Charles Manuel earned all-state football honors as a Bobcat lineman.
His daughter Monica Daville said her father played football and did rodeo while in high school.
“I remember telling the story that they lived far from town, and he would ride his horse back and forth to practice,” she said.
The Eunice News story in 1960 proclaiming Manuel’s All-Southwest honors stated “line play is a grueling business at its easiest and Manuel saw to it that no one opposing team had an easy time of it.
The story continued, “its rather hard to keep up with linemen in the ordinary football game. They don’t get the attention that the backs get, but any Bobcat fan must remember Manuel, slashing in on tackles and stopping dead charging tacklers from the opposition. It’s gratifying those observers from other places than Eunice noticed this and gave it its due recognition.
While in school, Manuel began his career in law enforcement in 1966 and spent 14 years as a road trooper for the state police at Troop K in Opelousas.
He was promoted to sergeant in 1981 and then lieutenant and deputy commander in 1984. He retired from the Louisiana State Police in 1989 after 23 years of service.
Manuel was then elected for two terms (1991 and 1995) as the Eunice police chief. Manuel was very active in the St. Anthony Catholic Church system in several capacities, such as Eucharistic Minister, President of the Church Council as well as the Knights of Columbus.
Manuel died at age 64 on Sept. 11, 2007.