North Caddo High School

 "Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture

a little of the glory of, well time slips away

and leaves you with nothing mister but

boring stories of glory days"

- Bruce Springsteen

1947

A 1947 article about plans to consolidate high schools in North Caddo Parish.

Source: Baton Rouge Morning Advocate 18-Nov-1947 Page 6 



1951

Source: New Orleans Times Picayune 28-Oct-1951, Page 5-7


1952

There was opposition to the proposed consolidated school.

Source:  Baton Rouge State Times 05-Jun-1952, Page 5-B

Source: New Orleans Times Picayune 09-Aug-1952, Page  2


1955

Construction begins on Herndon High School, that would be merged with North Caddo in the spring of 1970.

Source: Monroe News Star 08-Jun-1955, Page 6

A history of that school can be found at this link.

1955-1956

North Caddo High School Established

1956 North Caddo Rebel (yearbook), courtesy of Clarence Reece

Source: Caddo Citizen 03-Jul-1975, Pages 3-E & 4-E (courtesy of Jenny Speer Swilling)


Dedication ceremony in recognition of the opening of the new school in the fall of 1955.

1956 Rebel (Reece)

North Caddo 20, Natchitoches 0 The first football game for the new consolidated school was a 20-0 victory over the Natchitoches Red Devils played Friday, 02-Sep-1955. It was held in the old Vivian High, since the new on-campus concrete structure was incomplete. Years ago, there was an old deflated football with faded lettering commemorating the event in the NC trophy case. 

Source: Monroe News Star 04-Sep-1955 Page 6

Click to read about the Rebels' inaugural football season.

1959-1960

Bowl Bound!  Finishing the regular season with a 6-3-1 record, though missing the state playoffs, the North Caddo Rebel football team continued into post-season play as they were invited to play in the inaugural Paper Bowl, a Thanksgiving day game sponsored by the Jonesboro (LA) Kiwanis Club and played in their local high school stadium.

Source: Monroe News Star 26-Nov-1959 Page 24


Though out-gaining their class AAA foes, the AA Rebels had to settle for a 7-7 tie against the Lions.

Source: Monroe News Star 27-Nov-1959 Page 11


Earning 1-AA All-District honors were Perry Riley (Tackle) and Jerry Arledge (Guard), First Team; and Ronnie Lloyd (End) and Ken Tidwell (Back), Honorable Mention.

Monroe Morning World 13-Dec-1959 Page 26


With its final 6-3-2 record, the Rebel football team finished No. 13 in the final Class AA poll.

Source: Monroe News Star 24-Dec-1959 Page 13


1960-1961

Wayne "Cotton" Collier was named to the Class AA All-State Basketball 2nd team.

Source: Lake Charles American Press 25-Mar-1961 Page 3


1961-1962

Bill Cook and Tommy Robertson made the All-State team in football.

Source: Lake Charles (LA) American Press 12-Dec-1961 Page 12


Tommy Robertson was a 1st team All-State outfielder in 1962.

Source: Monroe Morning World 17-Jun-1962 Page 16


1962-1963

Tom Moore was named 2nd team All-State in 1962.

Pic is from 1961 season

Source: Lake Charles American Press 24-Dec-1962 Page 15


Phil Robertson, the future Duck Commander, as a member of the 1962 NC football team.

Miss Kay (Carroway) as a cheerleader.....

and a member of the 1962 Homecoming Court.

Ronnie Arnold played basketball and baseball while at North Caddo, graduating in 1963. He was an eighth round draft choice out of Northwestern State for the Cleveland Indians in 1965 and played in their minor league system for three years.

Playing for North Caddo High School in 1962.

Picture above from 1963 NC Rebel yearbook. 

As an All-Gulf States Conference pitcher.

Source:  Danville (VA) Register 18-Jun-1965, Page 3

Statistics in the minor leagues:

Ronnie Darrell Arnold

• Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 8th round of the 1965 MLB June Amateur Draft 
• Bats: Right, Throws: Right 
• Height: 6' 2", Weight: 185 lb. 
• Born: September 9, 1945
• School: Northwestern State University (né  College)*

Source: Baseball-Reference.com.

* The website incorrectly lists his college as New Mexico State University.

1963-1964

Mike Ryan played football at North Caddo and later for LSU. 

An accomplished student and athlete at North Caddo. Also note a guy you may have heard of in the top row.

Source:1964 Rebel (yearbook)

Source:1963 Rebel (yearbook)


Mike as a defensive back at LSU.

Source of above: 1967 LSU Gumbo. 

Four Bulldogs from NC It would be a rare occurrence for any school and likely will never to happen again at North Caddo. In 1963, there were four former Rebels playing college football; and all on the same team, Louisiana Tech, and all lettering: guard Jerry Arledge (1961-62-63), backs Tom Robertson (1962-63-64-65) and Ken Tidwell (1962-63-64),  and quarterback Bruce "B.H." Weaver (1962 & 1964). Claude Carrigan of Woodlawn, lived briefly in Oil City and played freshman football at North Caddo before transferring. He lettered four years at Tech (1962-63-64-65). 

Source: Monroe News Star 20-Sep-1963 Page 11


Phil also played baseball at NC.

1964-1965

A popular hangout for NC students was the Ho-Made Drive-In, near downtown Vivian. It would be particularly busy as kids parked to visit, or cruised through the parking lot after North Caddo home football games, or on Saturday nights.

