Midwest City High School

Midwest City High School
Location
213 Elm Drive
Midwest City, Oklahoma 73110
United States
Information
Type Co-Educational, Public, Secondary
Established 1943
School district Mid-Del School District
Principal Lashonda Broiles
Grade Levels 9-12
Enrollment 1,606
Color(s) Black and Gold          
Athletics Football, Basketball, Baseball, Softball,etc.
Athletics conference Class 6A District 2
Nickname Bombers
Rival Del City High School
Feeder schools Jarman Middle School, Monroney Middle School.
Website school website

Midwest City High School is one of the two high schools in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Part of the Mid-Del School District, the school serves more than 1,600 students.[1]

History

In 1941, the Midwest City–Del City area was farmland consisting of wheat farming, dairies, and cattle ranches. Several rural schools made up the centers of their respective communities. Farmers and others living on acreages traveled to Oklahoma City to purchase what could not be produced from the land. The federal government had determined that the country would soon be in the war that was spreading in Europe and the Far East. Construction of Tinker Field began and W. P. Atkinson, seeing an opportunity, purchased 160 acres (0.65 km2) of farmland with the intention of developing a new community.

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. With the growth of Tinker Field, Midwest City increased as well. More families meant higher school enrollment. Children had to travel to Oklahoma City to attend school above the eighth grade. To meet the crisis, the Sooner School Board agreed to an expansion of the school system by April 1943; members of the Sooner School Board were: Tom Townsend, Furman L. Fox, Cecil Fish, and Oscar Rose, Superintendent of Sooner School District No. 52.

In May 1943, Rose organized for the upcoming school year. The high school was held and J.E. Sutton was hired June 1943 to be the first principal of the high school. In August 1943, the school plan was organized but there was no school building. Even though the building was not finished, it had 17 teachers and 413 students on the first day and over one thousand students to enroll during the school year. Furniture was borrowed from Draughon's Business College; half day sessions were in operation for the lower grades. Mr. Rose borrowed an old school bus from Bearden, Oklahoma, the school district he came from. There was no heat, and students had to wear their coats in class during the winter. Later people loaned stoves to the school.

The first night in April 1944, a wind hit the campus (several military huts for buildings), turning some buildings at a forty-five degree angle and it demolished the entire English room. Buildings were left where the wind pushed them, foundations were put back and the school continued. During the school year, a new brick building had been under construction next door to the collection of huts and was ready for occupancy by Spring. Students moved to the new building on April 6, 1946; it was later dedicated in May

There were fourteen students in that first senior class. Despite the weather, cold, mud, and wind storm, the hutment (collection of huts) served its purpose. This was the beginning of three great high schools: Midwest City High School, Carl Albert High School, and Del City High School.

During much of the first chapter of MCHS's existence, it resided on McArthur Drive near Rose Field. At this location, the school grew very quickly and even survived an airplane crash as a small, single-engine fighter from Tinker crashed into the school late one evening. The damaged portion was later rebuilt. Shortly thereafter (late 1950s), MCHS moved to its current location. The old MCHS is still in use today as Jarman Middle School.

After several years at the current site, the school was found to be inadequate for the growing population and was almost completely torn down. This allowed for the construction of several new wings. The new building no longer faced Elm, but instead faced Maple (the school maintains its previous address at 213 Elm). In 1957, the auditorium was completed. In 1969, the new band hall was constructed. During the mid-1970s there was a fire in the auditorium that caused significant damage, but the building was repaired. During the 1970s, the Fieldhouse was also constructed. Later more wings were added to accommodate a larger student population. In 1978, there was a flood in the band room that caused damage to much of the music library.

In the mid-1990s, the entire school's facade was given a facelift as most of the brick was covered with stucco and painted. At that time, the auditorium was remodeled yet again to create "the premier performance hall in eastern Oklahoma County". At this time, the administration building was also relocated to the MCHS grounds, facing 15th street.

