History in Hallowed Halls

The complete history of Ruston High football, filled with decades of success and iconic moments, is now on display for future generations to appreciate.

Local artist Joey Bagwell of University Ink Tattoo has completed the first phase of a passion project to breathe new life into Ruston High with an 80-foot-wide mural inside Chick Childress Field House, featuring photos, unique designs, and graphics to mark each decade of Bearcat football in vibrant color that is unlike anything the community has seen before.

It’s thanks to a new printing technology that allows Bagwell to take highresolution images and lay them across a large surface, in this case the walls of Ruston’s field house, without losing the quality of the photos at a pace of eight feet high and four feet wide an hour at a time.

“After about five days of printing for about eight to 12 hours a day, it’s finished. I think it looks really great. But this is stage one. This is just the beginning at this point,” Bagwell said. “I had this deeper connection to Ruston High and I felt that I wanted to bring them this style of art that had never been seen before in this area. It’s really unique. I realized looking into this machine that this technology was so new that no one probably within 1,000 miles had.”

A Ruston High alum and former football player himself, Bagwell attained the printing machine in early 2024 and hoped to put the capabilities to good use — eager to give back to a community and school he’s known his whole life. One phase down, he’s given back far beyond what school administration thought was possible.

“Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect when Joey got started on it. But it turned out better than I think anyone could’ve imagined,” RHS principal Dan Gressett said. “He spent so much time and there was so much attention to detail. It’s impressive. If you get a chance to go by and see it, you really should. It is definitely something special.”

Bagwell also credits graphic designers Ashton Barber and Alana Hudson as the file organizers that sorted through hundreds of photos and documents for the project. He left the assignment of picking photos to represent the story of each year to them, leaving him to put the story of the program to life in eye-popping color.

The mural stretches across the wall facing the entrance to the Bearcats’ locker room, with the start of the timeline beginning next to the player entrance of the weight room. With bright red letters reading “Bearcat Football” along the left side, the mural goes from left to right down the hallway with photos and inscriptions for each season beginning in 1925 – the school’s first state championship.

Photos of Ruston’s first field being constructed, along with the 1941 and 1947 state championships highlight the early section of the mural. Ruston’s 1951 state championship trophy, along with team photos and the title game score are also included in the early section.

Further down in the mural are color photos that begin to pop with the Chick Childress era of dominance taking shape in the 1980s. From Childress begin carried off the field after Ruston’s 1982 state title victory, recreations of title game MVPs, runner-up graphics, and more, the mural touches on every aspect that made the 1980s the historic period that it was.

The 1990s have a dedicated section as well, featuring yearbook photos, game shots, old programs, and more from the Bearcats’ successful run at end of the century.

Ruston’s 2023 state title run, along with the mid-2000s and 2010s, are featured as well in the final piece of the mural – with more room to add on.

“Joey did an excellent job depicting the history and tradition of the Ruston football program,” Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “We talk about those things all of the time but now the kids can look at it and see how they can affect the history and tradition of this program and if they will make an impact like those that came before them. We also appreciate all of those that contributed with pictures and information for this project.”

Bagwell said he’s proud of the mural’s grand scale and appreciates all the time people spent putting the materials together to make it possible. But he’s far from finished. With projects planned for Ruston’s weight room, quarterback room, defensive meeting room, and more, Bagwell wants to continue giving back to the school he loves.

“This machine has so many different options that you start looking around at all the blank spaces and I start to think about all the things that I can do with this,” Bagwell said. “It’s one of those things where Ruston football, Ruston High is going to be my baby for as long as they’ll give me opportunities to work.”

Bagwell’s next mural will honor the former Bearcats who have gone on to play in the National Football League. The project will be completed by the start of November, according to Bagwell.

“It’s really only the beginning,” Bagwell said. “I’m going to take this and run with it.”