Stephen F. Austin State University

WEATHERFORD — The Weatherford High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee has announced the 2008 class of inductees. The induction ceremony will take place at 4 p.m., October 18 in the Jerry Durant Auditorium at Weatherford High School. Admittance is free and light refreshments will be served during visitation time after the awards ceremony.

The WHS Athletic Hall of Fame was originated in 2004, by then head football coach and athletic director, Mike Sneed. The venture was a mission of Sneed’s when he returned to Weatherford as a coach. A committee was formed and a major backer for the event was found. The original committee was made up of Chairman E.D. Rains, Mike Sneed, Prissy Neely, David Nolan, Wayne Carter, and John Moughon. The Noon Lion's Club signed on as the major sponsor for the HoF. Criteria for nominees are that individuals are Weatherford graduates or former WHS coaches.

The first year, there were eight individual inductees, along with the Lady Roos 2000 State Championship softball team. The last three years, there have been four inductees and a team honored each year. This year, the committee was realigned and it was decided to hold the ceremony in the fall, to coincide with Weatherford High School’s Homecoming weekend.

There are five individuals and a football team in the 2008 class of honorees. Nominations were opened in May and ended August 15. Nominees submitted are held in consideration for three years. This year’s inductees include the 1954 Roos football team, coach Prissy Neely, John Lester Waldrip, Doug Jefferson, Kenneth Korges, and coach Russell Coffee.

1954 Weatherford Kangaroos football team

The 1954 Weatherford Kangaroos posted an 8-1-3 record, winning the bi-district playoff game against Diamond Hill. The regional matchup ended in a tie, with the Terrell Tigers advancing on game penetrations.

Russell Coffee was coach of a team that showed improvement throughout the season. It was Coffee’s first season as Roos head coach. He was joined by L.G. Wilson and Herbert Zimmerman on the varsity.

The Kangaroos opened the season tying Fort Worth’s Carter Riverside, 14-14, and also playing to a stalemate with the Hillsboro Tigers, 7-7. The Roos first victory of the season was a 44-6 thrashing of Jacksboro, followed by a 32-13 win over the Arlington Colts.

Grand Prairie’s Gophers administered the lone regular-season loss to Weatherford, a 6-0 setback. Victories followed, as the Roos downed Graham 20-14, Mineral Wells 6-0, Stephenville 34-6 and Cisco, 47-0. The final district match resulted in a 32-6 Weatherford win over Ranger.

Weatherford drew Fort Worth’s Diamond Hill in the bi-district playoff game, and dominated the Eagles, 40-12. The season-ending regional confrontation with Terrell was decided by a statistical tie-breaker, as overtime was not used to decide game winners at that time. Weatherford lost out on the tie-breaker of penetrations, 5-2.

The 1954 Roos team roster:

Ends - Bill Russell, Charles Daugherty, Earl Minyard, Maxie Massengale and Doug Hargis.

Tackles - Dan Boone, Danny Davis, Tom Puryear and Bill Thomas.

Guards - Diego Valtierra, George Darden, Jerald Williams and Joe Tison.

Centers - Toddy Wiggs and Kenneth Korges.

Fullbacks - Ned Dickey, Norris Stroud and Paul Martin.

Halfbacks - J.C. Wright, Bobby Williamson, Dwayne Ragle, Fred Curtis and Dan Bowden.

Quarterbacks - Don Johnson and Blane Brawley.

Managers - Platt Allen and Davis Ray Young.

Coach Russell Weldon Coffee

Russell Coffe had an outstanding winning record as head coach and athletic director for Weatherford High School during the years of 1953-1959. During Coffee’s tenure, Weatherford had a 7-year football record of 55-16-2, winning three district championships. In his first game as coach, the Kangaroos beat defending district champion Arlington, 69-13, and went on to win nine straight games. Comanche beat Weatherford in the Roos’ final game, and went on to win the state title.

In 1954, Weatherford won district and bi-district, playing Terrell in the regional quarter-finals. The score ended in a tie, at 13-13 and Terrell won on penetrations. The Tigers went on to win state. In 1955, Garland beat Weatherford on Thanksgiving Day, going on to win state. In 1958, after a 9-0 season, Breckenridge beat Weatherford. Again, its opponent progressed through the playoffs, winning the state title.

