Newest Coalgate Hall of Fame inductees announced

Jeff Cali, The Ada News, Okla.
·2 min read

Feb. 27—COALGATE — The 2021 class to the Coalgate Athletic Hall of Fame was recently announced and another outstanding group represents the Coalgate Wildcats.

This year's inductees include Cliff Eddings, Lucretia Gravitt, Randy Heck, Tommy Loudermilk, Joe McCulley, the 1962 Coalgate High School football team and the 1973 CHS boys basketball club.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hall of Fame Board is following the precedent with professional sports Hall of Fame Ceremonies of postponing the banquet to a later date. The banquet was originally scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend. Updates will be given in the future regarding the new date of the annual induction ceremony.

Following is a little more information about each new inductee.

—Cliff Eddings: honored in both football and track. Was a Wildcat All-Stater and a starting lineman in football at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. Eddings was the state champion in the shot and discus for Class A in 2003 for the Wildcats. In addition, he was the Lone Star North Academic Player of the Year in 2007 at SOSU.

—Lucretia Gravitt: She played professional basketball with the Dallas Redheads for several seasons. Gravitt was a long-time, successful and popular Honors English teacher at Coalgate High School.

—Randy Heck: He was a prolific running back in football for the Wildcats and has the second-most single-game rushing yards with 284 against Maud in 1980. He was also a star in baseball as he stole the most bases in the state during his freshman season.

—Tommy Loudermilk: Nicknamed the "Baby Bull", he was an alternate All-Stater at fullback and linebacker for the 1968 football team that led the state in fewest points allowed on defense with only 48 in 12 games. Tommy ran for over 800 yards during his senior season and was the lead blocker for the Wildcats' potent offense. Coalgate finished 10-1-1 and earned a trip to the state quarterfinals in 1968 where the team's only loss was 13-12 to Okmulgee Dunbar.

—Joe McCulley: He was the most successful football coach in the annals of Coalgate High School. McCulley brought a high-octane offense to the Wildcats and made a tremendous impact in Oklahoma football. He finished his career with a 62-20 record and won five playoff games from 1998-2003 and returned in 2005 for one season.

—The 1962 Wildcat football team was voted in the Senior Category. That team finished 9-2-1 and played in front of the largest crowd ever at Coalgate on Thanksgiving Day when they defeated Rush Springs 30-8 in the playoffs. They took 4th-rated Hennessey to the brink the next week, losing 14-6.

—The 1973 Coalgate boys basketball team is to be honored for the success they displayed. The second-best team in school history finished 26-5 and advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament under Coach Bob Parkhill.