John Shearer: Remembering With Mike Shuford And Bobby Worthington Baylor’s 1st State Football Title 50 Years Ago

Bob “Bobby” Worthington had grown up around the Baylor School campus as the son of former head football coach Jim Worthington and had heard of the Red Raider greats of the past.

Mike Shuford, meanwhile, arrived at Baylor in the 10^th grade in 1971 as the much younger brother of former Central High football players George and Jerry Shuford, who had both played under E.B. “Red” Etter when the Purple Pounders had one of the best programs in Tennessee.

In the fall of 1973, they would both add to the Baylor football history and to the legacy of coach Etter, who was by then at Baylor, by helping the Red Raiders win their first state championship and the last one until the 2022 team accomplished the feat on the Division II level.

It is a rich memory for both players, not only because of the accomplishments of the team in 1973 on the field but also the whole atmosphere of the program. And it had also come after suffering a one-sided and very disappointing 39-6 loss to then-powerful Tennessee High of Bristol the year before in the state finals.

“I don’t believe the 1973 team on paper had as much firepower as the 1972 team, we had lost so much,” said Mr. Worthington. “But the 1973 team was more of a team. It was an unusually unselfish team. There wasn’t the rift between the offense and defense and who is carrying the ball. There was no dissension on who scored and who got the headlines.”

Added Mr. Shuford, “That was a magical season. Those were great memories.”

As we take a golden anniversary look back at the 1973 Baylor season that culminated with the championship game victory in Memphis on that Dec. 7, and we later include some additional memories from Mr. Shuford and Mr. Worthington, it comes after McCallie was in the spotlight.

The Big Blue on Nov. 30 beat archrival Baylor in the Division II-AAA championship game at Finley Stadium. And then head coach Ralph Potter stepped aside less than a week later after his fifth state championship to lighten his workload and devote more time to his family, although he plans to stay on as defensive coordinator.

When the 1973 season took place, coach Potter was then an elementary school youngster who was already following the local high school football exploits because his father, the also-successful Pete Potter, was in his first year at McCallie after a good stint at Brainerd.

And while Baylor had the better team in 1973 with a 33-15 win in the fifth game over McCallie, it was obvious the elder coach Potter had the Blue Tornado program going well, too, helping the team put forth a better performance than the 36-0 loss under another coach the year before.

The larger Baylor community sensed the Big Red might have a good season or at least plenty of excitement in 1973, when an overflow line of parents waited outside the Baylor bookstore during student registration to buy tickets to the Baylor-McCallie game that was to be played at Baylor’s Heywood Stadium.

But the interest became so great that coach Etter, headmaster Herb Barks Jr. and perhaps others decided with McCallie to move the game to UTC’s larger Chamberlain Field, where it would remain for a decade and would usually be played on Saturday.

The excitement around Baylor football in 1973 was perhaps due in part to the fact the program was in a rebirth. While Baylor had some great teams of yesteryear that were best exemplified by coach “Humpy” Heywood’s squads of the 1940s and ‘50s, teams that usually featured future major college players, the situation had changed somewhat by the 1960s, when Bobby Worthington’s father, Jim, who is now 98, was the coach.

Tighter restrictions by the administration on everything from post-graduates playing to athletes being recruited, to even a military school environment not being as big a draw as a decade or two earlier hampered the program, even though Baylor was still very competitive.

But when coach E.B. “Red” Etter arrived in the fall of 1970, some administration changes took place that encouraged a successful football program in a positive way. And with the help of some good athletes coming along in the underclass grades and a school cheerleader in new headmaster Herb Barks, who arrived in 1971, the program under the cerebral and successful coach Etter really took off.

After a 9-1 season in 1971 and the team reaching the state championship game in 1972, football had suddenly become the school’s biggest – or at least most visible -- success story.

And it quickly continued in 1973, even though some key players had been lost from the 1972 squad. Plenty remained, though, and with such star offensive players as running back Andy Rutledge (who for much of the season averaged well over 11 yards a carry), fellow back Clay Gibson, wingback Mike Shuford, and quarterback Bobby Worthington, the Big Red succeeded.

