History of Terzia Richwood High School Football
The history of Terzia/Richwood football started in the school year 1953-54. The program was the vision of Mrs. Mary Francis Goins, the matriarch of the Terzia/Richwood family. Mrs. Goins understood that in order to build a program, you needed a good architect. After careful deliberation, she chose Mackie Freeze as that architect, and what an outstanding choice that turned out to be.
Coach Freeze set out to make Mrs. Goins’ vision a reality with a $300.00 budget. His first coaching staff consisted of C.T. Toston and Johnny Wilson. That inaugural season, the team posted a 5 win- 1 loss record. Notable players on that team were Lamuel Kelly, Jimmy Williams, Junior Wilson, Robert Hughes, Lonnie Wright, Charles Diggins, John Sims, and Eugene Hughes. Terzia/Richwood competed in the Louisiana Interscholastic Athletic & Literary Organization (LIALO) which was the state league for Black schools in Louisiana before 1970.
During the 1954-55 season the Terzia/Richwood Rams played a full schedule of nine football games. All of the players from the inaugural season returned. Several new recruits were added to the team. They were Floyd Burton, Curtis Cotton, O’Neal Burton, Wilbur Johnson, Willie Seaberry, Alvin Dawson and Thomas Bailey, who was the first Terzia/Richwood player to play professional football. Thomas played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Terzia’s record that year was 6 wins and 3 losses.
Coach Freeze was very optimistic about the 1955-1956 season. With a veteran team returning, expectations were high. But bad luck struck, coach lost 9 of his 11 starters. Despite the losses, the team lead by Robert and Eugene Hughes, finished with a 7-3 record.
In 1956-57, a new coach Abe Pierce lll was added to the Rams’ coaching staff. The team lost 3 times that season to Bastrop, Jonesboro, and Grambling High. Captains on the 1956-57 team were Robert and Eugene Hughes and Warren Brown. This was the year Eugene Hughes was shifted from tackle to fullback. He set an all-time school record by scoring 5 touchdowns and 6 extra points against Coushatta.
The 1957-1958 season saw injuries to star players Warren Brown, Eugene Hughes, Thomas Bailey, and Woodrow Cann. In spite of the injuries, the team only lost 2 games. The losses were again to Bastrop and Grambling High.
In the 1958-1959 season, for the first time in the history of Terzia/Richwood football the name of Hughes was absent from the team. New names developed on the Ram’s campus. Some of the names were Goldie Sellers, Raymond Brown, Prince Barton, and Freddie McHenry. All had opportunities in pro football camps. The young squad finished with a 7-3 record.
The 1959-1960 sophomore ladened team lost only one game. Again, the lone loss was to Bastrop.
The 1960-61 season brought the addition of a new coach to the staff. That coach was Harvey Bernard Nicholas Augustus Roosevelt Simmons lll. That year Raymond Brown and Goldie sellers were sited among the outstanding backs in the state of Louisiana. Goldie Sellers played on the Kansa City Chiefs’ Super Bowl Championship team.
The 1961-62 team was a senior team that featured Sam Jones, Jo Jo Sims, and Hezekiah Johnson. This was the Rams’ best year to date, and the first State Championship. The team won 11 straight games and tied Homer 19-19 in the state championship game. Richwood was awarded the championship on penetrations.
The 1962-63 season saw the addition of a new coach to the staff. Former four-year letterman and team captain Eugene Hughes returned to the Richwood family.
The year saw the Rams complete an undefeated, untied season capped off with a 2A State Championship, defeating T. A. Levy 18-12.
The 1963-1964 season produced another undefeated state championship team lead by Robert Stewart, Murphy Reed, Simon Profit, Welton Holman, Earl Hollis, Roger Cooper, Donnell Williams, Jerry Ford, William Henderson, Richard McNeal, Charles Cloman and Elroy Smith.
The 1964-65 season returned most of the starters from the 1964 championship team. This team was probably coach Freeze’s most dominating team as it rolled to another state championship. The high point of the season was not winning the state championship, but rather playing the Carroll Bulldogs for the first time on the gridiron. In those days as far as the people in Monroe were concerned, Richwood and Carroll were the 2 best teams in the state of Louisiana no matter what classification. The Rams defeated James (Shack) Harris, the best high school quarterback in the nation at that time by a score of 12-0.
On the roster of the 2 teams that night were 8 players that went on to have careers in professional football and 3 others that were drafted by other professional teams.