On the television program Duck Dynasty, Si once took Phil and Kay to a fictitious site (somewhere around Monroe) that was supposed to have been where the Ho-Made once stood, that turned out to be a vacant lot. However, on the actual site where they hung out as teens in real life, a Family Dollar Store now stands.

Phil, Kay (Carroway), and Si Robertson as NC Students

From the 1964-65 school year, on the left is Lance Alexander of Oil City, speaking with Philip Ewald (in the middle) and an unidentified boy.

Lance Alexander, Philip Ewald, and unidentified boy
 (1965 NC Rebel yearbook)

Uncle Si as a member of the 1964 North Caddo Rebel team.

Source: North Caddo Rebel (yearbook)

Not the best photo, but enough to show that in 1964, two of Louisiana Tech's three quarterbacks were from North Caddo: Bruce "B.H." Weaver from Oil City; and Phil Robertson from Dixie.

Source: Ruston Daily Leader 28-Sep-1964 Page 2


1965-1966

A description of North Caddo at the time from the local paper where the Rebel basketball team was playing in a tournament in Paris, TX.

Paris (TX) News 30-Dec-1965 Page 6

Class AA State Basketball Champions - North Caddo completed a 32-4 season by defeating Zachary 73-59 in the finals of the the Top Twenty tournament, played at Hirsch Coliseum in Shreveport.

Front: Coach Billy Wiggins, Coach Jim Simmons
Middle: Larry Courtney, John Jones, Kermit Welch, Johnny Flemmons, Jimmy Hall,
Butch Flores, Roy Shane
Back: Terry Harrist, Pete Schuler, Harry Avant, Mike Durham, Bobby Cheramie,
 Keith Norman, Jerry Carlisle, Tim Baldwin
(Picture courtesy of Ted Williamson)

Mooringsport players participating in the semi-final and championship games included starters Jerry Carlisle and Pete Schuler, as well as Harry Avant and Larry Courtney. Starter Mike Durham and backup Terry Harrist were from Oil City.

Semi-Final: North Caddo 71, Slidell 53

Source: Lake Charles American Press 11-Mar-1966, Page 15

Championship: NC 73, Zachary 59

Source: Lake Charles American Press Lake Charles American Press 13-Mar-1966, Page 68

Mike Durham was named first team All-State and Class AA Most Valuable Player, while teammate Pete Schuler made the 2nd team as members of the 1966 State Champion North Caddo basketball team. 

Mike Durham as a North Caddo Rebel - 1965

pic from 1965

Source: Lake Charles American Press 21-Mar-1966, Page 11


North Caddo is "Magnificent" per this commentary from the Shreveport Times, as republished in the Lake Charles (LA) American Press 18-Apr-1966 Page 4:

It took several years but ultimately consolidation did occur with the closure of Rodessa, Ida, Hosston, and Belcher schools and many area students being combined into Vivian Jr. High. Oil City (now a magnet school) and Mooringsport (once closed, then reopened as an elementary school in the Northwood High footprint) continue to serve the area along with former all-black Herndon High School, also converted to a magnet school having grades 1-8.

1966-1967

Butch Flores was named to the Class AA All-State baseball team in 1967.

From 1967-68 NC Rebel Yearbook

Source: Baton Rouge State Times 09-Jun-1967, Page 32 (4-C)


1967-1968

Henry Hunter was named first team Class AA All-State in baseball in 1968.

Source: Monroe (LA) News Star 10-Jun-1968 Page 9


1968-1969

Billy Allen earned first team All-State honors in both football and baseball (see below) his senior year at North Caddo.

Billy Allen in 1969

Source: Monroe (LA) News Star 27-Dec-1968 Page 11

1969 Class AA State Basketball Semifinalists - A Cinderella season of sorts where the Rebels emerged as winners of a three-way tie for the district championship and then defeated Winsboro and Natchitoches to earn a trip to the Top Twenty tournament held at Rapides Coliseum in Alexandria.

Monroe (LA) News Star
26-Feb-1969 Page 14

Hammond (LA) Daily Star 03-MAr-1969 Page 6

Unfortunately their journey ended with a 63-49 loss to Hammond in the semifinals..

North Caddo (in white) vs. Hammond  Rebels pictured are George McKellar (?),
 Loyd Jeter (22), Bimbo Shane (20) and James Pyle (12). (Hammond (LA)
 Daily Star 10-Mar-1969 Page 6)

Players from Mooringsport included Jerry Arnold, George McKellar, James "Gomer" Pyle, and Kenny Schuler. The sole player from Oil City was reserve Jimmy Wingo, who years later would achieve notoriety at the national level for an action unrelated to North Caddo or sports.

For his efforts, George McKellar was named to the Class AA All-State Basketball 2nd team.

Source: Hammond (LA) Daily Star 19-Mar-1969 Page 14


Reprising his achievement in football, Billy Allen was named 1st team All-State in baseball.

Source: Monroe News Star 05-Jun-1969 Page 30

1969-70

Opposition to the federal court-ordered merger of North Caddo and Herndon high schools by local officials.

Source: Monroe (LA) News Star 11-Mar-1970, Page 7A

Source: Monroe (LA) News Star 19-Mar-1970 Page 1A

1971-1972

Ronnie Barber was named 1st team All-State in Football in 1971,

Source: Monroe News Star 21-Dec-1971 Page 13

He later lettered three years at LSU. This picture, taken in a 1976 game against Florida, is from the cover of a 1977 college football preseason guide.

1974-1975

Girls golf team wins state championship.

1976 Rebel (yearbook), Page 59