America's Winningest Coaches to Appear on Tomorrow Night's High School Football America Radio Show

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

I've done a lot of interviews over the course of 35 years, but tomorrow night's High School Football America radio show is going to be a special one.

The reason?

I'm going to have two head football coaches on the show that are the best ever when it comes to get the all important W.

John McKissick of Summerville High School in South Carolina and J.T. Curtis of John Curtis Christian School in Louisiana are ranked #1 and #2 on the country's all-time victory list, and they join me to talk about their incredible careers that total 103 years combined as head coaches.

McKissick is America's winningest coach with 586 victories heading into this season, which will be his 60th at the school that is outside of Charleston.  Curtis needs eight wins to become only the second coach to win 500.  Curtis has done it at a school that carries his father's name from when he founded it back in the early 60's.

Below are a couple of older videos that reveal a little bit more about McKissick.





You can listen to tomorrow night's show LIVE starting at 7PM EST.

Just click here to listen to the show.

Arkansas High School Football Player Dies During Practice

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

More sad news today out of Arkansas where a 15-year old Gurdon High School sophomore died during his team's football practice.

Law enforcement authorities are reporting that Montel Williams died after practicing for about an hour-and-a-half on Tuesday evening.

Officials are not saying with the death is heat-related, but an autopsy is being conducted.

Williams is the fourth player to die during the first two weeks of fall practice.  An assistant coach in Texas also passed away on the practice field last week.

ESPN to Feature 26 High School Football Teams on Kickoff Weekend in Late August

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

You can hear Hank Williams, Jr. shouting..."Are You Ready for Some Football?"

High school football fans, ESPN will give you your high school football fix August 26th through the 28th with its annual ESPN High School Football Kickoff that will feature 26 teams from 13 different states.

Below is the three-day, 13-game schedule:

August 26th - Columbus North vs. Columbus East (Indiana) - ESPNU, 7PM EST
August 26th - Gainesville vs. Buford (Georgia) - ESPN3.com, 7PM EST
August 26th - Gaffney vs. Dorman (South Carolina) - ESPN3.com, 9PM EST
August 26th - Armwood (FL) vs. Bishop Gorman (NV) - ESPN2, 9PM EST
August 27th - St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) vs. Prattville (AL) - ESPN, Noon EST
August 27th - South Panola (MS) vs. Hoover (AL) - ESPN, 3:30 PM EST
August 27th - Indianapolis Cathedral vs. Warren Central (Indiana) - ESPNU, 4PM EST
August 27th - Sulphur Springs vs. Denton Ryan (Texas) - ESPN, 7 PM EST
August 27th - Hillcrest vs. Seneca (Missouri) - ESPNU, 9PM EST
August 27th - Pleasant Grove vs. Monterey Trail (California) - ESPN2,  10 PM EST
August 28th - Collegiate Academy (DC) vs. Taft (OH) - ESPNU, 11 AM EST
August 28th - Glenbard West vs. Wheaton Warrenville South (IL) - ESPN 2, Noon EST
August 28th - Cocoa (FL) vs. Colerain (OH) - ESPN, 3 PM EST

John McKissick & J.T. Curtis Closing-in on Milestone Victory Marks

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

When it comes to winning high school football games there are no better at it than John McKissick of Summerville High School in South Carolina and J.T. Curtis at John Curtis Christian in Louisiana.

McKissick and Curtis are #1 and #2 in America in the "W Department", and heading into the 2011 season, both are closing-in on some big milestone numbers.

McKissick, who will be coaching his 60th season, is 14 wins away from his 600th career victory.  The leader of the Green Wave brings a record of 586-138-13 into the season.

In order to become the first coach in America to reach the magical #600, McKissick's squad will need to be perfect...meaning the Green Wave will need to reach the state championship game, which would be the team's 15th of the season.

In the meantime, Curtis is just eight victories shy of the 500-win club.  Curtis, who's father founded the school in the early 60's will be coaching his 43rd season this year.

Curtis' record is an incredible 492-52-6.

Three other coaches are closing-in on the 400-win club, according to the website www.hsfootballcoachingrecords.com.   Robert Paroli of Seventy-First in North Carolina and Corky Rogers of Bolles in Florida each need one victory to enter the 400-victory club.

