Sidney Lanier High School is a public high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 located in Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

History

Established originally in 1910 on the southern outskirts of downtown Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

, this school was named for a well-known Southern poet, Sidney Lanier

Sidney Lanier

Sidney Lanier was an American musician and poet.-Biography:Sidney Lanier was born February 3, 1842, in Macon, Georgia, to parents Robert Sampson Lanier and Mary Jane Anderson; he was mostly of English ancestry. His distant French Huguenot ancestors immigrated to England in the 16th century...

, who resided in Montgomery during 1866-67.

The high school moved to new facilities in 1929 further to the south. The late Gothic Revival building was constructed 1928-1929 to consolidate the original Lanier (then in a building now known as Baldwin Magnet School, formerly Baldwin Junior High School) and Montgomery County High School (now the Cloverdale campus of Huntingdon College, formerly Cloverdale Junior High School).

The name of the new school was decided by the outcome of a football game between the two schools in the fall of 1928, which Lanier won.

Frederick Ausfeld was the architect, and Algernon Blair the contractor. Consultants from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 were called in to ensure that the building incorporated all the latest educational innovations and requirements.

The building opened for class in September 1929 and was dubbed "The Million Dollar School" due to its approximate cost.

Notable students

The school claims several famous students, including Bart Starr

Bart Starr

Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....

 of professional football fame and Toni Tennille

Toni Tennille

Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille is one-half of the 1970s Grammy Award-winning duo Captain & Tennille. Tennille has also done musical work independently of her husband Daryl Dragon. Tennille has a contralto vocal range.-Biography:...

 of the popular 1970s singing group “Captain and Tennille.” Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, wife of famous author F. Scott Fitzgerald, and famous in her own right, was part of the graduating class of 1918. NFL stars Tommy Neville, Johnny Davis http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/DaviJo01.htm, Reggie Barlow

Reggie Barlow

Reggie Barlow is currently the head coach of the Alabama State Hornets football team. He is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played eight years in the league, five for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and two for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he...

 and Tarvaris Jackson

Tarvaris Jackson

Tarvaris DeAndre Jackson is an American football quarterback who is currently a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

 attended Lanier. Longtime Montgomery Mayor, Emory Folmar

Emory Folmar

Emory McCord Folmar was the mayor of Montgomery, Alabama from 1977 to 1999. Although the mayor's office is nonpartisan, Folmar was known to be a Republican...

, was also a Poet. Hank Williams attended Lanier briefly in 1939 at age 16 before quitting school to pursue his singing career full time.

World-class hurdler and star football player at the University of Tennessee, and son of the Alabama Attorney General at the time, Richmond Flowers http://www.tshf.net/inductees/2005Flowers.htmhttp://sports.espn.go.com/espn/classic/bio/news/story?page=Flowers_Richmond wore the Poet blue and white in the mid 1960s. Jimmy Sharpe

Jimmy Sharpe

Jimmy Sharpe is a former football coach, most notably head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies from 1974 to 1977. He also served as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama, under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, and at Mississippi State University. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1974...

, a Poet in the late 1950s, was a long-time assistant coach under the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant at the University of Alabama and was Head Coach at Virginia Tech in the mid 1970s. Astronaut Kathryn Thornton and state politician Georce C. Wallace III (son of Governor George C. Wallace, Jr.

George Wallace

George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...

 and Governor Lurleen Wallace

Lurleen Wallace

Lurleen Brigham Wallace , born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was the 46th Governor of Alabama from 1967 until her death in 1968. She was the first wife of Alabama Governor George Wallace, whom she succeeded as governor. She succeeded her husband as he was forbidden by Alabama law to succeed himself. She...

) were Class of '70.

Some other famous Poets include one time United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 Commandant Gen. Carl Mundy, Southern Poverty Law Center

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...

 C.E.O. Morris Dees

Morris Dees

Morris Seligman Dees, Jr. is the co-founder and chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center , and a former direct mail marketeer for book publishing. Along with his law partner, Joseph J...

, Donell Taylor

Donell Taylor

Quence Donell Taylor II is an American professional basketball player. He is a 6 ft 6 in tall point guard-shooting guard.-College career:...

 of the N.B.A.'s Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

, former Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors

The 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...

 basketball player Orlando Graham

Orlando Graham

Orlando Graham , is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Miami Heat in the 2nd round of the 1988 NBA Draft. A 6'8" forward from Auburn University at Montgomery, Graham played in only one NBA season for the Golden State Warriors during the 1988-89 NBA season...