After dominating early-season wins against Kirkman and Memphis Central, Baylor avenged a loss to City High from the year before with a 33-14 win in the third game. Mr. Shuford said he had grown up in North Chattanooga and knew many of the City High students before enrolling at Baylor as a sophomore. He remembers well the gratifying win over the successful coach Bobby Davis’ team.

In fact, when the seniors before the season were selecting the game for which they wanted to be captain, he was about the only one who badly wanted to be captain for that game, he said.

After an easy win over Howard and then the victory over McCallie, Baylor continued the dominance with easy wins over Riverside, Brainerd, Louisville Male and Clarksville Northwest.

The injury sheet was not quite as digestible for Baylor fans, though, as such players as Andy Rutledge, Clay Gibson and Bobby Worthington were banged up at various times, with Mr. Rutledge basically not being able to play much after the Clarksville Northwest game. He did play slightly in the championship game but was slowed.

With the injuries, the Red Raiders were able to limp through a 17-0 win at home against Red Bank to close the season undefeated. Red Bank also had a young and new coach named Tom Weathers, who would go on to be one of the local coaching legends.

It was then off to the Class AAA playoffs for Baylor at a time when the public and private schools still played together, and AAA was the highest classification.

The first opponent was Warren County High from McMinnville under coach Pedro Paz in a game that was played at Central High off Highway 58, continuing the Red Raiders’ streak that year and the year before of not getting to play a single playoff game at their home stadium. Despite the magic of all-state quarterback Glen Powers, who had led the Pioneers to a 10-0 record, Baylor did well with a gimpy-legged quarterback in Mr. Worthington and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away for a 34-14 win.

On Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving, Mr. Worthington, who had sophomore backfield mate Jeff Aiken substituting for the still-injured Andy Rutledge, was able to complete passes to Clay Gibson, David Shrader, Mr. Shuford and Tim Tucker and had a 44-yard running score in the win.

As longtime Chattanooga News-Free Press sports writer Sam Woolwine wrote following the game, “Worthington, a magnificent magician, whose slight-of-hand methods deceived Warren County and most of the 7,500 grid enthusiasts numerous times, put the ball in the air only seven times, but six times Baylor receivers were the successful target. And twice the strikes went the route.”

Defensive back Hal Isbell also had an interception.

As a post note to that game, Warren County quarterback Powers would go on to make Tennessee’s roster at least for a period as a tailback. He then went back and ran a market in his home community before his unfortunate death from an extended illness in 2009 at the age of 54.

The next week brought a trip to Oak Ridge High’s historic Blankenship Field for the semifinal round. Oak Ridge was coached by Emory Hale and the week before had beaten Knoxville Central, 21-7, at UT’s Neyland Stadium for its first playoff victory ever. Its players included future Carson-Newman quarterback Danny Sanders, who was also a national Frisbee champion, and future Kentucky and NFL defensive lineman Bob Winkel.

With Mr. Rutledge hurt, however, coach Etter came up with a game plan to let talented and athletic safety and punt returner Scott Price fill in as a running back while Mr. Price also still played defense. The strategy seemed to work on the cold night, as Baylor went out to a three-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter before the Wildcats scored to make the final score, 28-14, in favor of Baylor.

As News-Free Press sports writer Larry Green wrote the day after the Nov. 30 game, “In the end, Price was the difference,” writing that he scored the first touchdown on a run, had another TD from 42 yards on defense from an interception, and had another interception while totaling 55 yards rushing.

Clay Gibson, who had a minor shoulder injury the week before, had 47 yards on nine careers, while Mr. Shuford had 56 yards on six carries. Rob Davis also stood out on defense with an interception, perhaps giving a hint of the game he would have the following week.

Oak Ridge was led by Kenny Spratling’s 131 yards.

Although No. 1-ranked Baylor assumed it would play undefeated and No. 2 Nashville Overton for the state championship, the Red Raider community was surprised to learn in the next day’s paper that unranked Memphis Hillcrest had come back to upset Overton, 13-10. As a result, Hillcrest would be the opponent.

