Connect with us

History

History (From PNGFootball.com)

  • 1925 Coach Luther J. Garner organizes Port Neches’ first football team. The Indians play four games, and finish the season with a 13-7 win vs. Nederland.
  • 1929 Chester N. Jarrell is named the Indians’ second head coach.
  • 1930 I. B. Griffith becomes the Tribe’s third head coach.
  • 1933 The Tribe wins its first District Title, edging Dayton 2-1 in penetrations after a 0-0 tie in the championship game. The Indians lose to Groveton 7-6 in Bi-District.
  • 1934 The Tribe captures the Regional Title, which is the furthest teams can advance in those days. The road to the Regional crown: 20-0 win vs. Beaumont French at District, 35-0 win vs. Kirbyville at Bi-District, and 19-14 win vs. Freeport at Regionals.
  • 1936 Fred Walker is named the Tribe’s fourth head coach.
  • 1937 R. D. Hitt is named the Tribe’s fifth head coach.
  • 1938 Claude Stone is named the Tribe’s sixth head coach. Stone leads the Indians to their third District Title. The Tribe loses at Bi-District to Hull-Daisetta 20-12.
  • 1940 The Indians put together an undefeated season; however, they miss the playoffs by a half-game after going 6-0-3. Only 18 points are scored on the Tribe on the year.
  • 1941 The Indians win their fourth District Title, highlighted by a 2-0 season ending victory over Nederland. The Tribe loses at Bi-District to Dayton 6-0.
  • 1942 Johnny Wight is named the Tribe’s seventh head coach.
  • 1943 Nick Frankovic is named the Tribe’s eighth head coach. Over the course of the next three years, Port Neches and Groves experience tremendous growth due massive industrial construction in association with World War II.
  • 1944 Port Neches High School competes in Class 2A, the state’s highest classification.
  • 1945 The Indians once again compete in class 1A. In January, a student strike organized by football players in protest to Coach Frankovic’s forced resignation. The strike shuts down Port Neches schools for two days, and causes turmoil in the local communities.
  • 1946 B. E. “Gene” McCollum is named the Tribe’s ninth head coach. McCollum introduces the “T” formation, and proceeds to lead the Indians to an undefeated season and Regional Title. The road to the Regional crown: 19-6 Bi-District win vs. Freeport, and 46-0 Regional win vs. Huntsville.
  • 1947 The Indians capture their second consecutive Regional Title. Road to the crown: 13-12 Bi-District win vs. Tomball, and 13-7 Regional win vs. Huntsville.
  • 1948 The Indians once again compete in Class 2-A, the state’s highest classification.
  • 1950 G/LB Don Miller is named to the All-State team. Miller is the first Indian to be named All-State.
  • 1951 A new classification system is instituted, with teams competing in divisions ranging from Class 1-A – Class 4-A. The Indians are placed in the 3-A division. Newly built Indian Stadium is inaugurated, with a seating capacity of 6,500. G/LB Kenneth Jones is named to the All-State team
  • 1952 The Indians win their seventh district title. The Indians lose to Temple 48-14 in the Quarterfinals. All-State honors go to G/LB Dan Miller.
  • 1953 The Indians capture their first State Title. Road to the championship: 12-0 win vs. Temple in the Quarterfinals; 7-7 tie (4-1 penetration edge) vs. Edinburg in the Semifinals; 24-13 win vs. Big Spring in the State Finals. All-State honors go to center Hubert Miller.
  • 1954 The Indians advance to the State finals for the second consecutive year, where they fall to Breckenridge 20-7. Playoff victories: 13-7 win vs. Temple in the Quarterfinals; 44-14 win vs. McAllen in the Semifinals. All-State honors go to QB Jackie Hathorn, RB Bobby LaBorde, and T Winston LaFleur.
  • 1955 Lewis Ford is named the Tribe’s tenth head coach, following Gene McCollum’s appointment as superintendent of schools. Ford leads the Tribe to their second State Championship in three years. The road to the Title: 36-19 in vs. Temple in the Quarterfinals; 14-7 win vs. Alice in the Semifinals, and 20-14 win vs. Garland in the Finals. All-State honors go to RB Gordon LeBoeuf and E John Wayne Goodwin. Runningbacks Gordon LeBoeuf and Bobby LaBorde, nicknamed the “Touchdown Twins” and the “Flying Frenchmen,” close out a monster career. LeBoeuf’s career totals: 4,794 yards, 49 TDs, 325 points. LaBorde’s totals: 3,193 yards, 29 TDs.
  • 1956 The “Port Neches Indians” are now known as the “Port Neches-Groves Indians.”
  • 1957 The Tribe records its first ever victory over the Port Arthur Yellowjackets, 15-14.
  • 1958 Wilford Moore is named the Tribe’s eleventh head coach. The Indians are elevated to compete in Class 4-A, the state’s highest classification.
  • 1961 The Indians capture their eleventh District Title, highlighted by a last-minute 14-12 win vs. Orange in the final championship game. The Indians lose to Galena Park 14-0 in Bi-District.
