49 Consecutive Seasons With a Winning Record

The year 2008 marked the 49th consecutive year that the football season for the Dalton High School Catamounts has ended with a winning record.

This is the longest current streak of any high school in the state of Georgia and is believed to be one of the 3 or 4 longest current streaks of any high school in the U.S.

During this span, DHS has won 450 games, an average of 9.18 wins per season and has lost 119 games, an average of 2.43 losses per season, with a total of 10 ties. This amounts to a 77.72% winning percentage.

Regular seasons are even more impressive showing a record of 398 wins, 84 losses and 10 ties. This is an incredible 80.89% winning percentage. During these forty-nine seasons the Catamounts have produced eight undefeated and untied regular seasons, 1 undefeated and twice tied regular season, 17 one loss regular seasons and another 11 two loss regular seasons. A full 37 years of the 49 year streak have resulted in regular seasons of two losses or less.

During the amazing forty-nine year run, Dalton High has participated in a total of 87 playoff games, winning 52. They have ended their season in the state quarterfinals six times, the semifinals on eight occasions and the finals seven times, winning one championship in 1967.

Twenty-seven of the forty-nine teams have finished the season ranked among the top 10 teams in the state of Georgia, in the classification in which they competed.

Showing both defensive and offensive prowess, of the 450 wins during the 49 years, DHS has won an incredible 158 games by shutout. The total points allowed in all regular season and playoff games by these forty-nine DHS teams amounted to an average of 9.9 points per game. During this same time, Catamount teams have scored an average of 25.7 points per game.

These forty-nine seasons span only five head coaches. The first four seasons (1960-1963) of the streak being the last four of the eighteen total seasons coached by the beloved Alfred Anderson. During these four seasons DHS finished with 31 wins, 9 losses and a tie. Bill Chappell, the recent Georgia Hall of Fame inductee and the third winningest coach in Georgia High School history, finished his 33 years (1964-1996) with 317 wins, 74 losses and 9 ties. Bill McManus, an allstate DHS player and longtime assistant, compiled 31 wins and 15 losses in his four years (1997-2000) at the helm. Finally, Ronnie McClurg, in his first seven seasons as head coach, after 30 seasons as a DHS assistant and coming out of six years in retirement, has posted 63 wins and 17 losses (2001-2007). Coach McClurg retired following the 2007 season. Finally, Adam Winegarden began his career as head coach at Dalton High School with a 7-3 season in 2008.

These 49 seasons should not diminish the accomplishments of the 34 Dalton High School teams that took the field prior to the current streak. In those 34 seasons, Dalton High School experienced 23 winning football seasons against only 9 losing seasons and 2 seasons with even records. A grand total of 72 winning seasons out of 83 total seasons.

Dalton High School Catamount football, eighty-three years of hard work, teamwork and success.