"Big" John Childress could have played his college football at the campus of his choice. Weighing offers from the likes of Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas and others, Childress chose to stay home and play for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Childress graduated from Forrest City high School in 1958 with All-District, All-State and All-American honors to his credit. Not bad for a country boy raised near Colt who will be one of three Forrest City athletes representing the era before 1970 entering the Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame during the annual banquet and induction ceremonies Friday, Oct. 1.
As a Mustang player under Coach Jim Devazier, Childress was part of the Forrest City football team which rolled undefeated during his senior season.
At Arkansas, Childress played for Razorback coach Frank Broyles, and he was considered to be one of the quickest tackles in America and in 1961 was named to the All-Southwest Conference team.
He would later be honored as a member of the Arkansas All-Decade team for the 1960s, joining such greats as Wayne Harris and Ronnie Caveness.
Childress was the No. 6 draft pick by Washington but failed to make the team. He opted for a three-year career in the Canadian Football League, playing two years for Calvary and the final year with Ottawa.
Childress retired from football following a knee injury.
He made his business career with Auto Zone as a "set up supervisor" before retiring to his home in Fayetteville.
"I had a team and we went into the newly-built Auto Zone stores and help set them up," Childress said, "We basically got the store and the staff ready to open for business."
Now he spends his days working a few hours each week with a close friend in a carpet cleaning venture.
"I really didn't even know about the Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame," Childress said. "I haven't been back in the Forrest City area much over the past six years or so. When I received the call that I had been selected to be inducted into the Hall, I was shocked."
Childress' brother still resides in Forrest City.
He was always known by one and all as "Coach Ed."
Ed Henderson, born and raised in Brinkley, coached the Forrest City Mustang football and basketball teams for 16 years. You could say Coach Ed had a small measure of success, winning 299 games as head basketball coach and taking his Mustang teams to the state tournament 12 of those 16 seasons.
For those efforts as well as for his dedication to Forrest City athletics at all levels, Coach Ed will be inducted into the Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame Friday, Oct. 1.
Following graduation from the University of Arkansas in 1949, where he played football for John Barnhill and appeared in the 1947 Cotton Bowl game, Henderson came to Forrest City after being hired to be the line coach for the Mustang football team under then coach Bill Ervin. Henderson was named the basketball coach that same year and held that position for the next 16 years. During that span, Henderson continued to coach football and was the Mustang head coach for three seasons before Hall of Fame member Jim Devazier became head coach.
Henderson's 1960 Mustang basketball team finished second in the state, losing to eventual champion Leachville. Coach Ed's Mustangs knocked off previously unbeaten North Little Rock in the first round to earn their path to the finals.
Henderson stepped down from coaching following the 1964 season, but continued to live in Forrest City even after taking a job with the State Education office in Little Rock. In 1968, Henderson went to Dallas, Texas where he spent the next 25 years with the U.S. Department of Education.
At Forrest City, Henderson was a scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts for eight years and was the director of the city's youth recreation leagues for eight years.
"We had the Blue Jean League in baseball and the uniform was blue jeans and white t-shirts," Coach Ed recalled. "Don Kessinger and Cliff Garrison played in that league. I look back with pleasure on that league."
In football, Henderson coached a young player named Charlie Rich who went on to fame in the music industry as well as a young man named Bonner McCollum.
As a youth growing up in Forrest City, Cliff Garrison was an accomplished Mustang basketball, football and track athlete until his graduation in 1958.
As an adult, Garrison served as professor of kinesiology, senior advancement associate for athletics and head men's basketball coach at Hendrix College for 31 years.
He retired from coaching following the 2002-03 basketball season but continued to teach kinesiology as well as assisting in the college's fund-raising efforts toward a new athletic and wellness center.
He will be inducted into the Forrest City Athletic Hall of Fame Friday, Oct. 1.
"For 31 years I had the honor and privilege of serving as the head basketball coach for the Hendrix College Warriors," Garrison said. "It is a position I held with a great deal of pride. I put my heart and soul into the Warrior program."
A native of Forrest City, Garrison graduated from Arkansas Teachers College (now the University of Central Arkansas) in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. After earning a master's degree in the same field, also from UCA, Garrison began his coaching career with assignments at Wynne High School and Stuttgart where he led the Ricebirds to three state tournament appearances in seven years.
During his coaching career at Hendrix, Garrison collected 463 wins against 377 losses ranks him as the third most winning college coach in Arkansas. His 578 career victories ranks among the best for active college basketball coaches in Arkansas.
In 1975 and again in 1980, Garrison was named NAIA District 17 Coach of the Year. In 1980, Garrison's Warriors won the AIC title and repeated the feat in 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1991. During the 1984-1985 season, the Warriors captured the NAIA District 17 tournament title, earning the team a berth in the national small-college basketball tournament.
In 1999 he was inducted into the Hendrix College Sports Hall of Honor and earlier this year, he was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Forrest City Mustang golf team enjoyed a career day Wednesday on their home course in matches against West Helena.
The Mustangs shot a team season best 159 to defeat West Helena which finished at 234 at Forrest City Country Club.
Medalist Matthew Howton led the way with an even-par 35. Nehemiah Stephens was one stroke back at 36, helped by eight pars and one bogey.
Doug Drake finished with a career best 41 while Steven Holmes carded a 47 and Zack Jones had a 48.
"I was so proud of the way they played today," said Forrest City Coach Wally Rauth. "Each one of them had a career day and that carried over to make it a career day for the team."
Matt Foley led West Helena with a 57 while Roger Johnson finished at 61.
Dustin Lewis and Shane Gracey led the Mustang JV squad to a 121-132 win over West Helena. Lewis finished with a 53 while Gracey carded a 68.
Forrest City's only girl, Katie Ramsey shot a season-best 42.
"If she keeps shooting this well, she should qualify for the state tournament," Rauth said.
In fact, Rauth expects to have at least two from the varsity boys squad qualify for state as well.
The team will open play next week in the AAAAA-East Conference tournament at Mountain Home.
The Mustangs will play in a trimatch today at Paragould along with Greene County Tech and Wynne.