Sikeston football known for great teams, players

By Chris Pobst ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs.

It's a name that has been ingrained into the history of Southeast Missouri for 100 years. A century's worth of tradition and pride has came along with the Sikeston football program, which helped embody what the community of Sikeston is all about.

With names like Charlie Vickery, Bill Sapp, Kenneth Knox, James Wilder, Keith Ziegenhorn, Kenneth Dement, Raphael "Tiger" Boyd, Jay Greenwood, Pleas Malcolm, Steve Ferrell, Dennis Bean and Venson Jones gracing the Bulldogs rosters and coaching staff at one time or another.

"Sikeston has had such a great tradition from the start of the program until now," Charlie Vickery, the winningest Sikeston head coach of all-time, said. "Football at Sikeston has always been an event, not just a football game. To me, I don't think there is any place better tradition-wise than Sikeston."

Sikeston has always represented the colors of red and black and been called the Bulldogs since the very first year.

Their first games were played just off Malone Street, behind the old South Grade School, between Stoddard and Scott streets. Some names of players that were there to start it all were Lynn Berry, Harry Dover, Leonard McMullin and Carl Shields. All played on the first teams Sikeston put together. No pads or helmets were used in those days. Just a heavy sweater and the occasion soft leather "helmet" was used as protection.

It was one of the first high school football teams to play in this area. And yes, Charleston was and will forever be apart of the Bulldog story ever since both schools began their bitter rivalry in 1908. Which was 12 years before the National Football League was created.

The Bulldogs have played in a total of 876 games (122 times against Charleston) and have an overall record of 554 wins, 293 losses and 29 ties. Which is a winning percentage of .632. It was also one of the first teams in Missouri's history to record 400 wins.

One of the main reasons that Sikeston is considered one of the best high school programs is because of the sheer dominance of the teams during the late 1940s, throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s.

In the decade of the 1950s alone, the Bulldogs compiled a record of 89 wins, six losses and three ties. A staggering accomplishment.

A player that was on a couple of the early '50s teams was Lee Shell.

"The tradition of what Sikeston had in those days were so great that when you were on the field you played with more enthusiasm," said Shell. "It was just a different era, and to me it was the finest."

Shell was a starting offensive lineman during his time at Sikeston High School and said that back then being apart of the football team was held in a very high regard.

"That era was just huge for football," Shell said. "If you walked down the streets during those times in your letter jacket, people that you didn't even know would point at you and call out your name because they recognized you from playing football."

Whether it was the very early years, the dominating half-century mark or the more recent years, numerous people throughout the years within the community have been affected by Sikeston football in one way or another.

"It's an honor to have been here in a place like Sikeston," Vickery said about their tradition. "I don't think that will ever happen again."

The continuing success that the Bulldogs have had over the years is something that will be hard to duplicate ever again.