, former Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

 player Marcus Webb, Buckmasters founder Jackie Bushman, former Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...

 football player Jeno James, and legendary Alabama high school basketball coach Bill Joiner. In 1968, Arlam Carr, Jr., son of Civil Rights Icon Mrs. Johnnie Carr, became the school's first African American graduate. Carr would later become news director of W.S.F.A., an influential N.B.C. television affiliate. Broadway star Felicia Boswell also graduated from Lanier.Hosea Chanchez

Hosea Chanchez

Hosea Chanchez , also credited as Hosea, is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as professional football player Malik Wright on the CW/BET comedy-drama TV series The Game.-Early life and career:...

, actor, plays Malik Wright on The Game (U.S. TV series)

Academics

Historically, Lanier was once recognized throughout Alabama, the South, and the Nation as a model for academic excellence and for its tradition of intellectual integrity and scholastic accomplishments. Its high academic accomplishments during the 20th century reflect the hard work and dedication of countless students, teachers, and administrative planners/managers dedicated to being the best they can be as a result of being at Lanier.

The demographics of Lanier have changed dramatically over a period of time just as the public school system has changed. As late as the 1960s the student population of Lanier was all white. In 2004, the student population included only six white students. The major factor influencing this change can be found in the neighborhood schools, a concept adopted by the Montgomery Board of Education. The zoned neighborhood surrounding Lanier - once all white - is now almost completely African-American.

Lanier underwent a dramatic study during the 2002-2003 school term to assess its strengths and weaknesses. Lanier’s focus is now on four academies: Leadership, Business, Health, and Arts. A renewed emphasis has been placed on Reading and Mathematics, as these appear to be the weak academic areas of the current student enrollment.

The academy concept at Lanier is a success. Based on feedback from stakeholders, allowing students to focus their studies toward a particular career is an incentive for meeting graduation requirements. Because students are now focused on individual studies of their choice, discipline and student interest has also improved. Initial indicators are that the dropout rate has decreased.

As the full implementation of new initiatives is realized, the goal remains to see improved teaching and learning that impacts the lives of Lanier’s students academically, socially, and economically beyond their days at the “Castle.”

In 2006, Lanier was the only traditional public high school in Montgomery to meet federally-mandated No Child Left Behind standards.

Athletics

Lanier High School has excelled in athletics from its inception through the 1960s, winning numerous state championships in all high school sports. In 1966, Lanier was triple state champs, winning top honors in football, basketball, and track and field. 1966 was the first of three successive state championships in football, with the school’s last state championship occurring in 1968.http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/specialreports/175anniversary/storyV5lanier_exp.htmhttp://www.ahsaasports.com/football/paststatechampions.asp

Coaches Bobby Wilson (football) and Bill Joiner (basketball)http://www.legislature.state.al.us/searchableInstruments/2004RS/Resolutions/HJR510.htm dominated high school football and basketball in the state for most of the 1960s, winning 6 football (Wilson) and 4 basketball (Joiner) state championships in the large high school category. http://www.ahsaa.com/hall_of_fame/2004/

Wilson led Lanier to state championships in 1957, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1967, and 1968. Joiner led Lanier to state championships in 1962, 1963, 1965, and 1967, and he played on the first Lanier state championship team in basketball in 1949. His teams were state runners-up twice.

Lanier - Lee rivalry

The Lee-Lanier rivalry in Montgomery was unmatched in the state in the late 1950s and through the 1960s. For years, Sidney Lanier was the only public school for white students in segregated Montgomery. As Montgomery’s population began to increase, another school for whites was built in 1955 - Robert E. Lee High. Its arrival gave birth to one of the state’s great high school football rivalries.

At one time they were the two largest high schools in the state. All the white students in Montgomery went to one school or the other, and when they played football against each other it was the “only show in town.” 25,000 paying fans came out every time they played. You had to stand in long lines to get tickets.

The most dramatic game of the rivalry occurred in 1966 when the Generals and Poets played for the first state championship of the newly adopted Alabama High School Athletic Association state playoffs.

The Generals had been ranked No. 1 all season and the Poets had been No. 2. Lanier then beat Lee 10-0 in the final game of the 1966 regular season, with both teams advancing to the four-team state playoffs. In the semifinals, Lanier and Lee won by wide margins to set up a rematch. Lanier won over Shades Valley of Birmingham 47-7 and Lee beat Huntsville 46-7. The rematch was televised – the first high school football game to be televised in Montgomery. In the fourth quarter, the Generals drove inside the Poets’ 5-yard line, but an interception by Lanier on a deflected pass ended the threat and sealed Lanier’s 1966 championship. Lanier prevailed 9-7, to claim the state title before more than 25,000 packed-in spectators. The game was remarkable because it was the first championship playoff game, it pitted the state’s two largest schools, both from the same town.

The Poets won the next two Class 4A titles as well (1967, 1968), proving at the time that truly “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword.” The Generals ascended to the throne in 1969 and 1970. After 1970, Montgomery schools would win state championships again, but never again would Montgomery dominate football in Alabama like it did in the 1960s. Racial integration and the emergence of Jeff Davis High School as a football power in 1970 diminished the Lee-Lanier rivalry.