During the Winter Break of the 1998-99 school year, a flood inside the auditorium caused significant damage to the electronic equipment. These problems were patched, but were not correctly repaired until the summer of 2006 when the electronic equipment was replaced with top-level equipment.

In the 2007-08 school year, freshmen were moved into the high schools. To accommodate the students, another wing was added to the building. The building currently has five wings, as well as several disconnected facilities (such as the band room, fieldhouse, locker rooms, etc.).

During the summer of 2009, a strong windstorm tore parts of the roof off the commons area of the high school. This allowed rain to flood the commons and library.

Extracurricular activities

Band

The MCHS Bomber Band has spanned the time from the inception of MCHS. Throughout the years, the MCHS Band has earned countless awards, plaques, and trophies. While the band has varied in size from year to year, its enthusiasm and support for the school has never diminished. The students are as motivated and energetic as ever. The band has been named State Champs during the concert season in the past during the time at which a state champion was named. Between the Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Band, the MCHS Band has earned more than 100 "Superior" awards as well as many "Sweepstakes" awards. The Jazz Band was also consistently in the top 3 while directed by Bill Pearson and Belinda Miller.

The band moved into its current band hall during the 1970s. It is the same structure as located at Del City High School. An ongoing remodeling project recently replaced light fixtures, tiling, and carpeting throughout the band hall. Before moving to its current facility, the band squeezed more than 120 students into a much smaller facility that resembled a temporary structure more than anything. The band room doubled in size for the 2012-2013 school year after a bond issue paid for a large addition which included a second large rehearsal hall.

Previous Band Directors

Previous Assistant Directors

Athletics

Baseball

Head Coach: Adam Skokowski
Assistant Coach: Matt Allen

Spring Ball State Champs 5A 1988

Basketball

Girl's Basketball
Head Coach: Katie Thompson
5A State Champs 1992
6A State Champs 2010, 2016

Boys basketball
Head Coach: Dewayne Bradley
6A State Champs 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007

Wrestling

Midwest City Bomber Wrestling is known throughout the state and across the nation. It alone holds one of the nations top high school wrestling traditions to this date.

National Champions 1981, 1990, 1991

Team State Championships 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2007, 2008

Dual State Championships 1990, 1991, 1995, 2001, 2006

The Bomber wrestling program also consists of over 90 individual state champions and an impressive 59 Oklahoma High School wrestling All-State athletes.

Head Coach: Cory Wilson Asst. Coach:Mark Wilson, Kevin Valdez, Jason Woodard & Bob Toma

Track and field

Boys Team State Champs 2A 1965 5A 1998 6A 2006, 2007

Girls Team State Champs 6A 1999, 2000, 2008

Football

In the early 1940s, Midwest City was a city on the rise. With the development of Tinker Air Force Base, Midwest City was making a name for itself. It was growing so fast that the city leaders decided that it was time to develop a high school for the city and neighboring students. One late night, as a plane was taking off from Tinker Air Base, the plane crashed and killed all twelve people on board. The plane crashed into a field not far from the air base. A few years later, the school district decided to build Midwest City’s football stadium there. To this day, the “Ghost of Rose Field” haunts the stadium at night and is said to be one of the many reasons Jim Darnell Stadium is one of the hardest places to play in the state of Oklahoma. This all began in 1945 under Midwest City’s first official coach Fred Barlow. The Midwest City football program consists of a tradition that is second to none. It includes over 90 All-Staters, five state championships, thirteen state championship appearances, and 45 consecutive winning seasons. In addition, the MCHS football team was named as the first undefeated 6A football national champion. At Midwest City High, it's often stated: "Winning, it's not pressure, it's a way of life". Some call it tradition and some call it spirit, but the Midwest City community calls it "Bomber Magic".

