Billy McGee

Billy McGee was an all-around athlete for the Eunice High School Bobcats in the mid-1950s, participating in track and football. At the start of the 1954 track season Coach Edmund Saucier was in a rebuilding stage after losing most of his top performers from the 1953 championship team. McGee was one of the few returning with experience. McGee would throw the discus and the javelin for the Track Team, becoming a solid performer in discus and javelin completions.The Bobcats would later go on to dominate the 5A district meets, never going lower than fourth except in the state meet, where McGee claimed first place in the St. Landry Parish meet with a javelin throw of 154 feet. He also won the discus competition with a throw of 112′ 6 1/2″.

By the time football season arrived in his sophomore season, McGee was set to play several different positions, including quarterback and halfback. He was also the team punter, booming a 78-yarder in a 12-0 win.

McGee was ready to excel as he entered his junior season. He He ran for 11 touchdowns and passed for two other scores, one against Opelousas and one against Marksville. He averaged 42.6 per punt during the season. McGee scored two touchdowns against Oberlin and added an 85-yard kickoff return against Bunkie.

McGee continued to show off his ability in his senior season. He ran for 16 touchdowns and passed for another against Crowley. He added a 50 yard run against Ville Platte and added a couple of touchdowns against Oberlin. The Bobcats earned a spot in the playoffs and beat Jena 27-13 to earn a spot in the semifinals against Minden. McGee broke free for a 90-yard return on the opening kickoff against Minden in the State semifinals, but the Bobcats lost to Minden, losing their chance to win a state title. McGee would earn All-District honors in football , along with end John Bazare, John Miller, and Roland Prudhomme and he was selected to the All-State team as an Honorable Mention pick after rushing for 1,260 yards for the season.

In April of 1955, McGee would help the Bobcat track team win its fifth straight St. Landry Parish Meet, with McGee heaving the javelin 155′ 11″ to finish in first place. Later in April, at the IA, OA Meet, the bobcats would finish in fourth place. In the 4-AA District Meet, McGee would go on to college at Southeastern Louisiana for three years before moving on to Mississippi State. He later would join the U.S. Marine Corps, earning an E-3 honor in his three years of service.

McGee would later begin his coaching career at St. Edmund High School with Coach Marion Fruge. He would coach a variety of sports while there as well as at a number of area schools before focusing on individual coaching and producing several State Champions over the years.