Retrieved from archives via Newspapers.com
The headline and a photo of the first W.A. Berry homecoming queen, Rachel Brown, as seen in the Oct. 10, 1964, edition of The Birmingham News.
Before there was Hoover High, there was W.A. Berry — the city’s original high school and home of the Buccaneers. On a Friday night in October 1964, the scene couldn’t have been more perfect.
The Buccaneers notched a 26-14 win over Alexandria High School in what became a milestone moment: the first homecoming football game in Berry’s history, the first to be played on campus at its new stadium atop Shades Mountain, and the first homecoming victory in just the program’s second year of varsity football.
Quarterback Jay Meyers opened the scoring with a 12-yard run, and the Bucs never looked back. A key interception by Sonny Ferguson helped set up a second touchdown, while quarterback Bill Keeton added another score with a pass to end Greg Cooper. Kicker Mike Baggett tacked on extra points.
The night wasn’t just about football. In a ceremony held under the Friday night lights, student Rachel Brown was crowned Berry’s first homecoming queen — a moment described in news coverage at the time as a highlight of a “memorable” and “rosy” night.
W.A. Berry High School would go on to serve the Hoover community until 1994, when it transitioned into what is now Hoover High School. But for students, faculty and families who filled the stands that October evening, Berry’s very first homecoming set the tone for a tradition that continues to shape Hoover’s Friday nights.