The 1965-66 season saw the development of new talent as leaders of the Rams. Among these players were Henry Stewart, Bruce Walker, James (Truck) Smith, Clarence Washington, Ronald Hollis, Roger Ross, Willie Chatman, Leonard (Puddin) Wilson, Perry Thomas, Joe Profit, Leo (Bull) Hill and Don Zimmerman.
The team won 6 straight games before losing to Peabody. Richwood was awarded the win because Peabody played an ineligible player. The team finished with a record of 9-1. The loss was to Carroll High 19-14, ending Richwood’s winning streak of consecutive wins.
The 1966-67 season closed the book on a legendary career. This was coach Mackie Freeze’s last season on the sidelines. The team returned only 4 starters from the 1965-66 team. Plagued by inexperience and injuries to key players, coach Freeze probably produced the best coaching job of his career. The team finished with a 6-3-1 record, losing to two State Championship teams: Richardson and Carroll. The third loss was to W. O. Boston of Lake Charles.
Coach Freeze retired from coaching at the end of the 1966-67 season with 13 straight winning seasons and 4 State Championships. Eugene Hughes succeeded coach Freeze as Richwood’s head coach for the 1967-68 season and continued the Richwood winning tradition. The 1967-68 team was led by junior QB Matt Reed and seniors Ruben Jones, Charles Smith, Amos Augustine, Andrew Harris, Joe Newton, Marvin Coleman, and Clinton Beckwith. Coach Hughes’ 1969-70 team was the state runners up.
The 1972 team was the first Richwood team to compete in the integrated Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA). The team was led by Dale Zimmerman, Sammie White (who went on to be an All Pro wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings), Vaughn Coleman, Parker Pratt, Norm Johnson, Eddie Porter, Myron Washington, Gerald Garth, and Joe Ricky Mitchell. The team posted a 12-2 record and lost the championship game to Hammond 23-12.
Richwood won the state title in 1974-75. The team was led by QB Richard (Dick) Wilson, Chuck White, Herbert Nelson, Craig (Bosco) Robinson, Michelle Lowe, Larry Wilson and James White. Coach Hughes retired during the 1981-82 season. Coach Joseph Dixon was appointed interim head coach for the remainder of that season. The 1982-83 season opened with another former Ram player leading the Richwood team; Freddie (Bear) McHenry. Coach Bear continued the Rams winning tradition and led the Rams until the school closed in 1987.
The Terzia/Richwood football history includes 4 head coaches, 20 District Championships, 2 State Runner- Up titles, 5 State Championships, 80 plus college players, 19 players hat were drafted or signed as free agents to play professional football, 1 first round draft choice, 1 All Pro Player and 3 players that played in a Super Bowl.
The Terzia/Richwood athletic history is a proud and storied one, thanks to the vision of Mrs. Mary Francis Goins and the architectural skills of Coach Mackie Freeze.
Coach Mackie Freeze once had a 60-game consecutive winning streak during his coaching tenure at Richwood.
The original Terzia/Richwood High school won 4 football State Championships and 1 State Football Runner Up Award. It also won 2 Boys Basketball State Championship and 1 State Basketball Runner Up Award. In addition, Terzia/Richwood won 1 Girls Basketball State Championship,1 Girls State Tennis Championship, 1 Boys State Tennis State Runner Up Award and 2 Boys State Track Championships
Notable Terzia/Richwood Alumni
Joseph Profit: One of the first Black football recruits to sign at Northeast La. State University (now University of Louisiana, Monroe) First Black football player to play in the now defunct all white Gulf Coast Football Conference) Joe Profit was a first round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 1972. Prominent business man and entrepreneur in Atlanta, Ga.
Clem Toston: Former civics teacher who became the first Black member of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury.
Clyde Lain: Richwood honor student and local attorney in Monroe. (deceased)
Goldie Sellers: Super Bowl starting defensive back for the Kansas City Chiefs
Willie Hunter Jr.: Attorney, State Representative
Sammy White: Super Bowl starting wide receiver, NFL Rookie of the Year, and 3-time NFL Pro Bowler, Minnesota Vikings
Charles Smith: Super Bowl starting wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles
Larry Wright: 1st round draft pick, NBA world Champion Basketball player, Washington Bullets
Nate Williams: 1st round draft pick, 10-year NBA career with Kansas City Kings, Golden State Warriors
Henry Steele: 1st Black basketball player to play at Northeast La. State College
Joseph Woods: Businessman and New York Real Estate Entrepreneur (deceased)
African American High Schools in Louisiana Before 1970 