It would be untrue to say that Berrien had no success before 1961. The girls had been to state, and the boys had come within an eyelash in recent years. Perhaps it was the last season prior to the arrival that had left a mental impact. The girls went 10-12, despite a pretty good offense. The boys were 2-21 with the scores resembling most other teams in history that go 2-21.

It would be true to say that the rise was unexpected. The elementary schools always provided good talent for the consolidated Berrien High, but the high school was not much of a step up. The school had purchased new uniforms for the inaugural season of 1954-55 and some of them still remained. The original girls' jerseys were easy to spot, as they had 'Berrien' stitched across the front. Replacement jerseys were the same color, but without the name. The boys' unis were even more mismatched. Unlike the girls who had home and away uniforms, the boys had only one set in 1960-61. The tops were gray, but the shorts were red. One description states that each top was a slightly different shade than the others.

Even worse for the Berrien basketeers, they did not have a true home gym. One was not included in the contruction plans of the school. Practice was held outside or at Nashville Elementary, which was across town. Home games were spread throughout the county and played in Nashville, Ray City, Enigma, and Alapaha. Alapaha's gym was in the best shape of the four and hosted the most contests. Home games ceased as Nashville Elementary as the gym was considered unsafe and a fire hazard. It would be demolished in the early 1960s, whereas all three of the others still stand. A new gym was expected to be ready by January 1, 1962, and Berrien played road games anticipating its being ready. The completion was delayed until after the season's end, so BHS finished out in Alapaha.

Two experienced coaches left Berrien after the 1960-61 season. Arnold Gutierrez and Tom Deen had been coaching the boys and girls. Deen had the Rebelettes for the previous four campaigns while Gutierrez had the Rebs for the last five. Their successor and future supercoach had never coached a high school squad before (much less two of them) and was only 22 years of age. William Stanley Simpson was a recent graduate of Georgia Southern and a native of Buford, GA. He had played under Tom Riden in high school, but they had not been able to make the state tournament during Simpson's years there.

His debut as Berrien fieldmaster was probably not one he wanted to remember. Down in Quitman, the girls lost to Brooks County by 20 (30-50). The boys were crushed, 30-67. Simpson got his first girls win in game #2 a week later, but the boys put up 26 points. Things got worse, as the Rebelettes lost their next four to fall to 1-5. The boys were 0-6, including a 45 point loss to Tifton. While the Rebelettes rebounded to finish out the 1961 portion of the schedule at 4-5, the Rebs saw disaster but then redemption. Following a 26-74 loss to Valdosta, they earned their first win (50-43 over Lanier County). This seemed to instill quite a bit of confidence in the squad as they started coming closer and closer to more victories. Barely one month after the 48 point pasting by Valdosta, the Wildcats nearly lost in their own gym. Berrien led after each quarter but saw things slip away in the fourth and the 'Cats earn a 59-54 win. It would take the sub-region tournament to get win #2, a one point slide by the then hapless Thomasville Bulldogs. The boys would finish 2-20. In retrospect, it laid the groundwork for what was to come.

Simpson's female Rebels started slow and never hit upon an incredible win streak, but did play well enough to make it to the region tournament. A weird one year rule stipulated that the top four teams in the region would advance to state. Since they advanced out of the sub-region tourney, the girls automatically qualified. They were immediately stifled by Dodge County in the seedings portion of region, but beat Crisp County to finish third. This would be Berrien's second ever trip to state and their only one ever with a losing record. This squad would be going to the (southern portion) tournament site of Fitzgerald with a 10-14 mark. After beating College Park in the opener, they lost to a strong Hart County squad. The win was their first ever at that level. Joyce Jones and Laverne Gaskins were both named All-State as guards.

Not a bad first year, but it was the events of 1962-63 that began shaping the legend.

Most of each squad returned, including all of the boys' starters and two out of three forwards. Losing one starter at forward was not bad news and Simpson had two girls that were ready to take her place.

On November 30, the Rebels evened their mark and won their second game, equaling their mark of a year ago. In other good news, BHS finally had its own gym. Hahira came to town to play the first high school game in it, beating the Rebelettes but losing to the Rebels.