The TSSAA was to announce over the weekend where the game would be held in those days before pre-selected sites, and Baylor soon learned it would be traveling to faraway Memphis. Not only that, but the game would be played In the Liberty Bowl stadium.

This would also mark the second state final in a row in which Baylor would play a team named the Vikings. While the dominant Tennessee High Vikings wore maroon uniforms and even the Vikings’ NFL-like insignia on their helmets, the Memphis Vikings wore green uniforms without any pro-style adornments.

Started in 1964 in the Whitehaven area as a suburban school only a mile or so from Elvis Presley’s Graceland home, Hillcrest has since grown since 1973 into more of an urban-style public school with a smaller enrollment. It is partly known for its tall Viking statue named Erik that apparently began adorning the front of the school a year or so before the matchup with Baylor and is still there.

But in contrast to the Vikings of the year before, Baylor hoped these Vikings would not be so proverbially tall on the field. Or at least they hoped it would be a task that Baylor could handle.

After the players were flown to Memphis that Dec. 7, they were given quite a cold reception – at least by the weather, which Mr. Shuford and Mr. Worthington claim was well under freezing at gametime. It was definitely the coldest game in which they had ever been involved, they said.

On the field, however, Baylor was determined to warm the hearts of its fans. While the 1972 championship game in Bristol’s stadium was a runaway, this championship game would be much closer. And it would have a different outcome for Baylor, although attaining that goal was not easy for the Red Raiders.

Despite being known for their offense throughout the season, some injuries and other factors would result in the Red Raiders having to depend on their defense. And it would come against the triple option or wishbone offense, which Baylor had never faced before, and which had become popular among several colleges. And like a pitcher being faced for the first time, it was also hard to initially succeed against.

In fact, it would be an important factor in Baylor switching to the wishbone offense the next year.

Hillcrest was coached by Ken Netherland, who was then only in his early 30s. He would go on to be a Memphis area coaching legend, later leading Germantown High to a state title in 1983 and St. George’s to a Division II title in 2007. He later coached at Lausanne before retiring after the 2013 season with a state record 368 wins. He died in 2014 at the age of 74.

Hillcrest offensively in 1973 featured such players as quarterback Robin Daniel, running backs Danny Hiatt, Bill Bell and Frank Odell, and split end Rodney Tubbs.

But it was the defense that evidently gave Baylor trouble that day in front of 11,000 fans in this stadium that had hosted several memorable Tennessee wins at that time, including against UCLA in 1965 and in the Liberty Bowl games over Arkansas in 1971 and Maryland in 1974.

The Baylor-Hillcrest championship game was scoreless in the first quarter, despite Baylor forcing the Hillcrest punter to run on fourth down and be tackled deep in Viking territory. But then tall defensive end Cal Jumper recovered a bobbled pitchout early in the second quarter, and Baylor went up on a short pass from Bobby Worthington to Tim Tucker. With the extra point kick being blocked, the score was 6-0.

It would remain that way throughout the game, despite the temperatures dropping and the drama and tenseness rising. With Andy Rutledge playing slightly but still not nearly at full speed, Baylor had turned more to wingback Mike Shuford, who ended up leading the team in rushing.

Offensive lineman John Wooley had also suffered concussion symptoms in the first half and was taken out.

Also in the first half, Hillcrest also had two drives deep into Baylor territory, with standout Baylor defender Rob Davis intercepting a pass near the end of the half in the second Viking threat.

In the second half, the contest became one of field position, with Hillcrest actually having more total yards for the game.

However, midway in the fourth quarter came one of the most dramatic sequences of plays in the history of Baylor football. But it started with a mishandled punt by the usually sure-handed and star defensive back and punt returner Scott Price, who had reportedly been told by Coach Etter to not let any punts fall to the ground after a bouncing one in the first half gave Hillcrest a defensive advantage.

After this miffed punt return, Hillcrest had the ball on Baylor’s side of midfield, and quarterback Daniel threw to receiver Tubbs down to about the Baylor 10- or 11-yard line. Suddenly tenseness filled the air, and Baylor wondered if it would have another state championship loss, with this one likely going to hurt much more than the previous one.

