The Checotah Wildcats have a long history of producing great athletes like Charlie Thomas, Rusty Martin, Jim Derrick, Bill Miner, Drew Dan and numerous others. However, the 1984 Wildcat football team was loaded with talent that included David Shoemaker. Shoemaker was a giant among men, standing 6’5” and weighing 235 pounds in that era.
Shoemaker played a major factor on a team that included Gregg Dixon, Bill Osmond, Tim Coppick, Brent Coleman, Shawn Payne, Kelly West, Sean Kennedy, Richard Eddy and other notable players.
“David was a great athlete. He lettered in three sports, baseball, football and basketball. He was an outstanding baseball player. He was our pitcher. When you needed a play in football, you could count on David. He was a clutch player. He was a great addition to the team and played an incremental part in our success,” said fellow teammate and Internal Affairs Investigator Tim Coppick.
Shoemaker helped to lead the Wildcats to three victories (1981-21-14, 1982-9-0, 198414-6) in his four years playing varsity football and nearly was perfect but fell to the Ironheads 14-12 in 1983.
Shoemakers athleticism caught the attention of area collegiate recruiters, especially the staff at the University of Oklahoma where he and fellow teammate Gregg Dixon earned a scholarship.
“That Wildcat team had two division one players and several junior college athletes,” added Coppick.
Shoemaker and Dixon started their careers with the Sooners and won a National Championship in 1985 before Shoemaker transferred to the University of Minnesota where he ended his college football career.
“Shoemaker had great size and had great football intelligence. He could make the reception and move the chains,” said Eufaula Hall of Fame coach Paul Bell.
“David was a terrific teammate and he had the ability and skill to go over the top of the defender and make the catch. I really think his calling was baseball but he was apart of a national championship so that was a good decision on his part. I went to Northeastern State and he and Gregg went to OU on football scholarships. I was very proud of them for their accomplishments,” said teammate and Tulsa attorney Bill Osmond.
“David was the fastest big guy I ever coached. There are a lot of places where you can put a fast big guy on the field. We were the first high school team to run the wishbone and single wing, which is the most powerful running game you could have and David was an incremental part of it. David and Gregg were recruited by Charlie North from OU. I will never forget David telling me about his official visit with the Sooners. He and coach Barry Switzer had a one-on-one where Switzer asked him what Oklahoma State had offered him. David said that they (OSU) said he would start as a freshman at tight end. Switzer told him that he would not start because there were a lot of talented guys in front of him. David thought about that and came to the conclusion that if he wasn’t going to start at OU but would at OSU that could only mean one thing, that the Sooners was a better program and committed to the University of Oklahoma,” said Checotah’s Hall of Fame coach Ray Grandstaff.
“I’m very proud of David. He was a great athlete and became a man of great character,” added Grandstaff in a previous interview.
Shoemaker, Dixon and Osmond each graduated from college and have had successful