Because of its brand new status, the Berrien gym was picked to host the sub-region tournament in February 1963. Because of their won/loss records, neither Berrien team was slated to win it. The boys entered at 10-15 and girls were 14-11. The boys were one of the lowest ranked teams and would play the first day of the tourney. The girls had a bye until the second.

In their first game, the boys blew an 11 point haltime lead, but rallied to win, 39-37, over the Golden Eagles of Lowndes County. In second day action, the girls slipped by Bainbridge, 41-38. The boys would also have Bainbridge that day as an opponent, but a mere two weeks earlier the Bearcats had drubbed the quintet by 31 points. Not good at all. Somehow, they would stay with Bainbridge for most of the game. Late in the fourth quarter, the Rebels held a 58-55 lead. Bainbridge had the ball with less than five seconds left and called time. Young Simpson gathered his troops and told them the plan. When Bainbridge came out of the huddle, they noticed something very unusual. Berrien was standing at the other end of the floor, the opposite end of where the play was going to be. Simpson realized that the only way the boys could lose the lead would be if one them fouled a Bearcat while he made a basket. No foul can occur if a player is not anywhere in the neighborhood of the opposition. Shocked by the maneuver, Bainbridge missed the open layup. Both Berrien teams were in the finals.

On the last day, the girls had zero problems with Crisp County and blew them out, 42-23. The boys would again have a tougher opponent, Cairo and their big center by the name of Bill Stanfill. In another tight contest, Berrien had the lead late in the quarter. Pete Griffin nailed two free throws to ice a 41-38 victory. Both the Rebs and Rebelettes were now sub-region champions. In sheer excitement and joy, the boys hoisted Simpson on their shoulders and carried up the steps on the home side of the gym. Both squads would lose to Coffee County in the region tournament, but now they had some momentum.

The boys started the 1963-64 campaign on a very good note, winning four of their first five games. The season would quickly turn sour, though, with the team going 3-18 for the rest of the year. Most losses were close. In fact, in 12 of the 19 the Rebs lost by 10 or fewer. The core of his first squad was graduating after the season but two future stars made appearances in the lineup. In even better news, it would be the last Rebel squad to finish below .500 until 1980-81. On the opposite side of the ledger, the Rebelettes enjoyed their best overall season in some time. After dropping their opener to perennial power Brooks County, they would not lose again until January when the same Tigerette team upended them again. They lost only one home game and won their second consecutive sub-region title. Dodge County stopped in the region tournament just short of going to state.

The girls' momentum carried into the next season, as they met with similar results. They dropped their opener to Valdosta and did not lose until the Hahira Christmas Tournament finals and again to the same team. A third consecutive sub-region crown came their way, but the last of Simpson's original crew again saw their hopes dashed by Dodge County in the region tournament. The season did see two milestones for the girls as only the second and third Rebelettes to score 1,000 points did so during the year. Cousins Beth Taylor and Anne Whidden achieved a feat that only Dona Gaskins had claimed in the past.

The Rebels continued to improve. A 15-10 mark was their first actual winning season in five years and only the third in school history. They were merely 8-8 when an unexpected late season boost played his first game. Larry Johnson transferred in from Irwin County and immediately powered the offense. Johnson would only have one bad game in his brief career at Berrien, that being against Irwin. His boost would not be enough to get the Rebs out of the sub-region tournament, but things were still looking up.

Simpson started becoming a local folk hero around this time. Just a few years earlier, he ran an article in the Nashville Herald, asking for support. Now, everybody was beginning to take notice. In appreciation for his efforts in bringing positive attention to the county, the Booster Club gave him a new television set. They also bought a bus to help haul the athletic squads around. The BHS student newspaper, The Rebel Yell ran a contest to name it. Buck Swindle earned $5 with for his winning submission. He dubbed it "The Ramrod."

The young coach also brought a level of fun with him to the games. He was animated, but in no way a sideline menace. After a particularly bad first half where nothing seemed to be going in, he came back from the halftime pep talk with a broom. He walked down to the opposite end of the floor and put the handle through the net, just to make sure that the basket had a hole at the bottom of it and was capable of registering points. On another night, the young coach showed up with a splint on his finger. The reason? Several of the boys were curious as to whether or not he could dunk a basketball one day during practice. Up for the challenge, he did grab the rim but snagged his wedding ring and finger on one of the hooks holding the net.

