The year was 1957. Dwight Eisenhower was president, the integration of public schools was in full swing, and the Cortez economy was taking off.
So too was the Montezuma-Cortez High School football team, which, under the direction of head coach Lou Mikkelson, finished the regular season with a 6-1-1 record and advanced to the state finals.
“It has been 50 years, but I still have fun memories of the (1957) team,” said Mikkelson, who spoke to the Cortez Journal earlier this week. “It was a great bunch of kids.
Leading the way for M-CHS were all-conference linemen Wester Messenger, Vester Messenger, and Ed Wilson. All-conference defensive end Ed Garrison anchored the Panthers defense, while all-conference halfback Gordon Lee and all-conference fullback Dean Lewis headlined the team’s rushing attack.
“We ran a version of the Split-T offense, and we didn’t try to option,” said Mikkelson. “We would hand the ball to one running back or the other. Dean Lewis was one our fastest kids, and once we moved him to fullback, we really took off.”
Quarterbacking the Panthers was 125-pound sophomore Carl Garrison, who moved to Cortez after his father was hired to work in local oil fields.
“(Carl) really filled (the team) out,” said Mikkelson. “He could throw the ball, and he was fast. We had an all-around good team and good team speed.”
After opening its season with a 21-7 road victory over Kirtland on Sept. 6, the Panthers scored a 41-0 home victory over Grand Junction Central on Sept. 13. M-CHS tied with Gallup 6-6, defeated Farmington 14-0, beat Delta 30-0 and scored a 42-13 homecoming victory over Montrose on Oct. 13.
According to the team’s offensive line coach, Bud Smock, each win raised expectations surrounding the 1957 team.
“I remember the expectations when the season began were not all that great, but we had some real talent on that ball club,” said the team’s offensive line coach Bud Smock, during an interview with the Cortez Journal earlier this week. “Our players were not very big, but they were tough, and they were real competitors.”
The team’s lone loss of the regular season came against Aztec on Nov. 1, but the Panthers rebounded to defeat Durango 35-0 and earn a spot in the Class AA Lower Division Playoffs.
Opening the playoffs at home against Canon City on Nov. 23, the Panthers gutted their way to a 25-13. Dean Shipley, Gordon Lee and Alfred Hubble all scored rushing touchdowns for the Panthers. The Cortez Journal reported that more than 4,000 spectators attended the game.
“The people in that era, when you had done a good job during the course of the year, they came to follow your program pretty closely, said Smock. “Fans were pretty boisterous and very supportive of anything that we were trying to do.”
With the win, the 1957 team advanced to a Class AA Lower Division state finals matchup against Trinidad. The finals game was held at Montezuma High School Stadium on Nov. 30.
Plagued by turnovers and hurt by Trinidad’s size and speed, the Panthers fell behind 27-12 by halftime and lost the game 41-12.
According to Mikkelson, a questionable call on a M-CHS pass play changed the course of the game.
“We called a pass to the flat, and Garrison threw the ball,” said Mikkelson. “The ball hit the ground, and a ref ruled that it was a backwards pass. Trinidad picked it up and returned it for a touchdown. That play changed the game.”
While Mikkelson admitted that he will never forget the loss, the coach said that his memories of the 1957 team will always be fond.
“The team had a peculiar makeup, but they really gelled together,” said Mikkelson. “We had a great season.”
1107_SPO_Semifinals Victory (PDF)
