Broken Bow Savages
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Broken Bow High School's athletics teams are called the Savages, a nickname that is sometimes associated with Native Americans. Broken Bow became known as the "Savages" in 1924, before that year, they were known as the Scouts. The Savages participate in many sports sanctioned by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA). Broken Bow's football team, the flagship program of the Broken Bow athletic department, is a member of the OSSAA's Class AAAA, district four (4A-4). Other members of 4A-4 are the Ft. Gibson Tigers, Hilldale Hornets, Idabel Warriors, Okmulgee Bulldogs, Poteau Pirates, Sallisaw Black Diamonds, and Stilwell Indians.
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[edit] Football
While Broken Bow's athletics history is limited primarily to high school football, it is recognized as one of the top high school programs in the state of Oklahoma. The Broken Bow Savages currently hold four state football championships, ranking third in class AAAA in the state, behind the Clinton Red Tornadoes (14) and the Ada Cougars (19). In addition to their four state championships, the Savages have numerous state title game appearances, the most recent of which came in 2004 when the Savages lost to Clinton.
The Broken Bow Savages are among the nation's top high school football clubs in terms of number of all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. The Savages are 517-219-22 all-time, following the 13-1 state finalist campaign in 2004. Broken Bow's 517 wins is tied for 300th all-time among high school football teams in the United States. The overall winning percentage for the Broken Bow Savages is 69.66%, the 253rd-best percentage in the country.
The Savages own a slight lead in their all-time series with their rival, the Idabel Warriors. The Little River Rumble (named for the river that flows between Broken Bow and Idabel) is played every year between these two schools and is one of the oldest rivalries in the state, dating back nearly a century. For some time, it was believed the Little River Rumble was the oldest continuous running rivalry game in the state of Oklahoma, until it was discovered the two schools did not play each other one season during World War II. The rivalry is hotly contested, and its not an uncommon sight to see students from either town besieging the other, flying the flag of their school (black, white, and gold for the Savages, red and black for the Warriors). A gold traveling trophy is at stake every year when the two teams meet. Currently, the Savages own a 5-game winning streak against the Warriors. On October 1, 2004, before the annual game with Idabel, the Savages made their entrance onto the field of Memorial Stadium by going underneath the home stands through the central tunnel. This marked the first time since 1972 that the Savages entered through the tunnel.
The last time the Savages made a major change to the style of their football helmets was in the early 90's when Broken Bow changed from a white helmet with a black facemask to a metallic gold helmet. The classic "BB" arrowhead logo has remained unchanged for decades, however the arrowhead logo was changed from 1999-2001 when a version of the Indian/arrowhead logo on the top header of this site was put on the helmet. The classic interlocking BB was restored to the arrowhead helmet logo in 2002, with the arrival of new head coach, Greg Werner.
[edit] Broken Bow Memorial Stadium
Broken Bow Memorial Stadium has served as the home of the Savages since it was constructed in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration. Built primarily of concrete and native rock, Memorial Stadium is one of the oldest and largest high school football stadiums in the state of Oklahoma. Thanks to the contributions of the community, much of the stadium has been renovated, including the home-side press box and the scoreboard (updated in 2003). The "Home of the Savages" banner that crowned the old scoreboard has now been re-painted and added to the home-side press box. Due to the large support of the community for the football team, roughly half of the north stands is used for additional seating for Broken Bow fans. Stadium improvements completed in the summer of 2005 include a fresh coat of paint, a new roof for the field house, updated electrical systems, a new endzone camera, the addition of a new storage area, added improvements to the ladies restroom, and a new concession stand. Memorial Stadium has a grass playing surface, featuring the Broken Bow arrowhead logo at midfield. Memorial Stadium is also home to other events, such as little league football contests and, beginning with the class of 2004, Broken Bow High School's commencement ceremony.
[edit] Team history
- 1924: 1924 was the first year of the Broken Bow Savages. In the years leading up to that season, the Broken Bow High School football club was known as the "Scouts". Eddie Wilson, a member of the 1924 Savages, came up with idea of the Indian logo to identify the Savages. The coach for the 1924 squad was Loyd Powers, who later went on to coach the Durant Lions. After Powers, P.W. Shelton coached the Savages.
- 1965: Savages fall in their first OSSAA-sanctioned state title game. The Clinton Red Tornadoes won 34-14in the Class A state championship game.
- 1967: Making their second Class A state title game appearance, the Savages again fell to Clinton, this time 34-6.
