Few people would argue that Dorsey Reirdon is one of the greatest all-around athletes to walk the halls of Durant High School.
There’s not much question when you look at the accolades of the Lion standout.
A year ago, he was part of the 1957 DHS track team that was part of the school’s inaugural class of inductees and now joins the Hall of Fame on his incredible individual accomplishments.
Reirdon was a 1957 Durant High graduate and produced one of the most decorated senior campaigns in school history.
As a football standout from his tailback position, Reirdon ran roughshod over many opposing defenses, helping Coach Ralph Tate’s Lions to a 7-3 record while scoring at least 20 points in all but one game during the season. The backfield catalyst’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Madill is still one of the longest ever recorded in school history. He also combined with teammate James Steward for 384 yards rushing in a 26-7 win at Ardmore, the Lions’ last against their rivals on the road until 1996.
Those numbers helped him earn All-District recognition as well as first-team All-State honors from the Tulsa World and honorable mention honors from the Daily Oklahoman.
While he excelled on the gridiron, Reirdon was even more renowned for his work on the track, where many considered him the fastest man in the state during his senior year. His time of 20.8 in the 220-yard dash at the Duncan Track Meet shattered a 24-year state record that was established in 1933, becoming the first Oklahoma prep athlete to cover that distance in less than 21 seconds. Even more amazing was the fact that Reirdon set the mark on almost no sleep after the Lions drove all night to Duncan for the meet after competing in the prestigious Texas Relays in Austin the evening before.
That blistering mark stood for eight years as the state record and was also the second fastest time in the United States for the event during the 1957 season.
After running that scorching time, Reirdon went on to finish his prep career with gold medals in both the 220 and 100-yard dash at the state track meet in Norman, notching winning times of 22.2 and 10.1 seconds respectively. That helped earn the DHS star high school All-American honors by Track and Field News Magazine.
At the conclusion of his senior year, he was awarded the prestigious Jimmy Wessinger Award, which at the time went to Durant High School’s Most Outstanding Athlete that year.
Reirdon received a football scholarship from Oklahoma State before finishing his career at Southeastern, participating in both football and track. He then began a highly-successful coaching career, which has put him in both the Oklahoma Track Coaches Hall of Fame and Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Reirdon built a powerhouse track and field program at Ada where the Cougars won five state championships and finished as state runner-up twice in the seven years from 1969 through 1975.
The Durant native soon moved onto the collegiate level, coaching outstanding track programs at Central Oklahoma, McNeese State and Oklahoma State University. He is presently head track coach at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas.
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