  • 1963 O. A. “Bum” Phillips is named the Tribe’s twelfth head coach. Phillips, a former Nederland head coach, goes on to coaching greatness, culminating his coaching career with head coaching positions with the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints.
  • 1965 Ken Watson, a member of the 1946 and ’47 championship teams, is named the Indians’ thirteenth head coach.
  • 1967 The Prairie View Interscholastic League is merged with the UIL, which brings all-black schools into UIL competition. All-State honors go to LB Randy Lee.
  • 1968 The Tribe wins its twelfth District Title. The Indian lose to Charlton Pollard of Beaumont 31-15 at Bi-District.
  • 1970 The Tribe institutes the “Wishbone” offense. Over the next three seasons, the Indians go 25-5.
  • 1971 Junior runningback Jeff Bergeron has a monster season in leading the Tribe to a 9-1 record. Bergeron’s stats in the 10-game season: 1,550 yards on 188 carries for a 8.2 yard average and 33 TDs. Bergeron receives All-State honors.
  • 1972 All-State honors go to DE Brad Burnett. All-State and All-America honors go to RB Jeff Bergeron. Bergeron’s three year career totals at the Reservation: 3,928 yards, 67 TDs.
  • 1973 Doug Ethridge is named the Tribe’s fourteenth head coach.
  • 1974 The Tribe wins its thirteenth District Title, and goes on a purple march through the playoffs. The playoff trail: 27-0 Bi-District win vs. Beaumont French; 9-7 Regional win vs. Texas City; 27-9 Quarterfinal win vs. Baytown Sterling; and 7-14 loss to Brazoswood in the Semifinas. All-State recognition go to S Mark Vise and DT Matt Burnett.
  • 1975 The Indians win their third State Title, beating Odessa Permian 20-10 at Texas Stadium in the championship game. Road to the prize: 6-2 Bi-District win vs. Beaumont French; 32-7 Regional win vs. South Houston; 27-19 Quarterfinal win vs. Houston Kashmere; 28-0 Semifinal win vs. San Antonio Lee. All-State honors go to E Kyle Aguillard; S Randy Johnson; RB mark Buchanan; DE Mike Giblin; and LB Wilson Weber.
  • 1976 The Indians continue their playoff romp, marching to the State Semifinals before falling to San Antonio Churchill 13-7. The loss to Churchill snaps a 25-game winning streak. The playoff trail: 35-21 Bi-District win vs. Baytown Lee; 14-7 Regional win vs. Galveston Ball; 15-12 Quarterfinal win vs. Houston Memorial. All-State honors go to R Carl Griffith; OL Ronnie Golmon, RB Blake Green, S Jackie Havard, and LB Ted Brack.
  • 1977 The Tribe returns to the state title game, this time falling to Plano 13-10 before a state record 49,953 fans at Texas Stadium. The playoff road for the 14-1 Indians: 27-0 Bi-District win vs. Forest Brook; 34-13 Regional win vs. LaPorte; 14-6 Quarterfinal win vs. Houston Kashmere; 19-0 Semifinal win vs. San Antonio Lee. All-State honors go to OL Jeff Cooley, OL Howard Kern, R Ronnie Delcambre, RB Justin Eicher, LB Ted Brack, DT Bruce Miller, and S Robert DeRutte.
  • 1978 Coach Ethridge and the PN-G coaching staff coach the South All-Star team.
  • 1982 New UIL rules enable two teams from each district to advance in the playoffs.
  • 1984 Longtime assistant Butch Troy is named the Indians’ fifteenth head coach.
  • 1988 For the first time since 1958, the Tribe does not compete in the state’s highest classification. The Indians drop down to compete in Class 4-A.
  • 1989 Danny Malone is named the Tribe’s sixteenth head coach. Malone leads the Indians to a second place finish and a playoff run. The playoff trail: 41-21 Bi-District win vs. Crosby; 29-18 Area win vs. Jasper; 29-7 Regional win vs. Lamar Consolidated; 31-31 Quarterfinal loss to A&M Consolidated. Kicker Keigh Waguespack sets a Class 4-A record with 14 field goals.
  • 1990 The Indians advance in the playoffs for the second year in a row, losing to Lamarque at Bi-District 28-0. All-State honors go to OT David Whitehead. All-State and All-American honors go to K Keith Waguespack.
  • 1991 Tim Owen, a veteran of the Tribe’s 1974 Semifinalist, is named the Indians’ seventeenth head coach.
  • 1992 The Indians capture their seventeenth District Title, and their first since 1978. The season highlight was a 14-13 season ending win over perennial power West Orange-Stark for the District Crown. The Indians lose to Silsbee at Bi-District 42-17.
  • 1994 Matt Burnett is named the Indians’ eighteenth head coach. The Indians return to compete in Class 5-A.
  • 1996 In the first season of their return to Class 4-A, the Indians win their eighteenth District Title. The Tribe beats Livingston 42-8 at Bi-District, then falls to Jacksonville 14-7 at Area.
  • 1998 The Indians return to the playoffs after a second place district finish and a 9-1 record. The Tribe falls to Dayton 45-24 in Bi-District play.

Related Topics
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

error: