quarter to spoil Wilson's opener by a 7-0 margin. The Presidents took the opening kickoff and, with Frank Culpepper in the key role, moved to the Smith 10 where Culpepper fumbled, guard Bob Churchill recovering for the visitors.
The Tigers moved back to the Wilson 47 where Wayne Creef fumbled, Larry Davis recovering. The Presidents failed to get a drive going, and punted to the Smith 16. From here the Tigers started their winning 74 yard march which was capped by Roger Harris' 17 yard pass on fourth down to end Kenny Delong. Creef kicked the extra point. The Tigers
never threatened again, and their rugged defenders spent the rest of the contest beating back Wilson threats.
In the second quarter the Presidents started their big drive from the 17 with a Davis to David Moody pass for 17 yards. Dale Heely and Tommy Morgan then took turns moving the ball deep into Smith territory. Davis again passed to Moody for 17 yards to put ll'ilson on the Smith two, but there was just time for one play, and Culpepper was thrown for a three yard loss. Defensive standouts for Wilson were Harvey James, J.B. Edwards, and Bobby Cook.
A big, fast, and powerful Newport News team handed Wilson its second defeat in a row by a score of 33-6. The Typhoon spotted the Presidents a touchdown in the opening minutes, and then came on to completely dominate a contest that figured to be close.
The Presidents, victims of fumbles and pass interceptions, drove 65 yards for their lone score the first time they got the ball. The manner in which they ripped the Typhoon line led the 6,000 fans to believe the visitors were in for a tough night. A fourth down one to go gamble that clicked on the 45, and Larry Davis' 15 yard pass to Dale Heely were the key plays in the march. Heely scored from the one, but failed to convert.
The Typhoon marched 60 yards with the following kickoff, with a 33 yard screen pass from Dale Mueller proving to be the big gainer. Ken Bransford hit the middle from the three, the extra point kick was good, and Newport News was off and running with a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
From this point on the Typhoon dominated play, and the Pres- idents were not able to produce a serious threat during the rest of the game.
The Presidents travelled to Chittum Field seeking their first win of the season, and sent the Pilots down to defeat for the first time in 37 games on their home field. The score was 19-6.
Wilson picked up its first score before the end of the first quarter on a 20 yard pass from Larry Davis to David Moody who was all alone in the end zone. Late in the second quarter, Norview started a drive which was highlighted by a touchdown pitch from Jerry Collier. The half ended with the Presidents on the Norview seven, and the score knotted a 6-6.
Co-captain Dale Heely scored the tie breaker in the third quarter on a five yard run, and Tommy Morgan, who led the Wilson attack in the second half, scored in the fourth period on a 14 yard scamper. Norview's final drive stalled on the VVilson eight, and the game ended with the Presidents in possession. This win gave the Wilson eleven a big lift psychologically.
Offensively, the performance of the entire Wilson backfield was outstanding, while on defense, standouts were Bobby Cross, Harvey James, Larry Davis, and Bobby Cook. In fact, the entire team must be credited with a great effort in this important win.
Wilson outclassed Ferguson by a score of 30-6 before 6,000 Homecoming fans, and at the same time piled up memories for the visiting classes of 1936 1/2—37, and for members of the 1916-20 Wilson teams who sat on the sideline during the game.
The Presidents romped to an 18-0 half time lead, but lost -the services of Frank Culpeper who sustained a broken nose. Larrv Davis passed to Harvey James for the first score, the play covering 28 vards. Two more scores followed before the end of the half, at which time the elaborate cere- monies were climaxed by the crowning of Queen Toni Williams by Dr. Robert Allen.
With substitutes playing most of the second half, the Presidents hit pay- din twice more, and allowed the Mariners their only touchdown. Second string quarterback Donald Powell increased the Presidents' lead with a 25 yard pass to Donald Bradley.
This was the first game during which Coach Ralph Gahagan could really show Wilson followers his bench strength. Others making fine showings in addition to Powell and Bradley were Ray Reinholz, Ronnie Baker, ,\1 Harman, and Charles Mastro.
Led offensively bv Powell and defensivelj' by the entire line, the Presidents showed that they would not be a pushover for any opponent in the Eastern Distria.
The Presidents journeyed to Hampton for the Crabber's homecoming, and came away victorious for the third straight time. The score was 14-0. Wilson's first score was set up by a 38 yard run by Tommy Morgan, who then went over from the one for the touchdown. The second marker came in the final quarter, resulting from a drive featuring long gains.
One was a pass from Larry Davis to Harvey James, and the other a run by James Ponton. Dale Heely bulled over from the one for the score.
This game featured not only a potent offense, but clutch defensive play. The Crabbers drove into Wilson territory three times, only to be thwarted on each occasion. Turning in stellar performances were middle guard Bobby Cook, linebacker Harvey James, guard Robert Bartlett, and back Larry Davis.
Wilson ground out 311 yards on the ground to defeat arch- rival Churchland for its fourth straight Eastern District football viaory. The score was 19-13. The Presidents tallied the first two times the}’ had the ball, which they controlled so much that they did not have to punt at any time during the game.
"The Fabulous Four," Wilson's stand-out backfield, was led by Dale Heely and Frank Culpepper, but overall balance was evident in the fact that the three touchdowns were scored by Heely, Tommy Morgan, and Larry Davis. Churchland, led by Kenny Currie, threatened in the closing minutes, but fumbled on the 49. Wilson recovered and ran out the remaining 30 seconds. The victorv was hard-earned even though the Presidents controlled the ball and out- played the Truckers most of the way.
