How do you recognize a Tomcat?

Where did the name originate? What exactly is a Tomcat?

It all began in Haywood County, Tennessee, shortly after the first school year of 1911-12. Two sports occupied the minds of most of the locals: basketball and football. Not more than a neighborhood sandlot game when it first began, football picked up steam when Haywood County High School entered its second decade. During 1920, the local gridders began to be labeled Thomas Cats by the Memphis newspapers when five Thomas boys suited up for the team. This name was shortened, and the Tomcats began to snarl. Nowhere else in the state will you find such an animal.
Haywood County High School was one of the 44 charter members of the TSSAA in 1925. Until lights were installed in 1935, every game was an afternoon affair.
Sometimes referred to as Brownsville, Haywood County High School has played 112 consecutive years of football. Very few teams have started as early…or played as long. The Tomcats have been led by 24 different coaches. Two of these field generals played locally (George Chapman and Tim Seymour). John Hooper (1955-1970) coached the longest: 16 years; and Chris Smith (2019-2022) has had the best winning percentage: 86%. Haywood has had four undefeated teams: 1957, 1961, 1968, and 1969. Brownsville teams went undefeated during the regular season 11 times. From 1960-1962, Haywood won 23 consecutive games, and from 1967-1970, HHS won 29 straight contests.

The Tomcats played in the Big Ten Conference in West Tennessee from 1940-1976. Although conferences are a thing of the past, this premier league was recognized throughout the state as one of the best. Haywood won five Big Ten crowns and was runner-up seven times. High school bowl games are also gone, but Haywood won 10 and lost three of these post-season events. The Tomcats have qualified for the TSSAA state playoffs 32 times and have a 39-32 record here. The Purple and White have played in four state championship games (1994, 1995, 2018, and 2020). HHS ranks in the top 10 of the state in wins. Haywood does not shy away from competition either. HHS football has competed against 123 teams from six different states.
From 1955-1995 the Tomcats won 76% of their games. In 1920, Haywood outdistanced Newbern High School by the score of 115-0. Haywood had just two losing seasons from 1955-1997. The 1941 Haywood team posted the most shutouts of any team (seven), and Haywood recorded at least one shutout every year for 36 years (1956-91).
Being successful brings its rewards. From 1957-1972 Haywood was listed in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll every year. During these years, this poll represented all the teams in the state. There was no classification system defining enrollments. Since then, Brownsville has been ranked in the top 10 more than half of the time.
The Tomcats have defeated the #1 team in the state two different times. Both times, these games involved Jackson High School. Haywood won 14-12 in 1964 and 15-6 in 1969.

The Purple and White have played football on four different fields. L. Z. Hurley Field has been the home site the past 75 years.
Local giants in football and other sports are on display on the walls of the local courthouse. Since 1989, the Haywood County Sports Hall of Fame has recognized the talents of local men and women in all sports. Currently 47 players, coaches, and contributors have entered the Hall of Fame. Over 200 Haywood athletes have played football at the college level.
Rockey Felker is the only Tomcat to become head coach in the college ranks (1986-90 at Mississippi State). Corey Moore landed first team All-America honors while at Virginia Tech (1998) and also captured both the Bronko Nagurski Award for most outstanding defensive player and the Vince Lombardi Award for the best lineman in 1999. Daryl Bowles, star running back for Haywood in 1978, furthered his career as a Razorback and played a short time in the NFL.
Coaches John Hooper (1998), Richard Ross (1998), Jack Cain (2003), and administrator Gordon Perry (2003) have all been inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame.
The American General Mr. Football Award went to Carl Williamson (3A) in 1988, Alex Watkins (3A lineman) in 2006, and Emmit Gooden (4A lineman) in 2015.
During the 2022 season, Haywood averaged 49.6 points per game through the 14-game schedule. That’s right. Haywood scored almost 50 points a game two years ago. The Tomcats have reached the semi-finals of the TSSAA state tournament every year from 2017-2022.
Football scholarships were awarded to 12 players from the 2022 squad.
The Haywood mascot, an extended part of the cheerleading squad, is named Stacmot. This clever word is found by reversing the letters of the name Tomcats.
Another opportunity to view the accomplishments of Haywood County sports persons is in the Haywood County Museum at College Hill. Two of the earliest entries are a photograph from 1914 and a trophy from 1929. As you enter the room, the giant Coca-Cola scoreboard that recorded Haywood victories at L. Z. Hurley Field greets you from the middle of the room. Most schools can’t even name their past head coaches. Haywood can even show you their pictures. Nowhere will you find such a complete collection of high school memorabilia.
We’re glad you chose Haywood County; now check out our rich sports history.

 Dr. Robert N. Rooks is a graduate of Haywood County High School, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences (dentistry). Dr. Rooks and his wife Debby have a daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters. After graduate school, Dr. Rooks returned to Brownsville and helped establish the sports room in the Haywood County Museum. For the past 34 years, Dr. Rooks has broadcast the local Haywood High School Tomcat football games. In 2006, Robert received the Distinguished Service Award by the Tennessee Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. Rooks was inducted into the Haywood County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2013, Rooks published a book covering the first 100 years of Haywood Tomcat football. Robert and Debby are members of First Presbyterian Church. If you have a Tomcat football question, he can answer it.