Coach Jim Darnell Since its first season under coach Fred Barlow in 1945, Midwest City has had only 11 coaches in over 60 years. From 1955-1977 legendary coach Jim Darnell led the football program. Coach Jim Darnell grew up in Chickasha and graduated from Chickasha High in 1947, where he played football, basketball and track. He attended Cameron College, graduating from Central State College in 1952. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1956, with a master’s in secondary administration. He began his coaching and teaching career at Altus High School. In 1953, he became Midwest City High School’s assistant football coach and teacher. Within two years, he became the head coach and athletic director. As the head coach for the Bombers he compiled a record of 186 wins, 50 losses and 10 ties. His teams won nine conference championships, eight district titles, a state championship in 1960 and three state second-place finishes in 1967, 1969 and 1971. He never had a losing season. He was named Coach of the Year, Mid-Land Conference in 1955; Head Coach of the Oil Bowl, 1960; Coach of the Year, Mid-State Conference in 1964; Head Coach, South All-State Game, 1967; Oklahoma Coaches, Coach of the Year, 1970; Outstanding Educator of America, 1974; National District Athletic Director of the Year, 1975; Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, 1978; MCHS Wall of Fame inductee, 1995; Oklahoma Chapter National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Contribution to Amateur Football Award, 1996; and Chickasha High School Hall of Fame inductee, 2004. In 2001, the Midwest City stadium was named “Jim Darnell Stadium” at Rose Field. He is recognized as a coaching legend in the State of Oklahoma High School football community.

Coach Dick Evans After taking over the Bomber Football program in late 1977, Dick Evans knew that he had heavy shoes to fill and tradition to build on. As a former player and all stater for Coach Darnell, Evans pride and joy was on Friday nights during the fall. Under his command, Coach had many All Americans including two brothers in Mike and Cale Gundy. In 1985, Coach Evans and former Bomber quarterback Mike Gundy played all the way to the state championship against powerhouse Muskogee. The Bombers were losing to the Roughers from up north with less than a minute to play. Though, with Mike Gundy, who went on to play for Pat Jones and the Cowboys of Oklahoma State, leading the way, the Bombers claimed victory going almost 100 yards in 45 seconds to win the 1985 State Championship. His 1988 campaign with the Bombers may best be remembered as the Cinderella story of high school football. The bombers were led by standout quarterback Cale Gundy, who went on to play at the University of Oklahoma, who entered the playoffs with a 6-4 record. As Mike did, Cale led his team to a 9-4 record and the 1988 State Championship with three huge playoff upset victories- pronouncing that Bomber Magic continues. At the end of the 1991 season, Coach Evans retired his coaching record with the Bombers. In 13 years, Coach Evans only lost 33 times with over 133 victories at hand. Evans left the program-inspiring many lives of both young men and women.

Coach Dennis Huggins In the middle of the 91 school year, board members decided to name Bomber assistant coach Dennis Huggins the new Sheriff in town. For Huggins things started off slow but continued to build on what Evans left for the program. Soon the Bombers were the ones being-hunted. During the 1994 season Huggins led the Bombers to the state's first ever 6A Championship. They accomplished that while at the same time having an undefeated season. By virtue of their finishing 14-0 ESPN pronounced the Midwest City Bombers the 5th best high school football program in the nation. The following year they repeated as State Champs defeating Blankenship and the Tulsa Union Redskins. Soon, both coach Huggins and the Bombers of Midwest City were facing national exposure in the so-called new fad-the national high school football championship. After their dominating performance in 1995, polls were ready to give the Bombers a national number one ranking and the Mythical high school national championship. At the end ESPN claimed the Bombers at number two in the nation while others had them at one. Huggins soon retired from all coaching in the early spring of 1996. All in all, Coach Huggins left Midwest City Football in style and a place known as a tradition of winning.

