The 1930s era of Heber Springs football was one that saw a great turmoil with the onset of the Great Depression. Through the struggles of the day, the Panthers continued to march on as the town was slowly growing, thanks in part to the Missouri and North Arkansas railroad.
The railroad helped develop one of the Panthers first rivals of the day, the Harrison Goblins. The two teams tied in their first meeting in 1930 at Harrison and then would each win at home over the early part of the decade. Though Heber Springs would continue to tangle with larger schools such as Conway, Searcy, Batesville and Morrilton, more and more schools were starting to add football and some modern rivals would first appear during the decade including Bald Knob and Clinton.
The best team of the decade was the 1935 squad under coach Hollis Ward. The Panthers would go 5-3-1 that season with wins over Cabot, Cotter, Judsonia, the Arkansas School for the Deaf and an independent team made up of former HSHS players and community members that played games across the state. The Panthers tie was a homecoming contest against Harrison.
The 1930s HSHS All-Decade Football Team
1933 – Elgin Barnett
1937 – Elmer Beasley
1933 – Phillip Bowen
1936 – Carl Holmes
1936 – Wendall Holmes
1935 – Paul Ivy
1934 – Clois Ray Morton
1933 – Otto Murphree
1932 – Jack Patterson
1937 – Joe Robbins
1934 – Tom Robbins
1933 – Ed Speed
1938 – Charles Smith
1935 – Weston Taylor
1935 – Guy Ward
PREVIOUS DECADES