Simpson also would occasionally book entertainment to take place between games. Tumbling acts, bands, and karate exhibitions were not unheard of on the guest list. Berrien basketball was no longer merely a game. It was becoming an event. Crowds began spilling over onto the stage. The cheerleaders' support posters began lining the walls of the gym. Young fans sometimes brought their own signs to the contests, including one proclaiming, "Cairo is an armpit."

The boys continued to improve, notching a 17-9 record in 1965-66. The rebuilding Rebelettes were 17-8. The boys would be edged in the sub-region tourney by Cairo, who would go on to win the state title. The girls would also lose early in the sub-region.

It was during this season that one of the greatest miracles in the history of Rebel basketball would occur. In the barn of Homerville, they trailed Clinch County by 16 after three quarters and starting center Larry Slaughter fouled out early in the fourth. Clinch relaxed and benched the starters. Why not? They led by 17 with 1:42 remaining. Supposedly the starters were so comfortable, they even pulled off their shoes. Simpson was not one to give up easy. He pulled his starters, too, but made sure the bench ran as tight a defense as possible. They quickly knocked 10 points off the margin and the starters went back in. Clinch became so flustered that they inbounded right to Berrien defenders on more than one occasion. Their starters went back in, but the momentum had already been switched. Things got even worse when the Panther head coach called a sixth timeout (you were alloted five legal ones). With only a few ticks on the clock, the game was tied at 66-all and the Rebels were inbounding. Wayne Jones caught the ball at halfcourt and heaved a desperation shot in the slim hopes they could avert overtime. The shot missed, but Jones had been fouled. Fouled on a shot that had little chance of going in. He was awarded his two free throws and sank both. No time was left on the scoreboard. A jubilant Simpson ran out on the floor to greet his team. A Clinch fan, frustrated with the night's events, sloshed him with soda.

Things were really beginning to come together for the Rebs during the next season. Every starter except Slaughter returned, but the coach had someone to fill the void. He also had discovered a talent on his bench the previous season and Raymond Tucker was back for his junior season. They started a red hot 8-0, but had some troubles keeping things together after Tucker was injured two games later. A very good Crisp County team ended their season in the sub-region tournament. In positive news, Wayne Jones became only the second Rebel to score 1,000 points.

The girls were 6-3 through Christmas, but things began rolling their way in the second half the season. Though beaten in the sub-region by Bainbridge, they finished the year at 20-5. Simpson did have to have some concern for both teams at the end of the season. One of his top two girls' scorers would graduate and the other would transfer. Three of the five boys' starters would also graduate. He couldn't have fully known that the best was yet to come.

The Rebelettes started a mere 2-2 in 1967-68. In game three, Stanley Simpson learned of a new weapon. She had been sitting on his bench for the past year, but it was just now that she blossomed. Junior Joanna Smith ripped the nets for 28 points. That one game doubled her point output for the previous year. Smith was unexpectedly hard to defend. She stood a mere 5'2", but possessed a wicked shot. She would dribble as though going for a lay-up, but would stop about six feet from the basket and hit a running shot. Like in their last state tournament appearance, the girls would be benefitted by a rule change. There would be only a region tournament that season and it would be double elimination. After losing to Lowndes to start the tourney, they beat Bainbridge and Lowndes again to earn second place and advance to their first state tournament since 1962.

Despite a retooled lineup, the boys started the year hot again, winning their first eleven games. Part of the reason for their rapid success was a transfer. In February of 1966, Berrien County began gradually integrating their schools. Ernest Taylor had been a star at Nashville High & Elementary through the 1966-67 season, but was now a Berrien Rebel. Though there were no problems at Berrien, Taylor would occasionally have to deal with abuse on the road. Crisp County was a difficult place to be as civil rights were a hot topic there. Coach Simpson prepared his players for what might happen. Taylor heard the catcalls and he stepped on the floor, but quickly silenced the crowd with his shooting. Crisp was a good team and won on that night and ended the winning streak.