As well as making many long-time friends, Coffee feels one of his greatest accomplishments at Weatherford was building the Kangaroos Field House in the summer of 1954. Costing $11,000, and built with the help of Dan Boone, Red Wingo and son Dan Wingo, the structure is still being used today.

Coffee was born in Colorado City, Texas and graduated from Loraine High School in Loraine, Texas. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and participated in the Atlantic Theatre, the Pacific Theatre and in China. The sailor was honorably discharged in December, 1945.

Coffee enrolled at Abilene Christian University and lettered in football, baseball, tennis and track. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.

In 1949, his first assignment was as assistant coach and teacher at a new junior high school, Robert E. Lee, in San Angelo. In 1950, Coffee went to Llano High School, where they won its first district championship title. In 1951-52 he went to Lamesa High School as a football coach and teacher, with Lamesa winning its first district championship in the school’s history. Coffee received his Masters Degree from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene during that year.

From 1959 through 1967, Coffee coached at the University of Texas in Austin, as an offensive coach, helping the Longhorns win four Southwest Conference championships, a national championship and participating in seven bowl games.

As head coach from 1968-71, Coffee led Garland High School and was selected twice as "Coach of the Year" in the Dallas area. The Owls won three district championships with an record of 26-4-3 during the span. From 1971 to 1973, he coached at Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth as the offensive coordinator.

After coaching and until his retirement, Coffee worked as regional manager for Equities Insurance Marketing in Ft. Worth, moving to the Unimark Insurance Agency in Dallas.

Russell currently lives in Austin, Texas. He has three children, Rusty Coffee of Dallas, Kay Lynn Watson of Austin and Craig Coffee, with his wife Croatia, of Austin. Coffee has 10 grandchildren.

Kenneth ‘Moose’ Korges

Kenneth Korges was a mid-fifties Kangaroos standout. The son of Dr. and Mrs. B.W. Korges, he began his career in softball and football at T.W. Stanley Elementary School. The youngster was less than five feet tall, but weighed 150 pounds. Korges grew quickly in junior high, reaching nearly 6-0.

It was during this time Korges earned the nickname that has remained with him. His dentist dad was a hunter and had an elk’s head sent to their home. One of the football players asked if it was a deer. Someone said, “Yes, and look at the moose standing beside it.”

As a ninth grader, Korges played on Coach W.W. Emmons’ B-team because of his size, and he lettered. He lettered on the varsity as starting right tackle when he was a sophomore.

Russell Coffee was named head coach in Korges’ junior year and the split-T formation produced a winning season in 1953, and a bi-district championship in 1954. Korges was a tri-captain his senior year, all-district, Williamson all-state and West Texas Area second team all-state.

As a senior, Korges placed second in discus at the Possum Kingdom Relays, second in discus at the Southwestern Rec Meet, first at the Tarleton Relays, first at Triangular meet with Mineral Wells and Cleburne, first in the district meet and first at the regional meet, where his throw was ranked as the 13th highest in the nation.

A highly sought-after athlete, Korges went to Rice in Houston as one of 79 athletes on a football scholarship. Four years later, he was one of only 19 of the athletes who graduated from Rice.

After graduation, Moose went into the Texas Air National Guard and took basic training at Lackland, in San Antonio. He began his career at Houston Mortgage and Trust, Incorporated. Korges held the first outside mortgage loan production position in the company. He set up a branch office in San Antonio after five years and later headed the Corpus Christi office.

Korges returned to North Texas, and Dallas, where his mother lived, and continued his mortgage work. He started his own company, Korges and Co., Mortgage Bankers in 1984. He was the 75th Certified Mortgage Banker in the United States in 1973.

Korges is active in his church, as well as the Prayer Tower Ministry, Walk of Emmaus and KAIROS, a prison ministry. He and his wife, Joanne, live in Dallas and have one son, Kayne.

Coach Prissy Neely

A 1965 graduate of WHS, Prissy Neely has been active in athletics in Weatherford since her high school days. She and her husband, Leo, have a daughter, Brittny, a senior at Tarleton University in Stephenville.

