Hometown Heroes

By JOEY WARNER

 

Shaw Stars in the Spotlight

 

There have been several great athletes that played sports at Shaw high school.  Shaw was originally called the Rebels before becoming the Eagles.  At one point, the nickname “Continental Soldier” was considered for the school mascot.  Shaw is closed now but is still located in Alpine Hills between Zeigler Boulevard and Overlook Road in West Mobile.  The enrollment went from 1,200 in 1987 to 225 in 2006 and eventually shut down.  The athletes listed below are for recognition.  If you know other athletes that attended Shaw, that deserve recognition, please call 251-604-7387 or email joey@sportsreports.biz  or wjtaw@aol.com.   For other high schools in the area, I encourage people to research and create a list and send it to SportsReports!

 

Mike Fuller – Fuller finished at Shaw in 1971 then went to Auburn and became one of the top defensive backs in the Country.  He was the 73^rd player drafted in the third round by the San Diego Chargers in 1975. He spent six years with the Chargers and finished his eight-year career with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1982.  Fuller was a punt and kick return specialist and had 17 interceptions and 21 fumble recoveries and a TD as a defensive back.  Fuller had a career total of 4,368 return yards.  He averaged 10.6 yards per punt return while amassing 2,660 yards on 252 returns and two TDs, including one for 88 yards. Fuller, who wore #42, returned 79 kickoffs for 1,701 yards. His younger brother Terry, was a multi-sport athlete at Shaw. 

Ray Alexander – Ray was a 6 foot, 5 inch left-handed quarterback at Shaw (1980) and an awesome basketball player on the hardwood. Ray was a true leader and his favorite play as a quarterback was executing the “quarterback sweep,” even when it was not the play called in the huddle.  He became a wide receiver in college football at Florida A&M University.  Ray played in the NFL for the Denver Broncos in 1984 and the Dallas Cowboys in 1985 and 1986.  In 1985, Alexander was the leading receiver for the Cowboys with 54 catches and six TDs.  He joined the Calgary Stampeders in Canadian Football League in 1986 and caught 387 passes for 6,045 yards and 24 TDs in 74 games with British Columbia in the CFL from 1990 to 1995.

Mark Higgins - Mark played first base at Shaw his junior and senior (1981) year after transferring from Mary Montgomery.  The power hitter was known for hitting mammoth homeruns and had a disciplined eye for waiting on his pitch.  He played junior college baseball at Chipola Junior College and was drafted by the Texas Rangers. Mark was the batting star of the University of New Orleans Privateers 1984 team that reached the College World Series. The husky red headed first baseman was known as the “Fireman” to UNO fans. Each time “Big Hig” hit a home run, a sound of a siren would entertain the crowd that wore plastic fireman hats to promote the slugger while his late red-headed father, Dave, was known as the “fire chief.”  Higgins hit .384 with 24 home runs and 87 RBIs, which are still UNO school records. Higgins signed with the Cleveland Indians and had a productive career minor league career before a brief call up with the big league club in 1989.  He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers , where his baseball career ended.    

 

Steven Morse - Steve was a versatile athlete that was very intelligent.   He played football and basketball at Shaw, but became a better player when he played for the University of Virginia. Morse played well in the 1984 Peach Bowl and caught the eye of NFL scouts.  He made the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL roster in 1985 and played on special teams and was a running back.

Chris Samuels – Samuels played at Shaw in the mid-nineties before becoming a star at Alabama, where he won the Outland Trophy in 1999. He was the No. 3 pick in the first round by the Washington Redskins in 2000 and is a five-time Pro Bowler.

Leonardo Carson – Carson played quarterback at Shaw in the mid-nineties before becoming a defensive tackle at Auburn.  He was drafted #113 in the fourth round by the San Diego Chargers in 2000, where he played until 2003 before joining the Dallas Cowboys for two seasons.

Others remembered are:  - Carlos Hughes, Kelvin Sigler, L. C. “Tweety Bird” Conner, Danny Smith, Leo Smith, Clay Smith, Geoff Doggett, Tommy Little, Tony Martin, John Dukes, Charles Davis, Daniel Dozier, Chris Dozier, Anthony Shelley, Tar  Lee Robinson, Michael Jones, Cindy Jones, Barry Blakely, Kyle Clary.