The Baylor defense, however, had other plans and suddenly became a human wall, or more like an offense in moving the ball in the other direction. Linebacker Andy Stockett was able to sack Hillcrest quarterback Daniel behind the line for a loss, and two plays later fellow linebacker Rob Davis made a similar stop on him behind the line.

That brought a 4^th down from the 16 for Hillcrest. The Baylor fans in the stands – including busloads of students and staff who had driven over there that day -- were shouting for one more good play. And they got it, this time with a little help from an errant pass from quarterback Daniel.

Baylor was then able to win the game after going back on offense, with the banged-up Clay Gibson helping in the final possession. The 6-0 victory gave the Red Raiders its first state championship.

Bedlam filled the Baylor locker room afterward.

“I’ve been coaching a long time, and my teams have won a lot of state championships on paper,” said an emotional coach Etter in the Baylor locker room afterward. “But you boys are the first I’ve coached to win the state championship on the field – and that’s a lot harder.”

Headmaster Herb Barks, who understood the deep Baylor football history that had been off and on regarding top success, was also excited. He told News-Free Press sports reporter Terry Hardwick after the game, “I’ve never been prouder of a group of boys. If character is what it takes to win, you’ll win every time. Now that we’ve got this trophy, we want to keep it for the next 50 years.”

The defense had helped win it, and other defensive standouts in addition to Mr. Stockett, Mr. Davis, Mr. Price, and Mr. Jumper were Rusty McMahon, Bogan Brooks, Frank Latimore, Hal Isbell, and Van Bunch.

Baylor would go on to be named the national champions by the National Sports News Service. On top of the school’s hill during a break in the school day after the first of the year, a ceremony was held for it as well. Coach Etter, known for his sly sense of humor and for being quite aware of the subjectivity of champions crowned by polls, joked to the students and staff with a comment like, “Deserve it or not, we will gladly accept it.”

And that and a football banquet in which Tennessee coach Bill Battle was the featured speaker would culminate a memorable season and two-year run for Baylor.

* * *

When former quarterback Bobby Worthington looks back on the 1973 season, it is not just the team or even personal accomplishments that still bring a warm memory for him. It is also how the entire school reacted to the football team’s success and felt a part of it.

“That year, we really felt the support of the entire school body,” he said. “I think Herb Barks was largely responsible for that because he was such a spirit-driven cheerleader type. We really felt we were playing for something else.

“Around campus, people who were underclassmen and non-football players were quick to come up and congratulate us on Monday. The sense of camaraderie that was behind us and with us and for us was memorable. I remember thinking it was a school thing rather than a team thing.”

He also recalls how the 1973 team at the beginning of the season was not sure if it could be as good as the state finalist team from the year before, but that they were motivated in part by the humiliating loss to Tennessee High and quarterback and future Baylor coach David Bibee the year before.

Mr. Worthington – who has gone on to enjoy a career developing apartments and hotels in Atlanta – also mentioned that while the team had its standout offensive backfield back, it had to fill a lot of holes or play younger players or those who had not stood out before. He remembers players like offensive linemen John Wooley, Allen Corey and Randy Wilson stepping up along with Andy Stockett, junior Frank Latimer, and sophomores Mike Wallace, Pat Corey and others. Hal Isbell was also a diminutive defensive back.

As a result, that challenging experience helped the team, particularly the seniors, enjoy a bond that continues to this day.

“It was much more a band of brothers going out and wanting to succeed rather than glorying on our own successes,” he said.

In the state championship game, he remembers how cold it was, with the wind chill making it feel even colder. He had put on lots of warm layers but had to take some off when he went out on the field so that he could grip the ball, he said. The field was also made slow by the cold conditions, he added.

Regarding the game, Mr. Worthington remembers being slowed by a knee injury he had suffered in the Clarksville Northwest game late in the regular season. He said all that along with the wintry conditions slowed the Baylor offense down.