Following her graduation from WHS, Neely received her associate’s degree from Weatherford College, playing basketball both years. Ms. Neely earned her bachelor’s degree from East Texas State University in January, 1970. She immediately began teaching and coaching at Weatherford in 1970, teaching physical education, special physical education, and coaching volleyball.

Neely worked to re-establish the volleyball program, and in 1983 the team won the district championship. She began the girl’s track program in 1975 and took two team members to the regional meet in the team’s inaugural year.

As the boy’s golf coach, Neely took Andy Hobson to the regional finals in Lubbock the first year. She coached girl’s basketball for a year and was the cheerleaders’ sponsor from 1971-1982. Neely also taught health classes from 1983-85.

Neely retired from teaching and coaching in 1985, but remained with the school district, ending her tenure after 21 years of service. She is currently a member of the Manna Board, a driver for Meals on Wheels, trustee and Elder at Central Christian Church, a lifetime member of the PTA from Austin Elementary, president of the WHS Ex-Students Association, member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, Iota Chi Chapter and was a Distinguished Alumni of WHS in 2007.

John Lester Waldrip

Waldrip, a 1941 WHS graduate, earned all-district honors in 1940 for a Kangaroos squad that posted an 8-2-1 record, advancing to bi-district competition. The playoff game ended in a 7-7 draw with Bowie, with the Jackrabbits advancing on penetrations. The two previous years, the Kangaroos team had posted 3-6-1 and 4-6 records. Waldrip was presented the Weatherford Lions Club Award for the best student athlete in 1941.

Following his graduation, Waldrip attended Schreiner Institute in Kerrville and in 1941 attended Weatherford College and North Texas State Teachers College, now University of North Texas, in Denton.

In 1943, Waldrip entered Texas A&M in an army college training detachment, graduating from the U.S. Army Armed Forces College. He has been active in the Army National Guard program for many years.

Waldrip returned to Weatherford, to coach the high school B-team under Coach Keith Ranspot and Coach Chapman in 1946-48.

The honoree is married to wife Gayle, and they have six children, named Janet, Carol, John Jr., Susie, Mike, and Mark. The couple lives in Bertram, Texas.

Doug Jefferson

A three-sport letterman at Weatherford High School, Doug Jefferson participated in football and basketball from 1978-81, and ran track from 1979 through his senior year. Jefferson began his WHS sports career as a freshman, playing football and basketball, and earning a varsity letter in track. Jefferson took the trophy for the high-point individual at the district meet.

As a sophomore, Jefferson started and lettered on the football varsity and was an all-district honorable mention. He also lettered on the varsity basketball and track teams.

In his junior year, Jefferson letter in football, basketball and track, earning second team all-district honors in both sports. Jefferson scored 22 points to lead the basketball team to a district title, beating Mineral Wells. The junior athlete lettered in track and competed in the 4x100 relay at the regional track event.

Jefferson rushed for over 1,000 yards as a senior, helping the Roos to the district crown before losing to Gainesville in bi-district. He was first team all-district, selected to serve as a team captain and was a Texas Blue Chip player. Jefferson was co-team Most Valuable Player for the Roos.

In basketball, Jefferson was first team all-district as a senior, averaging 15 points per game and scoring a season-high 30. He led the Roos in rebounds, points and steals. Jefferson was voted second team all-region and WHS’ Most Valuable player. He also lettered in track his senior year.

Scholastically, Jefferson was inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior and graduated in the top five per cent of his class. He was selected Young Texan of the Month, and received the Balfour Award at graduation. Jefferson was elected class favorite, was a Who’s-who, honored as Mr. Weatherford High School and was student council president.

Following high school, Jefferson was granted a 4-year scholarship at Stephen F. Austin University at Nacogdoches. He was the Christian Athlete of the Year as a freshman and was second team all-conference as a sophomore. Jefferson earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a masters in counseling from Tarleton State.

Jefferson was drafted as a free agent by the San Diego Chargers. Though missing the final cut, he was given the nickname “Iron Man,” because he never missed a practice.