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Special to the Advance

By Bonnie Bartel Latino

‘Toad’ 1st female to score in football game

Luverne “Toad” Wise was the first female football player in America to score in a game, and that wasn’t a one-time thing. The athletic petite cutie was as dependable as the moon that rises over Atmore every Friday night in the fall.

In 1939 and ’40, Toad became a household name in America. There have been more words written nationally about Toad than anyone who ever lived in Atmore – including Evander Holyfield, Don McNeal and William Marshall Carney, who many call the “Father of Atmore.” Those who are new to Atmore should know about the teenage girl, who played high school football here in 1939 and 1940. Her big fame came as a place-kicker, but on trick plays, she sometimes filled-in at quarterback. Her senior year she made all-state honorable mention — as quarterback.

Representatives from Acme News Pictures and Columbia Pictures came here to interview Miss Wise and film her in action. In several adorable video clips online Atmore’s legendary footballer looks a lot like her youngest daughter, Toni McMurphy of Atmore.

Some reporters from several national publications of that era did not report all the details. In recent years, some journalists have referred to those old publications, quoting from them in their own stories, causing mistakes. It is of significance that key aspects of this story be accurately recorded. If not now, when?

I hope to uncover the most jarring inaccuracies, beginning with Toad’s wonderful nickname. One reporter back in the day wrote “… her teammates called her Toad because she toed the ball.” The two words have different meanings and aren’t even spelled the same way. They sound similar, much as do dear and deer, for example. First, it’s important to know that Tony Albert, who graduated from Atmore High a few years before Toad did, returned from Army service after World War II and married Luverne Wise in 1946.

My mama and Toad were friends and neighbors. Toad and Tony’s first born, Susan Albert Moorhead and I have been friends since the womb. Our mothers were pregnant with us at the same time. I asked Susan to share the story of how her mama got her pet name. Sometime after Luverne Wise was born in McCullough, Susan said, a visitor came by to visit Toad and meet her first born. The woman peeked into the cradle and exclaimed, “Oh! She’s as cute as a little toad frog!” Susan believes the woman referred to the baby’s freckles, which Toad had throughout much of her life.

The other error, which every journalist made back in the day, is still incorrectly reported. They called Toad’s school Escambia County High. Technically, it was, but throughout the state, the football team was known as Atmore High. In old photos and videos, the A is visible on letter jackets worn by local athletes, just as Susan wore the coveted A on her cheerleader sweater when she and Emilie Wood (later Mims) were co-captains in 1966-67. Toad’s second born, Rita Albert (later Peterson) also cheered for Atmore a few years later.

If Toad’s story intrigues you, the most recent story is Kelly Kazem’s article on August 28, 2024, for AL.com, Alabama Stories: When the state’s first female football player made national news. That story referenced several older articles that got most of the details right. However, a glaring error made in that article was that Toad had two daughters. Somebody somewhere didn’t know about the birth of the previously mentioned Toni Luverne Albert (now McMurphy). Susan said her mama had wanted to name her new baby girl, Antoinette, but “she didn’t know how to spell it.” Anyone who knew Toad would tell you she was funny, self-effacing, and humble. If I listen with my heart, I can hear her laughing at herself in her irresistible deep-throated voice.

Mrs. Toad Albert and Mrs. Joe Sherrill were co-leaders for Atmore’s Brownie Troop Six in the mid-1950s. Toad Albert’s example, her warmth, and her fun personality gave me courage to take on a troop of 28 six-year-olds. Susan Moorhead also had two or three troops in Atmore with Laura Roberts & Julia Gibbs. Toni was also a Scout leader.

Luvern “Toad” Wise Albert’s eternal legacy is discovered in her role as a devout Roman Catholic, mother, wife, and business partner with her husband at Rex Sporting Goods on South Main Street. She still was available to be an unforgettable Brownie leader, and the girls of Troop Six loved her to bits. At a surprise birthday party, we hosted for her, she played us all in a game of kick ball, and she won.

Though Toad Albert died in 1982 at age 60 of a heart attack, she didn’t live long enough to know any of her grandchildren. However, they continue her legacy through their DNA as do her daughters, Susan Albert Moorhead, and Toni Albert McMurphy, both of Atmore, and Rita Albert Peterson of Murphysboro, Tenn.