Briarcliff Barons

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Briarcliff Barons Athletics Archive

BRIARCLIFF BARONS ATHLETICS ARCHIVE documents Baron teams and athletes from opening in 1958 to closing in 1987.

103 individual state championships were won by Baron athletes, led by Nancy Chapman, who won eight state championships in swimming. Hundreds more Baron athletes placed at the state, region and county levels.
16 Baron teams won state championships in Wrestling, Gymnastics, Soccer and Swimming, led by Wrestling, which won six consecutive state championships.
48 Baron teams earned top-ten state rankings.
Baron Baseball, Basketball and Soccer teams qualified for state playoffs in 60's, 70's and 80's, led by Soccer, with ten consecutive winning seasons (and three state championships).
Five Baron Football teams posted winning or break-even seasons, one earned a state-ranking, several upset state-ranked teams, and one featured the Sports Illustrated Prep Punter of the Year.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Timeline

1958 - BHS opened with 442 students in the 8th and 9th grades. Coach Sam Black named BHS students Barons. Football completed its first season.

1959 - Boys Basketball completed its first season.

1960 -Girls Swimming became the first state-ranked team in BHS history finishing 9th in state. Baseball, Boys Track and Wrestling completed their first seasons.

1961 - Girls Swimming finished 2nd in state. Wrestling finished 5th in state. Boys Cross Country and Girls Basketball completed their first seasons.

First game at Adams Memorial Stadium, 1961:
Briarcliff 13, Druid Hills 0

1962 - Girls Swimming finished 1st in state. Wrestling finished 1st in state. Boys Basketball finished 12-10 and in the playoffs. Football upset region champion Decatur.

1963 - Wrestling finished 1st in state. Boys Cross Country, Girls Swimming, and Boys Track each finished 3rd in state, and Boys Track defeated the 1962 state champion, Southwest High School. Boys Swimming finished 8th in state. Girls Basketball finished 15-7. Football upset 2nd-ranked Tucker and 5th-ranked Decatur. Gymnastics and Tennis completed their first seasons.

1964 - Enrollment reached its all-time high of 2,470. Girls Swimming finished 1st in state. Wrestling finished 1st in state. Boys Track finished 4th in state. Boys Swimming finished 6th in state. Boys Cross Country finished 10th in state. Football finished 4-3-3, its first winning season. Girls Basketball finished 14-6.

1965 - Wrestling finished 1st in state. Boys Track finished 2nd in state, the best finish in BHS history. Boys Swimming finished 8th in state. Football finished 5-4-1, its second consecutive winning season and tied for best record in BHS history.

1966 - Wrestling finished 1st in state. Boys Track finished 3rd in state. Girls Swimming finished 7th in state. Boys Swimming finished 8th in state. Boys Basketball finished with the best record in BHS history (22-4) and advanced to the playoffs. Girls Basketball advanced to the playoffs. Football started 1-0 and was ranked 10th in state, its first and only state ranking. Girls Gymnastics finished 1st in county (the highest level of competition).

1967 - Wrestling finished 1st in state. Boys Swimming finished 5th in state. Girls Swimming finished 9th in state. Girls Gymnastics finished 1st in county (the highest level of competition). Boys Basketball finished 17-5 and won the Cross Keys Invitational Tournament. Girls Basketball finished 14-5. Football upset Southwest DeKalb.

1968 - Girls Swimming finished 1st in state. Boys Soccer completed its first season and finished 1st in state. Wrestling finished 5th in state. Girls Basketball finished 13-6 and in the playoffs. Girls Gymnastics finished 1st in county (the highest level of competition). Boys Basketball finished 17-6 and upset Decatur, ranked 1st in state, on BHS Homecoming.

1969 - Girls Gymnastics finished 2nd in state. Girls Swimming finished 4th in state. Wrestling finished 10th in state. Five BHS Tennis players won state championships, the most in BHS history. Boys Soccer finished 8-1-1. Boys Basketball finished 13-9.

1970 - Wrestling finished 9th in state. Boys Soccer finished 9-2 and in the playoffs.

1971 - Boys Soccer finished 11-1-2 and 1st in state. Baseball finished 18-9 and 2nd in state. Girls Swimming finished 4th in state. Boys Gymnastics finished 5th in state. Boys Basketball finished 15-9 and in the playoffs. Football finished 5-5, tied for most wins in school history.

1972 - Boys Soccer finished 13-1 and 1st in state. Boys Gymnastics and Girls Swimming both finished 4th in state. Wrestling finished 5th in state. Boys Swimming finished 7th in state. Baseball finished 12-5.

1973 - Boys Gymnastics finished 2nd in state. Girls Swimming finished 3rd in state. Wrestling finished 5th in state. Baseball finished 21-5 and in the playoffs. Boys Soccer finished 7-1-2. Girls Basketball finished 16-7.

1974 - Boys Gymnastics finished 1st in state. Girls Swimming finished 4th in state. Boys Soccer finished 9-2-1 and in the playoffs. Baseball finished 10-8.

1975 - Girls Swimming finished 6th in state. Wrestling finished 10th in state. Baseball won the sub-region championship. Soccer finished 6-3-1. Girls Track completed its first season.

1976 - Boys Swimming finished 7th in state. Boys Soccer finished 10-2 and in the playoffs. Baseball finished 21-5 and was region runner-up. Boys Basketball finished 18-9. Girls Cross Country completed its first season.

1977 - Boys Gymnastics finished 1st in state. Wrestling finished 9th in state. Boys Soccer finished 8-1-1 and in the playoffs. Baseball finished 16-5 and was region runner-up.

1978 - Boys Gymnastics finished 1st in state. Baseball finished 16-6.