The Churchland offensive unit was unable to sustain a drive against the President defensive team long enough to cross the goal line. The Truckers, led by Kenny Currie and Jody Bew, pressured the Wilson defensive team into one if its best performances thus far. Standouts were Harvey James, Bobby Cook, Bobby Cross, Robert Bardett, J.B. Edwards, Wally Bunting, John Brooks, Bernard Dole- man, Davis, and Ronnie McEwen.
Another great effort on the part of the endre backfield was once again quite evident. If any one individual stood out it was Culpepper, who continually came through with key yardage throughout the game.
Wilson travelled across the river riding a five game winning streak which was ended abruptly by Princess Anne, 13-7. The Cavaliers, led by Charles Carr and Buster O'Brien, rallied in the second half to edge the Presidents. Mike Smith, who played Jay Vee at Wilson in 1961 before moving to Princess Anne, made the Cavalier's famed passing attack more eflective with his running.
The Presidents scored first on a short run by Larry Davis, but Princess Anne came right back to narrow Wilson's lead to 7-6 at half Ume. The Cavaliers took the second half kickoff and scored on an O'Brien pass to put Wilson on the short end of a 13-7 score. Bobby Cook, Harvey James, and J.B. Edwards then started to open large holes in the Princess Anne forward wall, and Wilson's powerful ground attack began to grind out consistent yardage, finally reaching the Cavalier 27 yard line on a 15 yard run by Dale Heely. Several passes brought the Presidents even closer, but time ran out.
In addition to Cook, James, and Edwards, David .Moody and Bobby Cross turned in yeoman performances for the Orange and Blue.
The Presidents bounced back from their defeat at the hands of Princess Anne, crushing the Blue Comets of Granby by a score of 33-15. This win enabled Wilson to complete the sweep of its Norfolk rivals for the first time since 1954.
Wilson scored first on a pass from Larry Davis to .Morgan. The Comets stormed back and took the lead, 12-6. The Presidents then took the following kickoff and marched to the Granby 47. Davis, displaying great ability and deception, broke away for a touchdown, but it was called back because of a penalty. Two plays later Frank Gulpepper exploded for 32 yards and a score that counted. The Comets came right back and, with three seconds left, kicked a field goal to give them a 15-12 halftime lead.
The second half was all Wilson. The Presidents roared back to take the lead on a pass from Davis to Harvey [antes. Morgan and Davis followed up with touchdowns to close out the scoring. Two juniors, Bernard Doleman and Ronnie McElwen, were defensive standouts.
The Presidents journeyed to Foreman Field in an effort to stretch their four game winning streak at the expense of the Maury Com- modores, and were successful to the tune of 27-13. This game was the 42nd in a series which is one of the South's longest rivalries. This was the first win over a Maury team since 1956.
WILSON 33 --- CRADOCK 6
What was anticipated as a possible close battle, ended in a 33-6 route. Playing before a crowd of 7,000, the Presidents scored touch- downs the first four times they had possession of the ball, and held a 26-0 lead at halftime.
The Admirals came back to outplay the Prexies in the second half, but fumbles stopped two scoring threats, and Wilson held on two other occasions.
Junior Varsity
Experiences
building year
BOBBY COLEMAN
SCOTT RHODES
TOMMY MATUSIAK
MIKE MARTIN
Jimmy Staples, Tommy Warren, Butch Hodges, Chris Doyle
Jimmy Staples finds the traffic congested as he tries the middle against Churchland.
Jimmy Staples, Tommy Warren, Butch Hodges, Chris Doyle
Fred Smalz about to be brought down by a Trucker after picking up yardage during game that ended in a stalemate.
Bobby Coleman plunges for a score in the win over Oscar Smith
Season Record
Wilson 0
Wilson 0
Wilson 14
Wilson 40
Wilson 0
Wilson 0
Wilson 7
Princess Anne 23
Maury 0
Oscar Smith 0
Suffolk 0
Granby 19
Churchland 0
Hampton 6
Row one: Jerry Peaks, Joe Watson, Bobby Welton, Doug Taylor,Billy Ames, Butch Hodges, Sam Bush, Strappy Hughes. Row two: Doug Spencer, Wayne Redmon, Chris Doyle, Joe Conley, Mike Martin, Lewis Huddle, Wayne Clark, Ronnie Ofmsted, Jerry Staples. Row three:
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Jim Paine--asst. Coach, Eddie Robertson, Bobby Oliver, Bobby Coleman, Bill Dillon, Larry Vann, Ronnie Fisk, Tommy Gray, Tommy Matusiak, Scott Rhodes, Coach Jim Sherrill. Row four: Spunky Perrine, Tommy Warren, Kenny Ford,n Ernest Crawford, Brad Vaughan.
With a record of three wins, two ties, and two losses, the Baby Presidents finished what might be called a rebuilding year. The team was again under the direction of veteran Coach Jim Sherrill who assisted by newcomer, Jim Paine.
The climax of the season came on a 7-6 victory over the Hampton Crabbers. This gave the Presidents a winning season, and preserved their winning record of past years.
The Presidents took charge as soon as they got the ball on the kick-off. They marched to the Hampton 15, where a Wilson pass was intercepted. The Crabbers had the ball fur plays only to give it up to the Presidents again. This time they capitalized on a 70 yard drive capped by a 4 yard plunge off tackle b halfback Bobby Coleman. Coleman also added the extra point.
The Presidents traveled to Granby only to get a 19-0 whitewashing. Coach Sherrill coldn't seem to get his offense rolling for this game.
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