The Lanier dynasty

Lanier started its tradition of winning State Championships in prep football in 1920, winning the first recognized state championship in Alabama. Lanier was champion again in 1922 and 1939. Later, in the mid 1950s, came the "Wilson Era" in Lanier football.

Bobby Wilson had a distinguished football career as a player, especially in college at the University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

, where in 1953 he was Captain of the Crimson Tide’s 1953 Orange Bowl

1953 Orange Bowl

The 1953 Orange Bowl, part of the 1952 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1953, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference and the , competing as a football independent. Alabama won the game by a record...

 championship team. He also ranked third in the nation in punting that season, and he ended his collegiate career as a member of the College All-Stars that played the Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

 at Soldier Field

Soldier Field

Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...

 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

.

But what he did as head football coach at Lanier was even more remarkable. He arrived at Lanier in 1956 as an assistant, moved up to head coach the next year, and turned the Poets into a dynasty. During his 13 years at the helm, the Poets won six state championships and compiled a 92-24-6 record, including a 33-game win streak in the mid-late 1960s, one of the longest in Alabama high school football history.

Wilson’s first three titles – in 1957, 1961, and 1964 – were determined in various newspaper polls throughout the state, but the next three – 1966, 1967, and 1968 – were decided on the field, representing the first three years of Alabama High School Athletic Association

Alabama High School Athletic Association

The Alabama High School Athletic Association , based in Montgomery, is the agency which oversees interscholastic athletic programs for public schools in Alabama....

 state playoff system.

Lanier also achieved a sustained dynasty in basketball, playing in more state championship games and winning more state championships in the large high school category than any other high school from the 1920s through its most recent championship in 2001. In the early 1950s Sidney Lanier High School won the state championship in baseball 6 years in a row (1950 - 1955).

Famous players

Famous players at Lanier abounded, but two stand out in particular: Bart Starr and Richmond Flowers, Jr.

Bryan Bartlett Starr was a Sidney Lanier athlete in the early 1950s. It would be in the NFL where Starr would make his mark. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

 in the 17th round in 1956, arguably the best bargain in NFL draft history. Playing under legendary coach Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi

Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...

, Starr guided the Packers to six Western Division titles, five world titles, and two Super Bowl

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...

 victories. He played for Green Bay until retiring in 1971. Six years later, Starr was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. He served as the Packers’ head coach from 1975-1983. In 1976, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Richmond Flowers, Jr. was the original “Super Recruit.” Flowers attracted the attention of college coaches from California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 to Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. He earned All-America football honors at the University of Tennessee

University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...

 and was drafted out of college by the Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 in 1970. He was a member of Dallas’ Super Bowl V team. In 1999, he was named one of the top 25 collegiate receivers of the 20th Century by “Athlon Magazine".

As a track star, he was unparalleled in Alabama prep history.
The focus of a national recruiting battle boiled down to Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

, Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

, and Tennessee

University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...

. He landed at Tennessee where he went on to become an NCAA track champion and Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 football star. He was an NCAA hurdles champion and was chosen All-SEC by his sophomore year in football.

It was at Lanier where the legend began. Young Flowers was a great hurdler – the greatest high school hurdler of his time – owning the fastest times in the nation in the 120-yard and 180-yard hurdles. His father, Richmond Flowers Sr., was the state’s attorney general at the time and a bitter political foe of then-popular governor, George C. Wallace. That conflict – and young Richmond’s rise to stardom – was later documented in a movie entitled, “Unconquered.”

In addition to Starr and Flowers, Johnny Davis (San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

), Reggie Barlow (Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...

), and Jeno James (Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...

) have also represented Lanier in Super Bowls; all except James were on winning teams. Current Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

 quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson

Tarvaris Jackson

Tarvaris DeAndre Jackson is an American football quarterback who is currently a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

 graduated from Lanier in 2001.

Athletics after the Wilson era

Coach Bobby Wilson retired after the 1968 season and was replaced by Bill Joiner. One of Coach Joiner's most successful teams was the 1971 team led by future University of Alabama All-State Kicker Bucky Berry, who kicked the game winning field goal in the Poets' 24-23 upset of Jeff Davis in 1971. The 1972 team was led by future University of Alabama All-SEC running back Johnny Davis

Johnny Davis (football player)

Johnny Lee Davis is a retired American football running back who played ten seasons in the NFL from . Davis is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. While at the University of Alabama, Johnny Davis was Ozzie Newsome's roommate, and the two remain friends to this day...

. The first African American from Lanier who received an NCAA Division I scholarship, Davis went on to star with the Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the NFL. Coach Joiner retired from his football coaching duties after the 1973 season.