Soon after, Simpson almost lost Raymond Tucker to injury again. Playing at Northside of Warner Robins in a close contest, Tucker attempted a lay-up. A player for the Eagles accidentally upended him, Tucker hitting the hardwood head first. He was taken to a Macon hospital (Warner Robins' population has only really boomed in the past 15 years) and diagnosed with a concussion. Amazingly, he only missed a single game. The Rebs almost lost the game that night as well. A left-handed lay-up by Perry McMillan was the margin in the 58-56 victory.

The boys had suffered many close calls in the region tournament, but it wasn't to be the case in this season. They roared through and made their first state tournament in school history. In the entire history of the county, only one other boys team had made state and they were the 1926 team of Nashville High.

In state, the girls would defeat Ringgold, but fell to Franklin County in the second round to finish up at 19-8. The boys edged both West Fannin and Troup in their first two contests. In the state semifinals against Wills, Roosevelt Daughtry hit what looked like the winning shot, but the referees ruled he was out-of-bounds and Berrien lost 40-41. As per the rules of the tournament, there was one final shot at some glory. Crisp County had lost their semifinal to Sandy Springs and would meet their fellow Rebels in the third place game. Berrien was able to slide their way to victory and to their greatest season ever, finishing 25-3. Tucker and Taylor were both named All-State.

The boys had another good season in 1968-69 with another retooled lineup, but were unable to get out of the sub-region tournament. They finished 18-5. Charles Dieas would graduate, but other stars would not. Simpson learned of another jewel on his bench, this one being a sophomore transfer from Florida named George Sorrell. The Rebelettes managed to improve upon their record from the previous year and had to have felt pretty good during the region tournament. For the first time ever, they knocked off Dodge County. Unfortunately, they lost at the same state tournament spot and finished 26-3.

The opener of the 1969-70 year saw Berrien drop its opening boys game to Tift County by a single point. That seemed to motivate them a bit and they flew through the rest of the regular season without a loss. Some nights, the offense wasn't as hot as others, but the defense was always on. How many times can you score 30 and win? They beat Cairo 30-29. The sub-region and region tournaments were a mere chore and when they entered the state tournament, the Atlanta press had already found out about that defense. They commented on Berrien's ability to make everybody play their game and fit their rhythm. After disposing of Lakeshore, they lost to defending state champs Carver of Atlanta. A disappointing end to a fantastic season. Only one starter would graduate.

On the other hand, the Rebelettes had lost even less. Simpson was a bit surprised as he had predicted it would be difficult to surpass the previous team's record in preseason in commentary. Their defense was just as loaded as the boys'. Only five of 30 opponents scored more than 40 and none scored 50. Nothing was a out-and-out blowout and there were some close calls, but most of the wins were comfortable. Sub-region and region were a relative breeze and they made their third straight trek to state. For the first time ever, they made it out of the quarterfinals. Lakeshore, O'Keefe, and Forsyth County fell by 17, 25, and 12 points. Now was the finals and a team they had beaten to win region. Berrien led Waycross 32-22 after three and saw the lead sliced in half in the fourth, but hung on to win by five.

Stanley Simpson was now state champion and with a 30-0 record. Seven Rebelettes were named All-State or All-State honorable mention.

The girls continued their hot streak in 1970-71, despite the times changing. The GHSA instituted a new rule to help transition the girls' game. In previous years, the style had been three guards on one side of the floor and three forwards on the other. The rule change stated that two forwards and two guards had to stay on their respective sides, but two players - rovers - could transition and cross the center line. The old style of forward was no longer as dominant. Donna Jernigan saw her point total drop by 150 points despite being the main offensive force on the floor. The defense remained just as solid as ever.

After a close call in the Lowndes Christmas Tournament against Tift County, the same team beat them in Nashville by a single point. That ended the Rebelettes' winning streak at 47 games. They were still able to win the sub-region and region tournaments. But in the first round of state, they saw the season end at 25-2 with a loss to the Telfair County Trojans. A loss on March 10 usually meant a coach's season was over. However, Simpson still had three more games to play.

