In 1951, when Bobby Butler and Charles Ballard went out

for the football team at Fayette County High School, some students

had never seen a football game and noone had ever played in

more than a sandlot game. The coach of the Fayette County Tigers

was Mitchell Kirkland, an Alabama native who brought the

Alabama style of football to Fayette County. "It involved the T-formation and

a single wing offense,"recalls Ballard, now a prominent

local attorney. The team played ironman football, meaning that they had

to play positions on both offense and defense. Charles Ballard was

a halfback and a safety and Bobby Butler was a fullback and a

linebacker.

They wore secondhand uniforms donated by Griffin

High School and the University of Georgia. "Most of us did not know

how to put the uniforms on," said Ballard. The helmets they

wore were the aviator style helmets which were popular in the

1940's. "The helmets back then did not have face masks," Butler

said. "Back then, you were constantly trying to protect your face

from being smashed. Today, the players are more aggressive

because that is not a concern."

In 1951, Fayette County High School only went to the 11th

grade. The team played what is now considered a junior varsity

schedule. The Tigers went 4-5-1 that season, recording the school's

first gridiron victory ever, over McDonough by a score of

27-6. Fayette County adopted a 12th grade curriculum at the end of

the school year in 1951. Butler and Ballard, both in the 11th grade

in 1951, were now,in effect, seniors for two years in a row. The

team practiced for an hour each day during the Physical Education

period. "The school bus was the only way most of us could get

home after school," said Butler. Charles Ballard stressed that most of

the students had chores or jobs to go to after school as well.

In 1952, Fayette County played a varsity schedule. The

biggest rivalry for the Tigers was Manchester. "We never

beat them,"recalls Butler. "The next year they moved into another

district and we never played them again." Charles Ballard

recalled losing a game to Manchester by about 40 points and just

being manhandled by the bigger team.

There were not very many differences in the game though.

They played their games every Friday night in front of a large,

student based crowd. The band and cheerleaders were there making

noise and raising school spirit. One difference, however, was that

several football players were also in the band. During halftime,

the players would join the band on the field and play.

Some other members of the team included Tucker Day,

the quarterback who eventually taught at Annapolis, Norbert West,

the former mayor of Riverdale, Charles Gilbert, former

police chief of Fayetteville and Jimmy Edwards, a professor at the

University of South Carolina. Charles Gilbert was a member of the

offensive line who used to block for Ballard. "If he didn't make

the block in time, I would have to walk up his back,"recalls

Ballard. Both Butler and Ballard experienced their share of injuries on

the football field as well. Butler tore some cartilage in his knees

while Ballard factured both patellas.

There were 33 members of the senior class the year that

Butler and Ballard graduated. Fayette County High School was the

only high school in the area. Today there are close to 2,000 students

in the graduating classes of the four county schools."Our class

was united in spirit," said Butler. "We were all friends, like brothers

and sisters." Football not only excited the student body but it got

the community more involved and excited. The veterans who

returned from World War II enjoyed the game immensely and helped

build the gymnasium and the goalposts.

The popular sport before football came to Fayette County

was basketball. The new diversity of sports made the athletic

program better all around. Bobby Butler found that football gave him

self-confidence and a sense of teamwork that helps him today

as Mayor of Brooks. Charles Ballard finds that sports increase

strength, tenacity and discipline for individuals and help them

throughout their life.

Charles Ballard and Bobby Butler moved out of Fayette

County for a brief period of time after high school but returned several

years later. Fayette County is where their roots are and where their

careers are now.

If you had asked them in high school if they would still see

be friends and seeing each other 46 years later, they probably

wouldn't have believed you. All sorts of bonds are made on the

gridiron though and friendship is what sports is all about.

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