The mission of the Fort Cherry Little Rangers is to provide the children of the Fort Cherry School District the opportunity to play organized football, teaching them the basic fundamentals and techniques through teamwork.  Our goal is to instill in our players a love and appreciation of the game so they may gain the valuable life lessons football teaches.  We are a feeder system to help bring long-term success to the Fort Cherry Junior/Senior High School programs. 

The name Fort Cherry owes its significance to Thomas Cherry who came from the state of Maryland in 1774 and settled not far from the community of Hickory. He built a fort of three log buildings arranged in the form of a triangle. Because of its strength, the fort became known as Cherry's Fort and was used as a place for settlers over a large area.

The Fort Cherry Little Rangers Football Team was organized in 1962 and became members of the Old Allegheny Football League in 1963. At that time, the team was formed by players from the school districts of Fort Cherry, South Fayette, and West Allegheny. Since that time, with increased popularity of youth football, those districts have their own teams.

 

In 1967, FCLR became a chartered organization.  The charter members included former FCLR and president Ray Miller, Chuck Lacey, Fred Shingledecker, Joe Almady, Ridley Steward, and Ed Lheureau.  

The Little Rangers hail from the Fort Cherry School District. The district is classified usually as an A school, a consolidation of students from the nearby communities of McDonald, Midway, Hickory, and Robinson Township of Washington County. All games are played at the high school stadium. 

The Fort Cherry Little Rangers have a ripe history, as three NFL coaches made their meager start in McDonald, two of them with the team. Marty Schottenheimer, Kurt Schottenheimer, and Marvin Lewis, all McDonald natives, hail from Fort Cherry. Marvin and Kurt, two great athletes, played football with the Little Rangers.

The Little Rangers, not unlike other youth football programs, are proud of the many players who achieved further successful football goals. Former Little Rangers player Mike Vernillo once held the WPIAL rushing record, while Little Ranger star, Brad Tokar, is a member of the WPIAL 4,000 Yard Rushing Club and was on the ballet for possible induction into the 2019 class for the College Football Hall of Fame.  

The Fort Cherry Rangers are a currently a proud member of the Washington Green County Youth Football League.

 

The FCLR appreciates and recognizes founding member and former president Ray Miller for his service in building the FCLR into a reputable youth organization.   Ray's loyalty and hard work helped transform the lives of so many young men and women who went through our organization.  Ray recently stepped down after dedicating nearly 60 years of his life to running the Fort Cherry Little Rangers.