- 1972: 1972 was the first of four state championships that the Broken Bow Savages have won. The Savages completed an unblemished season by defeating the Pauls Valley Panthers 12-7 in the Class 2A State Championship Game. The '72 Broken Bow squad launched an impressive 2-year campaign, where the Savages won 25 of 26 games. Coach Hall's ballclub ended the season perfectly, going 13-0 to grab the Beast of the Southeast's first state title.
- 1973: On November 30, 1973 the Broken Bow Savages captured their second-straight State Championship. The Savages only loss of the season came to the rival Idabel Warriors, losing 7-0 to their Highway 259 foe, and thus stopping the longest current winning streak in the state. The Savages won the district title in a torrential downpour against Antlers, and then went on to defeat Elk City 28-8 to claim their second straight 2A State title. Coaches: Ray Hall, Doug Walden, Mark Willis, and Granville Chandler.
- 1983: Savages fall 21-0 to Duncan in the 4A State Championship game.
- 1985: The Savages finish the season as the 4A State Champions. The Savages defeated Northeast Academy (OKC) 10-7 to win the title.
- 1988: Ada defeats Broken Bow 35-6 in the class 3A state title game.
- 1989: The Savages finish the season as the 3A State Champions, defeating the Seminole Chieftains 23-14 in the title game at Lewis Field in Stillwater. This 15-0 season set a school record for the most wins in a single season. Coaches: Rich Jones, Eddie Barnwell, Mark Willis, Jerry Dean, and Doug Londgain.
- 1994: On a cool December day at Lewis Field in Stillwater, the Savages faced off with the Woodward Boomers for the 5A State Championship. The two teams went back and forth the entire game, and needed 3 overtimes to decide a winner. Ultimately, the Boomers prevailed 35-28 over the Savages, in the longest State Championship game ever played in Oklahoma.
- 2002-03: In 2002, Greg Werner, the former coach of the Nowata Ironmen took over the reigns of the Savages. Werner made it his mission to restore the Savages to the "Beast of the Southeast" that saw success in the 80's & early 90's. Many polls predicted the Savages would finish around 5th or 6th in District 4A-4 that year, but a 27-0 shutout at then 3A #3 Hugo gave the team and their fans confidence. The Savages captured the district championship and secured an undefeated regular season, going 10-0 into the playoffs. The district title earned the Savages a #1 seed in the playoffs, but the Grove Ridgerunners knocked them out of the playoffs.
- 2003: A loss at Sallisaw (the only district loss of the season) ended Broken Bow's hopes of back-to-back District Championships. In the first round of the playoffs, the Skiatook Bulldogs were beaten 29-7 by the Savages which led to a showdown between Broken Bow and the Clinton Red Tornadoes. Clinton defeated the Savages by a large margin.
- 2004: The Savages lost to the Clinton Red Tornadoes 28-0 in the 4A State Championship game, their 10th championship game appearance. The loss gave the Savages their only loss of the season, giving them a final record of 13-1 after an undefeated regular season that saw them win the district title. Through the course of the year, Broken Bow held opponents scoreless for 3 straight games, shutting out Hilldale, Poteau, and Stilwell.
- 2005: The Savages are beaten by Poteau at Poteau's homecoming.
[edit] Basketball
Though often forgotten in the football-crazed town of Broken Bow, basketball has been a fairly successful sport for the Broken Bow Savages. No state championships have been earned by either the boys or girls programs, although both have made significant progress in the state basketball playoffs over the years. The most notable player to have played basketball for the Savages was Randy Rutherford, who went on to play for Eddie Sutton's Oklahoma State Cowboys and helped lead the Pokes to a Final Four berth in the 1995 NCAA Tournament. Rutherford's #15 jersey has been retired by the Savages, and currently hangs in the lobby of the McCurtain County Sports Complex above the trophy cases. Rutherford is currently back in Stillwater as an assistant coach with Oklahoma State.
[edit] McCurtain County Sports Complex
The boys and girls basketball teams share the McCurtain County Sports Complex, located on the campus of Broken Bow High School in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Opened in the spring of 1995, the MCSC was the largest and most state of the art high school arenas in the state. The MCSC was officially opened to the public in 1995 for "Randy Rutherford Day," where former Broken Bow basketballer Randy Rutherford was honored for his accomplishments by having his #15 jersey retired and having the Main Street extension renamed "Randy Rutherford Boulevard." The MCSC also plays host to many other events, such as regional high school basketball tournaments and cultural festivals.
