OLPH Football: 'A Tradition of Excellence'

EAST RIDGE -- For more than 60 years, the Our Lady of Perpetual Help junior high football program has been a tradition of excellence – recording 336 victories, 21 championships and too many bowl victories to remember since 1948.

In addition, the Rams brought home a National Pop Warner championship from Philadelphia in 1955.

OLPH defeated Valley Stream, N.Y. 13-0 and Fairless, N.Y. 12-0 to claim the title. When the team returned to Chattanooga, a large crowd and a police escort awaited the champions. The players spent the next week with personal appearances on Chattanooga radio and television stations.

The Dearing brothers, Billy and Bucky, coach OLPH today and are proud of the school’s tradition.

“One of the first things we explain to new players is what it means to be a part of OLPH Football,” Bucky said. “We want them to appreciate the history.”Billy Dearing said the school’s tradition refers to the storied past.

“But it also is a continuing goal,” he said. “It’s vital that our young men not be satisfied with mediocrity.”

Billy Dearing began coaching youth football in 1992 and the brothers joined to coach OLPH in 1998. The players refer to them simply as Coach Billy and Coach Bucky.

Barry Courter was on the 1976 OLPH championship team, and his son Carson Courter played on the 2002 champions.

“In both cases it was a good training and proving ground for high school football,” the father said. “Through all six decades, when Notre Dame High School did well, it probably meant OLPH did well in years prior.”

Xan Martin played football at OLPH in 2000-2001 and was team captain his second year. He was the only lineman in school history to be named most valuable player.

“Playing at OLPH always felt like a team,” Martin said. “Billy and Bucky taught us to have fun, not get all stressed out and work together as a team.

“And they always talked about the tradition and wanted the current team to uphold it and carry it on to the next team.”

The Dearing brothers were recognized in 2005 by the East Tennessee Chapter of the College Football Hall of Fame for their contributions to youth football.

In 2006, OLPH Football was honored as the area’s Youth Sports Program of the Year by a Chattanooga television station.

“We ingrain in the boys football fundamentals, which usually results in victories,” Billy Dearing said. “However, more importantly, we want them to learn valuable life lessons like teamwork, discipline, and hard work, which can help pull them through tough times in years to come. On top of that, we want them to enjoy the experience.”

Those who have played and coached at OLPH during the 60 years of the program have contributed to building the tradition of excellence.

In honor of the Rams tradition a custom cover was created for the 2008 OLPH team. The special cover is pictured in the upper lefthand corner of this story.