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So far in our travels back into the earliest days of CHS/FCHS football, we have said very little about the 1950-51 editions of the gridiron Bulldogs. As pointed out in the two previous articles; the first year results for the Cumming High School would have suggested that a bright future lay ahead. Several factors would prove counter to this hypothesis. First, several of the key p_layer_s in the ’49 season were seniors. I had actually forgotten about the conversion of Georgia high schools to twelve grades during this era which undoubtedly proved detrimental to a fledgling program. Further, as mentioned before many star basketball and _base_ball athletes did not participate in football. Too, the absence of suitable facilities must have had a negative influence.
Thus, the 1950 football season began with the Bulldogs minus key offensive and defensive stalwarts from the 1949 team. The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) records suggest that an 8 game schedule had been drawn up with possibly 2 “home” games at Cumming or Buford. Interestingly, the first game at Bremen resulted in a forfeit win for Cumming although the score was Bremen 32, Cumming 13. Research suggests that Bremen had used some ineligible p_layer_s against Cumming and Villa Rica; hence, they had forfeited both these games. After that, CHS lost seven straight games by an average score of 38-3 in games against elite high school programs from north and west Georgia including Buford, Royston, South Habersham, and GA School for the Deaf, Jonesboro, Rabun Co., and North Habersham. Similar to what we did at Forsyth County HS in 1955-56, the Cumming Bulldogs played two “B” team games with Chamblee and Milton High. Oddly, enough both are shown in the records as being 0-0 ties.
Hershel Fuller has related a memory of his about that second season in a game with GA School for the Deaf. Whether this game was played in Cumming or not is still not clear to me. Homer Summerour had been treated roughly by these larger and faster specimens of manhood. He had been knocked down on almost every play. Finally, he had to be carried off the field appearing to be unconscious. The coaches and trainers(one of whom was probably Fuller) gathered around Homer and started applying “smelling salts” to arouse him; however, when he opened his eyes and heard his dad exhorting him to go back into the fray along with Coach Wood and many of the local fans, he simply closed his eyes and “passed out” again. He obviously had had enough punishment for one game.
While it has been very difficult to determine just who was on the 1950 team, I was able to determine that the following were members: Homer Summerour, Charles Farr, Vic Farr, Allan Farr, Charles Martin, Horace Whitmire, Glenn Bolton, Ralph White, Joe Vernon, Rex Martin, Frank Martin, Frank Poole, George Ingram, Ken Norwood, Lynn Holbrook, Robert Teems, Harold Poole and Nathan Poole.
Unfortunately, the 1951 Bulldog football season was even more disastrous than the 1951 edition. Coaches and administrators had not made things any easier as a full 10 game schedule had been prepared, all with developed programs. Again, records suggest that only one game was a home game and that was, indeed, questionable. For the school year of 1951-52, no annual exists as Cumming was in the midst of adding a twelfth grade. It does seem that as many as 7 or 8 p_layer_s from the ’50 team were not on the ’51 ensemble as they had already graduated. Nevertheless, those young men did, just as we did in 1955…….the best they could. They took long bus trips to meet Winder, Bremen, Pepperell, Roswell, and Hogansville, GA School for the Deaf, Fayette County, Trion and Milton. A home game with Acworth was also shown on the schedule. Cumming High School lost all ten games by an average score of 47-2. By now, it was not a difficult decision to discontinue the football program at Cumming High School until after the construction of the new Forsyth County High School was complete. Even when this happened in 1955, it was another four years before the county school administration provided adequate practice and game facilities.
’50-’51 CUMMING FOOTBALL BULLDOGS
So far in our travels back into the earliest days of CHS/FCHS football, we have said very little about the 1950-51 editions of the gridiron Bulldogs. As pointed out in the two previous articles; the first year results for the Cumming High School would have suggested that a bright future lay ahead. Several factors would prove counter to this hypothesis. First, several of the key p_layer_s in the ’49 season were seniors. I had actually forgotten about the conversion of Georgia high schools to twelve grades during this era which undoubtedly proved detrimental to a fledgling program. Further, as mentioned before many star basketball and _base_ball athletes did not participate in football. Too, the absence of suitable facilities must have had a negative influence.
Thus, the 1950 football season began with the Bulldogs minus key offensive and defensive stalwarts from the 1949 team. The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) records suggest that an 8 game schedule had been drawn up with possibly 2 “home” games at Cumming or Buford. Interestingly, the first game at Bremen resulted in a forfeit win for Cumming although the score was Bremen 32, Cumming 13. Research suggests that Bremen had used some ineligible p_layer_s against Cumming and Villa Rica; hence, they had forfeited both these games. After that, CHS lost seven straight games by an average score of 38-3 in games against elite high school programs from north and west Georgia including Buford, Royston, South Habersham, and GA School for the Deaf, Jonesboro, Rabun Co., and North Habersham. Similar to what we did at Forsyth County HS in 1955-56, the Cumming Bulldogs played two “B” team games with Chamblee and Milton High. Oddly, enough both are shown in the records as being 0-0 ties.
Hershel Fuller has related a memory of his about that second season in a game with GA School for the Deaf. Whether this game was played in Cumming or not is still not clear to me. Homer Summerour had been treated roughly by these larger and faster specimens of manhood. He had been knocked down on almost every play. Finally, he had to be carried off the field appearing to be unconscious. The coaches and trainers(one of whom was probably Fuller) gathered around Homer and started applying “smelling salts” to arouse him; however, when he opened his eyes and heard his dad exhorting him to go back into the fray along with Coach Wood and many of the local fans, he simply closed his eyes and “passed out” again. He obviously had had enough punishment for one game.
While it has been very difficult to determine just who was on the 1950 team, I was able to determine that the following were members: Homer Summerour, Charles Farr, Vic Farr, Allan Farr, Charles Martin, Horace Whitmire, Glenn Bolton, Ralph White, Joe Vernon, Rex Martin, Frank Martin, Frank Poole, George Ingram, Ken Norwood, Lynn Holbrook, Robert Teems, Harold Poole and Nathan Poole.
Unfortunately, the 1951 Bulldog football season was even more disastrous than the 1951 edition. Coaches and administrators had not made things any easier as a full 10 game schedule had been prepared, all with developed programs. Again, records suggest that only one game was a home game and that was, indeed, questionable. For the school year of 1951-52, no annual exists as Cumming was in the midst of adding a twelfth grade. It does seem that as many as 7 or 8 p_layer_s from the ’50 team were not on the ’51 ensemble as they had already graduated. Nevertheless, those young men did, just as we did in 1955…….the best they could. They took long bus trips to meet Winder, Bremen, Pepperell, Roswell, and Hogansville, GA School for the Deaf, Fayette County, Trion and Milton. A home game with Acworth was also shown on the schedule. Cumming High School lost all ten games by an average score of 47-2. By now, it was not a difficult decision to discontinue the football program at Cumming High School until after the construction of the new Forsyth County High School was complete. Even when this happened in 1955, it was another four years before the county school administration provided adequate practice and game facilities.
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