The first and foremost thing that should be mentioned about the 1970-71 Rebels is the defense. It was crushing, to say the least. One story reported was that some team started with seven shots inside the paint. All seven were swatted. Nobody took the ball inside. George Sorrell and Charles Wright were waiting. On the perimeter were Roger Guess, Wayne Taylor, and Bobby Taylor. None were as tall as Sorrell or Wright, but all three were just as good defensively.

The offense wasn't too shabby, either. The combination of the two forces saw no team come closer than seven points. The second closest lost by 11. Cook lost one game by 80. The feat is even more impressive as the Rebels did not hit 100 points in any game that season. That was Simpson being most generous. Most games were so out hand going to the final stanza that he did not play his starters at all.

Appling County was disgusted by their 19 point loss earlier in the season. They formulated a plan for revenge in Baxley. It backfired. The Pirates decided to slow the game down to a standstill. They ran a stalling offense for the entire game, but it didn't work. In fact, they were almost shut out on their own floor. They hit four free throws and a single field goal in a 27-6 loss.

They soared through the sub-region and region tournaments and beat the daylights out of Swainsboro in the opening round of state. A few days later, they moved their operation to the Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Berrien gave up their two largest point totals of the year - 64 and 66 - but beat Lakeview and Southwest of Atlanta. This would be their first trip to the finals. Their opponent in Waynesboro did not expect to make it this far into the tournament. They had already heard about that Berrien defense, too. It probably weighed a bit on their minds.

Simply stated, Berrien never trailed in the finals. They got the opening tip and quickly deposited it for two points. The Rebs led at the half, 36-18. It got uglier. Leading 48-26 after three quarters, Simpson began pulling his starters in the fourth, one by one. He ended with his captain, Roger Guess. Guess embraced his coach as he exited. The final score was 62-29.

Simpson now had two championships. Both were 30-0.

There were rumblings going into the tournament that this would be his last season at Berrien. Simpson would not confirm during the tourney his plans, but soon announced that he was going north. BHS and Berrien County was sad to lose him, but knew that he had accomplished all there was to accomplish here. We all knew he capable of achieving more.

Druid Hills was slated to be his next stop. They had a pretty good history and were a step above Berrien in terms of classifications. It turned out not to be. Soon after arriving, his health dipped. He was diagnosed with exhaustion. It was severe enough for him to resign his post in December 1971. Simpson did not have the opportunity to coach a single game.

In January 1972, Oglethorpe University offered him the position of assistant coach. He accepted, but resigned that in February of the same year. Shorter College offered him the head basketball position and he accepted. No further details are known at this time.

Eventually, Middle Tennessee State University made him an assistant to their head basketball coach, Jimmy Earle. Earle was 164-103 and Simpson was there for most of those years.

In 1979, MTSU promoted him. Stan Simpson became head coach. From '79 through 1984, he was 71-66. The winning record was a fine accomplishment, but not his biggest moment there.

The university won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament in 1982, which gave them an automatic bid to the big NCAA tournament. Simpson was thrilled telling people that they were like the "ugly girl at the dance." They didn't care who they were to face, but just as long as they got to dance. The opening round opponent was Kentucky. It looked like a mismatch. Kentucky was playing for something more, too. Louisville had a bye to the second round and were in UK's bracket. The two had not faced each other in years. All they had to do was knock off MTSU. Tickets were being scalped for as much as $300 in anticipation of the in-state rivals finally seeing each other again.

MTSU got off to a slow start behind Joe B. Hall's tough team, but rallied to a 30-30 score at the half. Simpson had a gameplan for the second half. Kentucky recalled that the defenses employed by the Blue Raiders were foreign to them. They never had seen them before. Middle Tennessee was not a scoring machine in the second half, but put up 20 points. That was six more than Kentucky could find and the Simpson squad was a winner by a 50-44 score.

Stan Simpson was beyond excited. He stated the win was along the lines of "the Boy Scouts beating the Russians." His dream ended soon after as Louisville quickly dispatched them in the next game.

Simpson would leave MTSU two years later after an NCAA investigation. The most serious of the offenses included loaning a television to players at no charge and holding a practice out of state.

After all his travels, Mr. and Mrs. Simpson had plenty of options as to where they would retire to. They picked Nashville.

Stan Simpson would pass on after a long battle with cancer in 1999. His legend still lives.