Joiner's replacement was Cliff Little, former head coach at Montgomery Catholic High. Coach Little's 1977 and 1978 teams reached the state semifinals and won the Region 4 Class 4A titles. The overall record for those two teams was an excellent 21-5. The 1977 squad was eliminated by Berry Birmingham (Hoover), and the 1978 team was eliminated by Jeff Davis in a hard fought 14-6 game. Both Berry and Jeff Davis went on to win the state title games with relative ease.

Coach Little resigned after the 1979 season, and his replacement was long time GW Carver defensive coordinator Charles Sikes. Coach Sikes' teams showed steady improvement for the first 3 seasons, posting a combined record of 17-13. His best team was the 1987 squad who finished with a 7-4 mark.

Coach Sikes relinquished his coaching duties after the 1989 season. His replacement, after much controversy, was long time Lanier assistant coach, Robert Fuller. Coach Fuller's first 4 seasons marked the worst 4-year span in school history with a total of 9 wins. But the 1995 squad was much improved.

The most notable game of the 1995 season came on a fall night in Cramton Bowl between an undefeated Sidney Lanier team and cross town rival Jeff Davis. Lanier had lost 21 consecutive games to Jeff Davis, but that streak came to a halt in '95 with Lanier beating Jeff Davis in a hard-fought game. The Poets then possessed a 7-0 record and Number 4 ranking in the state. Although it was already a stellar season for the Poets, they dropped the remaining two games to Prattville High and Robert E. Lee High, costing them a shot at a state championship. The Sidney Lanier Poets finished 8-2 in 1995.

Coach Fuller's 1999 and 2000 teams were his most successful, Led by Keldrick Williams, Rod Sharpe, Tavaris Jackson, and Nigel Eldridge. The 1999 squad with Rod Sharpe anchoring the defensive line, and the hardest hitting defense in Alabama won the 6A Area 6 Championship by upsetting Robert E. Lee in the season finale, and went on to record 3 playoff wins, setting up a rematch with Archrival Robert E. Lee. The Generals won the rematch in a slugfest 14-12. The 2000 squad entered the season finale at 9-0 and Ranked No. 2 in the state against Robert E. Lee. But, reflecting the unpredictability of this fierce rivalry dating back almost 50 years, Lee upset Lanier. The Poets still made the playoffs, but the Poets were eventually eliminated by Daphne. Coach Fuller resigned after the 2004 season.

His replacement, Richard Moncrief, was effective and focused on character building as much as football. Under his leadership, the team participated in a number of community service projects, including street cleaning and reading literacy. He also established tutorial and life skills programs for the team. Consequently, a number of players signed college scholarships, with one eventually playing in the NFL. Moncrief left to coach at the collegiate level in 2005.

He was replaced by former Alabama State Head Coach, L. C. Cole, who engineered one of the more remarkable turnarounds in the program's storied history. After struggling to a 1-3 record in the first 4 games, the Poets upset Jeff Davis, continued to win games, and advanced to the playoffs as area runner up. After a first round playoff victory over Theodore, the Poets went on the road and upset highly ranked and defending state runner-up Daphne, before being eliminated in the quarterfinals by Opelika. During his brief 2 year tenure, Coach Cole won 2 City Championships, never losing to the other Montgomery schools. In 2008, Coach Cole Left Lanier to become the defensive coordinator at Texas Southern University

Texas Southern University

Texas Southern University is a historically black university located in Houston, Texas, United States....

 after having restored Lanier to its place as Montgomery's high school football powerhouse.

On April 28, 2008, after a long and tiring search, Lanier found its new head coach was already working at the school. Former Jeff Davis and Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...

standout tight end Steve Holloway, a long time assistant to 3 previous head coaches, finally got the call to lead the Poets.

In other sports, Lanier won the 2001 boys basketball state championship (coached by Floyd Matthews) and the 2005 girls basketball state championship (coached by the aforementioned Steve Holloway).

Cross Country
Lanier also has a cross country team, there are two teams the boy 7th graders and 8th graders and the girl 7th and 8th graders. Each team is directed by a different coach and have different practice times. The Girl Cross Country team have run and placed year after year with help of the coach. The boys have mostly gotten first and second for the past years.
Track
Lanier usually wins the track as well. The events that they do are as follows. 100,200,400,1200(7th graders only)1600(8th graders only), 4 by 100, 4 by 200, 4 by 400, shotput, long jump, high jump, triple jump and 200 hurtles. The track team usually places in district as well as in their zone.

Alma mater

Dear Lanier,

though fleeting time,

may bear us far away from thee,

forever in thy hallowed halls,

each heart will dwell in loyalty.

Faithful to the Blue and White,

we will be.

And before thy Shrine of Knowledge,

we will kneel, to thee.

Lanier!