Coach Steve Huff In 2006, the Midwest City Bombers were looking for its new leader. The past three seasons, the Bombers finished with an 18-12 record with no playoff berth. The coaching search went national and Midwest City soon found their coach in Steve Huff. Coach Huff made and immediate impression by bringing the Bombers back in the state playoffs after a four-year drought. In his second season, Coach Huff led the Bombers to a 12-1 record, their first district championship in 6 years and a top 50 national ranking. During his time as the Bombers lead man, Coach Huff produced, five straight district titles, four conference championships, two state semi final appearances, and had an outstanding record of 61 wins and 11 loses, five loses which came in his first season. Coach Huffs aggressive, hard working, offseason training put the Bombers back as one of the most feared teams in Class 6A Oklahoma Football. Coach Huff resigned early 2012 as head coach, moving back to Texas. His time was short but the impact he left will never be forgotten with a legacy that defines excellence.

Midwest City vs. Del City

Every year, Midwest City and Del City play in a game called Mid-Del Mayhem. The students of both schools hold ceremonies the Monday before the game is played and follow the week with a rival "HOG" Week. Prep Rally's assemble on Gameday and have usually have been open to the public. The average attendance for the game each year exceeds over 10,000 fans and in certain years has reached well over 20,000. The Mid-Del Mayhem Rivalry is one of the most tradition rich rivalries in the state of Oklahoma High School Football. The first meeting between both schools took place in 1957, and saw the Eagles beat the Bombers 13-7. Although Del City won the first meeting between these football powers, Midwest City has largely dominated the series since its inception. On September 1, 2007, Midwest City opened up the season against Del City, with a program win total of 500 victories. Entering the game, Midwest City had four consecutive wins against the Eagles. The Bombers offense dominated most of the game and the defense stopped a stout offense in front of a sold out crowd at Robert Kalsu Stadium in Del City, Oklahoma. Midwest City won 34-14, claiming five straight victories against the Del City and claimed its 501st win in team history. In 2009, Del City finally broke the six year losing streak, beating the Bombers for the first time since 2002[2] by a score of 27-15. The last time the two teams met in the playoffs, Del City prevailed. In 2012 the Midwest City vs. Del City game was held in week three for the first time in over twenty years, and the Bombers lost 29-28. Midwest City has played Del City every year since 1972 and the Bombers currently leads the series 34-17. Since 2000, Midwest City is 13-3 against Del City.

2010 Field Turf

Early in 2009, the Midwest City-Del City School Board held a bond to detail and build a new turf field for Midwest City High School. The bond issue passed with a 79% approval rating. The field will be open for the 2010 football season.[3]

Bombers Football Winnings


Football Coaches

Air Force JROTC

Lt. Col. Penning with cadets.

Midwest City High School's Air Force Jrotc unit started in 1993, giving it the unit number OK931. The honor guard (Normally known as color guard. however, the name was taken by the flag girls) present the colors at most of the football and basketball games, along with other events, such as a New Orleans Hornets game during their relocation to Oklahoma City.

The current SASI is retired Lt.Col. Mike Penning, he replaced retired Col. Cross. The current ASI is retired Master Sergeant Alex Means.

DECA

MCHS has a very successful chapter of DECA, the high school marketing organization headed up by advisor Dawn Boland. The chapter is always well represented at state competition and has produced two state officers in the last 5 years. The chapter also operates the popular student store and sells Otis Spunkmeyer cookies as a fundraiser.

Notable Alumni

References

  1. ↑ Midwest City High School, http://www.education.com/ Education.com] (accessed June 9, 2010).
  2. ↑ http://www.newsok.com/nick-warehime-a-wizard-for-del-city/article/3399408?custom_click=lead_story_title
  3. ↑ Track and Field Updates for Carl Albert, Del City and Midwest City High Schools, accessed May 12, 2010.
  4. ↑ leboeuf, jay. "ROUTE 66 SPRINT TRIATHLON". http://www.onlineraceresults.com/. Retrieved 10 December 2013. External link in |website= (help)
  5. ↑ "Ryan Budde Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Kelly Cook". databaseFootball.com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  7. ↑ "A.J. Hinch Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Matt Kemp All-Star Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 10, 2012.

External links


Coordinates: 35°27′10″N 97°23′59″W / 35.452802°N 97.399596°W / 35.452802; -97.399596

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