Athens High School (Athens, Alabama)
Encyclopedia
Athens High School is the only high school in the Athens City Schools
System. It is located on US Highway 31. The mascot is the Golden Eagle. Current Principal: Chris Bolen
in the finals.
And, those caught with frozen eggs usually face somewhat severe ridicule, and specific targeting by both teams.
Athens High School gained momentary fame from the Egg Wars when the MTV
program High School Stories: Scandals, Pranks, and Controversies covered the annual war. The Senior Class of 2005 and the Senior Class of 2006 were the Senior Classes highlighted.
The program was placed in the top 5 of JROTC units in the State of Alabama, and has been the recipient of various awards forthcoming of a JROTC program for both activity in both JROTC-related events (Rifle Team, Drill, Color Guard) and activity within the community.
Athens City Schools
Athens City Schools is the public school district of Athens, Alabama. As of 2006 it has some 2,845 students and 210 full-time teachers. The district includes one high school, Athens High School, one intermediate school, one middle school and four elementary schools....
System. It is located on US Highway 31. The mascot is the Golden Eagle. Current Principal: Chris Bolen
Football
Football is the soul of Athens High School. Currently, Athens High School has three alumni that were a part of the Alabama Crimson Tide National Championship team in 2010: Rob Ezell (WR, Jr.), Alfred McCollough (OG, So.), and William Ming (DE, Fr.). These three were also a part of the 2006 state championship team that beat Eufaula, 10-7. Rob Ezell was named MVP of that team and later went on to win 5A Back of the Year, and 5A Player of the Year. Ezell also finished runner up for Player of the Year (all classes). Ezell also holds the records for all-purpose yards by any player in 5A for a career. Alfred McCollough won 5A lineman of the year in 2006. Athens has had many coaches make history over the years. Athens has a total of three state championships [1975,1976,2006]. Lee Vickers, alumni, plays for the Washington Redskins. Phillip Rivers, Quarterback of the San Diego Chargers, played at Athens High School. He later went on to play for the North Carolina State Wolf Pack. At the end of his career at NC State, Rivers was third on the all time passing charts (NCAA).Softball
In 2005, the Lady Eagles won area competition and went on to the state championship where they took home third place in 5A play. In 2010, the Golden Eagles won the state championship, scoring two upsets over top-ranked Mortimer Jordan High SchoolMortimer Jordan High School
Mortimer Jordan High School is a public high school located in Kimberly, Alabama. It is a part of the Jefferson County Board of Education.The school was named after Captain Mortimer Harvie Jordan, a war hero who lost his life in World War I. He was a soldier, officer and physician...
in the finals.
Egg Wars
Every year during homecoming week, a very interesting tradition is upheld. The annual Egg Wars is a battle between juniors and seniors in order to claim bragging rights for the next year. In the days preceding the battles, students begin to covertly stock eggs in preparation for the week ahead. There are three scheduled battles, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Since the Egg Wars are frowned upon by some of the faculty, the location is usually on private land with little police interference. Many times the location is kept hidden until the day of the fight. On the night of the battle, the teams will choose sides of the field on which to start. The teams alternate turns on who will pick first depending on the night. While the fight is usually between Juniors and Seniors, several other students will also join in (this is how most freshmen end up hurt). As custom, the seniors usually always win, but on rare occasions the Juniors have been known to win. One of the most notorious acts of Egg Wars is the pre-battle freezing of the eggs. However, when throwing the frozen eggs, one must remember that the frozen one do not break and are then reused by the other classes.And, those caught with frozen eggs usually face somewhat severe ridicule, and specific targeting by both teams.
Athens High School gained momentary fame from the Egg Wars when the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
program High School Stories: Scandals, Pranks, and Controversies covered the annual war. The Senior Class of 2005 and the Senior Class of 2006 were the Senior Classes highlighted.
JROTC
The Athens High School Junior Reserves' Officers Training Corps (JROTC) Program achieved the Honor Unit with Distinction title on its formal inspection held on April 22, 2010. This title is the highest achievement that a JROTC unit can receive. The program was under the leadership of Senior Army Instructor, Colonel Eli Ballard (Retired), Army Instructor, Chief Warrant Officer IV Darlene Gibson (Retired), and Battalion Commander, Cadet Major Gregory Hacker.The program was placed in the top 5 of JROTC units in the State of Alabama, and has been the recipient of various awards forthcoming of a JROTC program for both activity in both JROTC-related events (Rifle Team, Drill, Color Guard) and activity within the community.
Notable alumni
- Richard HendrixRichard HendrixVenard Richard Hendrix is an American professional basketball player. Currently he plays for Euroleague team Maccabi Tel Aviv.Hendrix attended the University of Alabama, where he played for the Crimson Tide...
, NBA power forward for Golden State WarriorsGolden State WarriorsThe Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
(2008) 19th pick 2nd Round - Philip RiversPhilip RiversPhilip Rivers is an American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . He was one half of the Manning-Rivers draft trade which sent him to San Diego and the 1st overall pick, Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, to the New York Giants. Rivers played college...
, NFL quarterback for San Diego ChargersSan Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(2004–present) - Lee VickersLee VickersLee Vickers is an American football tight end for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
, NFL tight end for Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
(2006), Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(2006), Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
(2007) Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
(2008), New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(2009), Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
(2010–present) - Keith AskinsKeith AskinsKeith Bernard Askins is a retired American professional basketball player. After playing at the University of Alabama, the 6'7" Askins signed with the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat in 1990...
, Retired NBA basketball player for the Miami HeatMiami HeatThe Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...