By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Jimmy Rogers was considered by many as one of the finest running backs to emerge from Forrest City High School.
A 1974 graduate of Forrest City High School, Rogers found himself in the national limelight when he was recruited by legendary Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer.
Rogers followed Switzer's lead and helped lead the Sooners to three Big Eight championships and a pair of national titles (1974 and 1975).
Rogers will be inducted Friday into the Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame.
He will be joined by Dudley Parker, William Hampton and Charlotte Fields Wright. All four represent the FCHS era after 1970.
The induction banquet is set for 5 p.m, at the Forrest City Civic Center.
Advance tickets are $10. University of Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles is the special guest speaker.
Broyles recruited Parker and Hampton while he was still the Arkansas razorback football head coach.
Eight other Forrest City athletes will be inducted into the Hall of Fame -- Rodney Echols, Clarence Jones Jr., John Henry Watson and Florine Bingham, representing Lincoln High School and Sonny Holmes, Bill Kessinger, Jim Lindsey and Pat Todd, representing FCHS before 1970.
Following his stint at Oklahoma, in which Rogers played in the 1974, 1976 and 1978 Orange Bowls and the 1977 Fiesta Bowl, he went on to an eight-year career in the NFL -- spending two seasons with San Francisco and six with the New Orleans Saints.
While with the Saints, Rogers was the team captain and three-time MVP with the special teams and was part of the Saints' teams that won the NFC West title in 1981.
In 1980, he was voted the Saints' Rookie of the Year.
Following his professional football career, Rogers stayed in Norman, Okla. and helped establish football and basketball leagues for the inner city youth as well as establishing an on-site GED tutoring program for youths.
Other achievements include NFL Man of the Year Award for Community Service runner-up 1981-1984; sponsor for Christian Youth Camp, 1984; Special Olympics coach and a representative for the Salvation Army.
In the 1977 University of Arkansas Razorback football game against Oklahoma State, William Hampton had 21 solo tackles.
While many remember Hampton as an All-State linebacker for Forrest City High School, not many know Hampton was also a shot putter and a basketball player.
In junior high, Hampton was All-Conference basketball in 1972 and was first in the shot put at the Meet of Champs.
It was, however, on the football field, where Hampton made his presence felt more than anywhere else until his graduation in 1975.
Although a leg injury cut short Hampton's senior year at FCHS, he was still named to the Arkansas Super team and All American team and was offered a football scholarship by Broyles.
Hampton went on to letter three seasons with the Razorbacks and earned All-SWC honors in the process.
Hampton played with Montreal in the Canadian Football League and was named to the All-CFL team in 1981 and 1982.
His selection to the '82 CFL All-Star Team was for his skills as a linebacker.
Hampton lives in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
When you think of dominating women basketball players, you have to place Charlotte Fields Wright at the top of the list.
As a center for the Forrest City Fillies, she controlled the inside game but also had the scoring touch.
She once scored 33 points against West Helena.
After graduating from FCHS in 1983, Wright went on to play at Arkansas State University, where she had an outstanding college career and was inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame.
"I am very excited about being honored by Forrest City High School," Wright said. "I am looking forward to meeting and visiting with the other inductees on Friday."
Wright returned to Forrest City in the mid-1990s to coach volleyball and basketball. She left after the 1996 season. Today, she is enrolled in the graduate program at Tennessee State University.
The 33 points scored against West Helena was a career high for Wright at Forrest City and she earned all-conference status for four years. She helped lead the Fillies to NEA Tournament championship game in 1982 and was named to the NEA All-Tournament team. She was an All-State selection in 1983.
As a freshman at ASU, Wright started 22 of 26 games and averaged more than 11 points per game and had 8.6 rebounds and 22 blocked shots to go along with 40 steals.
As a sophomore, Wright averaged 15 points a game, seven rebounds and had 27 blocked shots.
The second half of her junior season was cut short while she was on maternity leave, but Wright still managed 17 points a game and more than seven rebounds in the first half of the season.
As a senior, she picked up where she had left off, averaging more than 17 points a game with seven rebounds and was second team All-American South Conference.
In 1989 she travelled to Europe to play Intercontinental basketball.
At ASU she ranks first in career blocked shots, fourth in career points, fifth in rebounding and ninth in career steals.
A 1971 graduate of Forrest City High School, Dudley Parker competed in and excelled in four different sports -- football, basketball, track and golf.
He earned a football scholarship to the University of Arkansas, recruited by Frank Broyles,after being named All-District, All-State, All Midsouth and All Southern Quarterback during his senior year at Forrest City.
In football, Parker was a three-year letterman and a three-year starter at quarterback.
In basketball, he lettered two seasons and started at guard.
On the track, Parker lettered for two years and in golf, he lettered three seasons earning the Class AA state two-man championship in 1968 and was the AA golf champion in 1970.
He excelled in the classroom as well, being voted president of his senior class and graduating in the top five percent. He was named to the national Honor Society.
With the Razorbacks, he lettered in 1975 but gave up the sport due to a knee injury.
* FOOTBALL COLLEGE
Television Schedule
Thursday, September 20
South Carolina at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, September 22
Florida State at North Carolina, 12 p.m., ABC
Wisconsin at Penn State, 12 p.m., ABC
Louisville at Illinois, 12 p.m., ESPN
Michigan St at Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m., NBC
Ohio State at UCLA, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Arkansas at Alabama, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Virginia at Clemson, 5:45 p.m., ESPN2
San Diego St at Colorado State, 7 p.m., ABC
Auburn at Syracuse, 7:45 p.m., ESPN
Texas at Houston, 9 p.m., ESPN2
USC at Oregon, 10:15 p.m., FOXSN
* ADULT SOFTBALL
Men's Fall League
Thursday, September 20
M&T Paving vs SSA, 6 p.m.
FC Young Guns vs Barnes Timber, 7 p.m.
Miller Insurance vs Boar's Head, 8 p.m.
Monday's Results
Barnes Timber defeated M&T Paving
Miller Insurance defeated Young Guns
Boar's Head defeated SSA