1979 - Boys Gymnastics finished 1st in state. Wrestling finished 7th in state. Baseball finished 24-5 and in the playoffs. Boys Soccer finished 8-1-1. Girls Basketball finished 18-5, the best record in BHS history. Boys Basketball finished 15-10.

1980 - Wrestling finished 10th in state. Baseball finished 24-4 and in the playoffs. Boys Soccer finished 8-2.

1981 - Baseball finished 12-8. Girls Soccer completed its first season.

1982 - Boys Cross Country finished 2nd in state. Girls Track completed an undefeated season. Baseball finished 13-9.

1983 - Baseball finished with the most wins in BHS history (26-7) and 2nd in state. Boys Cross Country finished 2nd in state. Football finished 5-4-1, tied for best record in BHS history.

1984 - Football finished 4-4-1.

1985 - Boys Basketball finished 16-8.

1986 - Girls Basketball finished 12-9. Boys Soccer finished 7-5-1. The last BHS Football team defeated Druid Hills 10-9.

1987 - BHS, with enrollment of approximately 400 students in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades, graduated its final senior class, closed and merged into Druid Hills. Wrestling finished 7th in state and 1st in region. Baseball finished 18-9. Girls Basketball finished 14-11.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Photo Gallery

1958 - Sam Black was the Baron Football coach and Baron Wrestling coach.

1958 - Ray Hambrick was the first Baron Basketball coach.

1958 - First Baron Football Captains

1959 - First Baron Basketball Captains

1960 Baron Basketball

1960 Baron Football upset Baldwin County.

1961 Baron Track and Field

1961 Baron Football during its 13-12 win over Clarkston.

1964 Baron Basketball

1964 Baron Football.

1964 Baron Football during its 17-0 win over Tucker.

1964 Baron Football

Bobby Stokes was the Sports Illustrated Prep Punter of the Year and earned a football scholarship to the University of Miami.

1965 Baron Basketball

1965 Baron Football went 5-4-1.

1965 Baron Football

1966 Baron Football, with All-State quarterback Larry Graham (#15), was ranked #10 in state by the Atlanta Journal, the only state ranking in BHS history. Graham later quarterbacked East Tennessee State University to a national championship.

1966 Baron Basketball went 22-4, the best basketball season in BHS history.

1966 Baron Basketball featured Don James, who earned a basketball scholarship to Furman University, and Ron Welch who earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Miami.

1966 Baron Basketball

1967 Baron Wrestling won the state championship.

1967 Baron Basketball went 17-5 and featured Jim Whittemore, who earned a college basketball scholarship to Brigham Young University, and Chuck Dowdle, who earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Georgia.

1967 Baron Basketball

1967 Baron Track

1967 Baron Baseball

1967 Baron Football featured the #5 offense in BHS history and is #7 on the list of Top Ten Baron Football teams.

1967 Baron Football

1968 Baron Basketball went 13-6 and made the state playoffs.

1968 Baron Basketball

1968 Baron Basketball went 17-6.

1968 Baron Soccer was the first Baron Soccer team, went 10-0-1, and won the state championship.

1968 Baron Soccer

1968 Baron Baseball

1968 Baron Baseball

1968 Baron Baseball

1968 Baron Track and Field

1968 Baron Track and Field. Bob Rogers set school records for the 120 and 180 hurdles.

1968 Baron Football upset Tucker and featured Steve Brown (#21) who earned a football scholarship to East Carolina University.

1968 Baron Football

1969 Baron Football featured All-State player John Dlubac, who earned a football scholarship to the University of South Carolina, and Bruce Popp, who earned a football scholarship to East Carolina University.

1969 Baron Football and Coach Augusto "Cookie" Ramos

1969 Baron Football

1970 Baron Basketball -- David Rubin (#25) was selected as one of the top five basketball players in DeKalb County for the five-year period 1969-1973 by the Decatur-DeKalb News Era.

1971 Baron Basketball -- Chuck Steinbruegge (#14) was named as one of the top five basketball players in DeKalb County for the five-year period 1969-1973 by the Decatur-DeKalb News Era.

1971 Baron Soccer won the state championship.

1971 Baron Football went 5-5, tied for the most wins in BHS history. All-State player Elliott Price (#30) earned a college football scholarship to Georgia Tech.

1971 Baron Football Coach Tally Johnson

1971 Baron Football

1972 Baron Soccer won the state championship

1972 Baron Football

1973 Baron Baseball went 21-5 and made the state playoffs.

1974 Baron Basketball featured All-County player Art Adams, All-County player Mike Blackman, and Mike Lee, who led DeKalb County in field goal percentage.

1974 Baron Basketball and Coach Ralph Nunn

1974 Baron Basketball

1974 Baron Football and Coach Bruce Stephens

1974 Baron Football

1974 Baron Wrestling

1975 Baron Football is #8 on the Top Ten Baron Football Teams.

1975 Baron Football

1976 Baron Cross Country

1976 Baron Basketball

1976 Baron Basketball went 18-9 and Corky Umstead earned a basketball scholarship to West Georgia College.

1976 Baron Basketball -- John Larrimore (#32) earned a basketball scholarship to DeKalb College.

1976 Baron Basketball

1976 Baron Wrestling

1976 Baron Soccer

1976 Baron Football featured the #7 offense in BHS history.

1976 Baron Football

1977 Baron Wrestling

1977 Baron Gymnastics won the state championship.

1977 Baron Football

1978 Baron Football

1979 Baron Basketball -- Tina Buck is among DeKalb County's all time single-game scoring leaders and earned a basketball scholarship to the University of South Carolina.