Woodward High School Hall of Fame class revealed

Johnny McMahan, The Woodward News, Okla.
·3 min read

Jun. 8—By Johnny McMahan

Managing Editor

Woodward Public Schools has announced its 2023 Hall of Fame Class, consisting of athletes, teams, teachers and contributors.

Selected this year are:

Rita McFarland Bowers, girls basketball

Jolyn Cheap Meeker, girls track

Derrick brothers — Robert, Wilbur, Donald, Ronnie, Larry), football

Tom Gregory, baseball

1974 sprint relay team of Ron Sunderland, Brian Clothier, Lewy Benson and Mike Reed

Tim Albin. football

Rae Annis, teacher

Frank Shive, teacher

1976 girls state championship basketball team

Joe Cheap's Sporting Goods, contributor

The Hall of Fame class is loaded with some of the biggest names in Woodward school's history.

Rita McFarland Bowers was one of the first superstars of a girls basketball program that stands with any in the state of Oklahoma. She was the leading scorer on two state championship teams and earned All-State honors.

Jolyn Cheap Meeker burst onto the high school track scene as a sophomore, winning the 100 and 200 meters in the state tournament and running a leg on the a state championship 1600 meter relay team to help the Boomers win the 1983 state championship. She also competed at the collegiate level.

Robert, Wilbur, Donald and Ronnie Derrick were All-State football players for the Boomers from the years 1952 through 1960, an amazing accomplishment for one family. They also excelled in other sports as well. Donald and Ronnie were standouts on the Boomers 1959 state track championship team. Larry Derrick also coached at Woodward a number of years.

Tom Gregory earned All-State baseball honors in 1973 and remains in touch with the program today, donating some catcher's equipment for the 2023 squad.

The 1974 sprint relay team won the 3A state championship in a time of 42.9, highlighting a big performance overall by the Boomers. It is the only sprint relay state title in the Boomers' history.

Albin was a key contributor for the Boomers 1983 state quarterfinal run, and blossomed during his career as a receiver at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, earning All-Conference and All-District honors with 109 receptions for 1,811 yards in his career.

He moved into coaching and led Northwestern to an NAIA title in1999. He is currently the head coach at Division I Ohio University where the Bobcats just completed a 10-3 season and Arizona Bowl win over Wyoming.

Annis worked in Woodward school's from 1965-1994 as an English teacher, counselor and assistant principal.

Shive taught and coached and eventually became the Woodward High School principal. His career in Woodward covered 1968 to 1987.

The 1976 girls state championship team was the first of four coached by Jim Peck. The team went 25-2 and defeated Choctaw 46-41 in the state championship game. The Boomers repeated the performance the next year, going 26-1 and beating Choctaw again in the finals.

Joe Cheap's Sporting Goods was a long time supporter of sports throughout Woodward and especially the high school were several members of the family excelled.