One of the greatest teams in Russellville football history—some folks say the greatest—will be honored Friday night when the 2016 Panthers open a season in which they are openly talking about contending for a state championship.
A highlight of the first Linton-Wren Kickoff Classic will be commemorating the Golden Anniversary of the 1966 Panthers, who won their first 11 games before falling 6-2 to Dayton at the University of Kentucky football field, just inches away from winning the program’s first state championship.
Many of the players from that team had also been part of the Panthers’ first trip to the state finals two years earlier in 1964. It would be 14 years before an RHS team made to the state championship game. Under Coach Ken Barrett, Russellville reached that plateau four times in the 11 seasons between 1980 and 1990, winning the state title three times.
John Myers coached the 2015 Panthers to the state semifinals last year, but a quarter of a century, exactly half of the years since the 1966 team dominated 11 opponents, have passed since the last trip to the last Class A game of the season in Kentucky.
When I wrote and published Football City in 1975, I included pictures of five players from the 1966 team. Three of them—captains Garry Todd and Tommy Bonasso along with star fullback/defensive back Ricky Stack—are no longer living. Only tri-captain Fred Atkinson—the quarterback—and tackle Henry Noe, who went on to be a Division I star lineman at the University of New Mexico, remain among those pictured and are expected to be present at Rhea Stadium Friday.
Also only one member of the coaching staff—Assistant Coach Elmer Murray—is still alive. Deceased are head coach Clarence ‘Stumpy’ Baker and assistants Buddy Linton and Al Williams, who was the program’s first African American football coach. Former Panther John Miller was a key member of Baker’s support staff.
The memories of Coach Linton and Coach Howard Wren will be honored before the game. Both of them, who were outstanding players for the Panthers in addition to being long-time coaches on great teams, have died in recent years.
Adding to some memories, event organizer Greg Owens also notes the deceased include players Fran Marren, Johnny Neill, Mitchell Campbell, Larry Duffey, Tommy Silvey, James ‘Slick’ Kees, Mike Williamson, Larry Clark, Dennis Nuyt, Charles ‘Star’ Duncan and Joe Morris Strange.
The team only returned one starter from that 1964 team, Garry Todd, who had a 123-yard rushing game as an eighth grade starter in 1962 and finished with 323 points in his career. He was later voted Player of the Decade for Russellville Football. Several others had been dependable reserves on that 1964 squad coached by Waymond Morris, Wren and Baker
Three players who joined the RHS team from other schools certainly helped. Noe lived in the Olmstead School District. Stack and star guard Donnie Baggett moved to town with their dads’ TVA jobs from out-of-state, and they contributed mightily. Baggett had played on the state AAA championship team at Scottsboro, Ala., the year before.
The only close regular season game until late in the season involved a 14-12 win over Franklin-Simpson.
Highlights of the blowouts included Atkinson rushing for three touchdowns and passing for another against Crittenden County; a 33-0 win over Glasgow that saw reserve quarterback Jim Welker throw a 52-yard touchdown pass to starting running back Larry Bell and Bonasso scoring on a fumble recovery; and a 48-7 win over Trigg County in the Tobacco Bowl with Atkinson scoring two touchdowns.
A 28-6 win over Daviess County was memorable because Morris, who later became mayor of Owensboro, had left RHS to coach Daviess and had taken Wren with him. On that Daviess County team was Mike Humble, who had started as a sophomore on the ’64 finalist team along with his older brother Jerry before the Humbles moved to Daviess County.
The district championship game was a thriller with Baker’s team winning 13-12 over Murray. Stack passed to Todd for the winning point on a fake conversion at a time all conversions were worth one point. Atkinson had 73 yards on 16 carries and completed three of six passes for 90 yards and a TD pass to Todd.
Stack carried the opening kickoff 85 yards for a score in a 21-7 win over Bowling Green. It completed only the second undefeated regular season in Panther history. The other had been 16 years earlier in 1950.
Russellville scored 13 points in the final quarter in a 19-6 playoff win over Campbellsville. Stack kiked what is believed to have been the first field goal in Panther history, and he sealed the victory with a 28-yard interception return for a score.
Frankfort came to town in the semifinals as the state favorite. Among those in attendance was Gov. Edward Breathitt, who had come to see his son play for Frankfort. Former Lt. Gov. Doc Beauchamp of Russellville was his host. The Panthers won 34-6 with the team piling up 375 yards rushing with Todd and Atkinson each scoring twice. Sophomore Toby Nichols kicked three extra points to give Stack some rest.
The championship game at UK found the Panthers out-gaining Dayton 208 to 146 in total yards, but none of them resulted in a touchdown for either team.
The Panthers scored first when Noe and Baggett combined to block a Greendevil punt for a safety. The Panthers led 2-0 with 4:14 remaining in the half.
Trouble was brewing, though, because two of the Panthers’ top blockers, junior guard Chris Watson and fullback Stack, were lost with injuries. Stack, in fact, had broken his arm.
Alan Neal, one of the top RHS athletes, was a very good punter. But a Dayton player came through holes which had become more porous without Watson and Stack to get in his way. He blocked Neal’s punt, and it resulted in a touchdown instead of a safety. Only 1:52 remained in the state finals.
Dayton’s kickoff sailed into the east end zone. With his back to the wall, Atkinson dropped back and hit Todd with a pass at the RHS 44. The 5-7 Todd went up over two defenders to make the catch. He then raced to the Dayton 8-yard line.
Atkinson decided to keep the ball himself on the first two plays. Time was running out and Russellville had used its last timeout. Atkinson threw to Todd again on third down, but the Greendevils’ double coverage was too much in the short distance, making the pass incomplete.
Finally on fourth down Todd got the ball and carried the ball to within a foot of the goal line. The official ruled he was short of paydirt, and the Panthers’ chance of scoring was gone. Baker was convinced Todd had crossed the goal line, but his pleas were to no avail.
Baggett, Noe, Stack and Todd were all named to at least one all-state team, and Atkinson was honorable mention all-state. Todd was first team all-state and led the SKY League in scoring for a second time.
Also drawing honors were Gary Nuyt, Dick Switzer and Gregg Arnold along with Bonasso and Marren. John ‘Cassidy’ Pulley and Mike Gilliam were key contributors.
Others on the roster were Mike Threlkeld, Jim Drake, Steve Tattitch, Billy Warden, Tommy Threlkeld, John Mallory, Charlie Page, Eddie Mallory, Ronnie Bell, John Richard, Paul Ditzer, Mike Burchett, Randy Arnold and eighth grader Randy Cowan.
Baker was named state Class A and WKC Coach of the Year. He later coached at his alma mater, Western Kentucky University, along with Morehead State University, Springfield High School and Logan County High School.
Friday’s game, which begins at 7 p.m., will be carried by delay Saturday afternoon on WRUS. The Butler County at Logan County game will be aired live at 7 on WRUS and www.network1sports.com/station/wrus.