Callaway Chargers 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary

By Tyrone Keys

JA Guest Writer

Exactly 50 years after the Chargers won the State Championship, their Golden Jubilee Anniversary celebration was held at City Hall in Jackson. The event highlighted the team’s historic accomplishments and the lasting impact of their unity on Mississippi. It also served as a powerful reflection of how far the seeds, planted in 1975, have traveled bearing fruit in leadership, service, and unity across generations.

This remarkable alignment added deep historical significance and a sense of divine timing to the Golden Jubilee. For the 1975 Callaway Chargers, the Golden Jubilee carries deep meaning. Fifty years after their historic undefeated season, the team’s legacy continues to proclaim a message of hope, unity, and brotherhood. Just as Jubilee represented restoration and release, the story of the Chargers celebrates:

Liberty from division and racial barriers

Restoration of community bonds

Renewal of lifelong friendships

Reflection on how seeds planted in 1975 are still bearing fruit

The Golden Jubilee is therefore not just an anniversary – it is a spiritual marker honoring freedom, unity, and love defining the team and inspiring generations today.

Mayor John Horhn delivered the official Proclamation declaring the day as “1975 Callaway Chargers Day.” The proclamation honors the team’s barrier-breaking achievements, their example of racial harmony, and their lasting influence on the city’s athletic and civic identity.

The program featured remarks from former players reflecting on the meaning of brotherhood across five decades. Among those speaking were Jerome Gentry, Larry Friday, Tyrone Keys, Joe Lattimore, Roland Powell, Terrence Shirley, and Lloyd Sweat. Their stories transported the audience back to 1975: Thursday night family dinners, teammates stepping across neighborhood lines, and the unity forged during one of Mississippi’s most pivotal eras.

Former Callaway High School educator Bobby Hawthorne and Sharon Jenkins, the late Coach Jenkins’ wife, also shared heartfelt reflections. Together, they honored the discipline, sacrifice, and character shaping the Chargers’ perfect season, reminding attendees the team’s legacy extends far beyond football.