Paroli's owns a record of 399-190-13, while Rogers' resume is 399 wins, only 70 losses and one tie.

Al Fracassa of Brother Rice in Michigan is five victories away from #400.

Then there are eleven other coaches that could reach the 300-win club this season.  Below are those coaches:

Joe May, Nottoway, VA - 297 wins
Bob Lantzy, Utica Eisenhower, MI - 293 wins
Dwight Lundeen, Becker, MN - 293 wins
Rodney Walker, Persons, GA - 293 wins
John Outlaw, Lufkin, TX - 293 wins
Randy Allen, Highland Park, TX - 293 wins
Jim Algeo, Lansdale Catholic, PA - 291 wins
Reno Saccoccia - Steubenville, OH - 291 wins
Tom Nolen, Houston Lamar, TX - 290 wins
Alan Chadwick, Marist, GA - 290 wins
Tim Rimpfel, Cumberland Valley, PA - 288 wins

Finally, here's a look at the Top 10 All-Time Coaches by wins:

1. John McKissick, Summerville, SC - 586 wins
2. J.T. Curtis, John Curtis, LA - 492 wins
3. Larry Campbell, Lincoln County, GA - 447 wins
4. G.A. Moore, Jr, Aubrey, TX - 422 wins
5. Mike Smith, Hampton, VA - 419 wins
*6. George Curry, Pennsylvania - 413 wins
*7 Jack Holley, North Carolina - 412 wins
*8 Pete Adkins, Missouri - 405 wins
9. Robert Paroli, Seventy-First, NC - 399 wins
9. Corky Rogers, Bolles, FL - 399 wins

*Retired from coaching

August 4th High School Football America Radio Show now Available On-Demand

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Missed Thursday night's High School Football America radio show?

Well, don't worry...it's now available FREE on-demand.

My August 4th guests were: Chris Shields, head football coach at Joplin High School in Missouri, who talked about how his team and the community are coming back from the devastating May 22nd tornadoes that left 160 dead and destroyed the high school; Jess Simpson, head football coach at Buford High in Georgia, whose team is ranked #1 by MaxPreps.com in its Preseason Small Schools Top 25 Poll; and Dr. Lamar Hasbrouck, who talked about tragic heat-related deaths during the first week of high school football practice.

Click here to download and listen to the show.

Big 12 Says NO to Longhorn Television Network Broadcasting High School Football Games

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

It's official, there won't be any high school football games broadcast on the new Longhorn Television Network this year.

Monday, the Big 12 athletic directors voted unanimously to put a one-year hold on the televising of high school games, plus recommended that the NCAA establish a national moratorium on such games until the governing body can study the situation closer.

Last month, the Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe hit the pause button on the LTN, saying it couldn't move forward with an 18-game high school football schedule until further review from all Big 12 members.

The LTN is a joint venture between the Big 12 member Texas and ESPN.

July 28th High School Football America Radio Show Now Available On-Demand

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

If you missed last week's High School Football America radio show on the Artist First Radio Network, you can now listen to it on-demand.

The July 28th show features interviews with Maty Mauk, senior quarterback at Kenton High School in Ohio, who is poised to break several national career passing records this season; Gary Rankin, head football coach at Alcoa High in Tennessee, which has won seven straight state titles; and Don Bosco Prep head coach Greg Toal, whose team is ranked #1 in MaxPreps' Preseason Top 25 Poll.

Click here to listen to the show.

South Carolina High School Football Player Dies After Practice

by Jeff Fisher

High School Football America

With more-and-more focus being paid to the health and safety of high school football players during two-a-days in the heat of August, the news of the death of Lamar High School (South Carolina) freshman football player Tyquan Xavier Brantley on Saturday brings the spotlight back to what can be done to prevent such tragedies.

It should be noted that an autopsy will be performed on the 14-year old to determine the cause of death.  Right now, Brantley's death is not being called a heat-releated death.  

Published reports state that Brantley died after collapsing following a Saturday morning practice.  Branley and his teammates were reportedly working-out in only helmets, no pads.

According to the National Weather Service, the temperature on Saturday rose to 101 degrees.