Also, Hillcrest was trying hard to tighten their defense to stop the running game, and, while he thinks Baylor might have had some success in the passing game, coach Etter did not want to throw the ball a lot that game, he added.

“We just were just a little handicapped, and the conditions made it hard,” he said.

He did add that Hillcrest appeared to have scouted Baylor well that game, and especially realized that when he came in as not the normal holder to try a fake field goal attempt that failed.

Despite all that and the close score and good statistics by Hillcrest, he still thought Baylor was the better team.

“We had two TDs called back with penalties, so what appeared to be a nail biter was not,” he said. “We got the lead and sat on it. If we don’t help them score (which they almost did late in the fourth quarter), they probably don’t.”

* * *

For Mike Shuford, his warm memories of the championship game against Memphis Hillcrest are partly also of the cold weather.

“It was 17 degrees,” he said. “That is the coldest game I’ve ever played in. When you got hit, it hurt.”

He was able to step up and be the leading rusher in the final game for Baylor with Andy Rutledge and some of the others slowed, but he said he had actually been used more as a receiver or receiving back the year before. But particularly in the Hillcrest game, the Baylor emphasis was more on running and ball control, and the versatile runner from an athletic family was still able to contribute.

“There was not a whole lot of passing,” he recalled. “That was a tough game. The defense stepped up.”

Mr. Shuford went on to UTC to play for one year during coach Joe Morrison’s second year before an injury curtailed his career. While with the Mocs, he jokingly recalled coach Morrison coming up and talking in Mr. Shuford’s face after he came to the sidelines, and cigarette smoke from the chain-smoking coach filled his lungs. Nowadays, having coaches smoke on the sidelines or anywhere is taboo.

Mr. Shuford added that he enjoyed playing for coach Etter and remembers going as a small child to see his older brothers play for Central when the Purple Pounders had to travel several hours for a game against someone that was willing to play the powerhouse.

He was also surprised to realize that until last year’s championship under coach Erik Kimrey, Baylor had not fielded a state championship team since 1973.

Many Chattanoogans today know Mr. Shuford for his work as the longtime executive director of the Chattanooga Convention Center. He said that job came about when he was working for Cherokee Warehouses selling equipment after college and heard about the plans for the new facility here that was to open in the mid-1980s.

“I was looking for a career,” he said. “They had hired a director (Mack Stone) and I came down and talked to him and said it would be an interesting career. He said they would be filling the position nine months later.”

Mr. Shuford kept in touch and was able to get on as the building opened and eventually moved up to executive director and has enjoyed the work. “There is something different every day,” he said. “You do the negotiations on the front and everybody’s job is to present a successful event.”

Among the celebrities who have passed through there and he has met have been political leaders George Bush Sr., Dan Quayle, and Ronald Reagan and successful investor Warren Buffet, who only had one person with him, Mr. Shuford recalled.

But a highlight of Mr. Shuford’s life has also been interacting with simply his old Baylor teammates, including the seniors who have remained close.

“When we have class reunions, it is something we look forward to,” he said. “It’s the same group of guys who show up, and we are still pretty tight.”

* * *

A check of the 1974 Baylor yearbook lists the following seniors as members of the 1973 state and national championship team: Daniel Anderson, Bogan Brooks, John Carroll, Harry Cash, Larry Cash, Allen Corey, Randy Davis, Rob Davis, John Duckett, Clay Gibson, Hal Isbell, John Jacobs, Cal Jumper, Mike McCartney, Rusty McMahon, Tim Pendergrass, Scott Price, Jack Pruitt, Andy Rutledge, David Shrader, Mike Shuford, Andy Stockett, Tim Tucker, Jerry Wade, Randy Wilson, John Wooley, and Bobby Worthington.

Among the juniors who helped contribute to the team were, among possibly others, Chuck Boaz, Chris Bryant, Van Bunch, John Boyles, Scott Ferguson, David Hannah, Garry Henry, Jimmy Hudson, Frank Latimer, John Lyman, Will Oehmig, David Rutherford, and John Simmons. Sam Stewart, a boarding student linebacker from outside Atlanta, was ineligible in 1973 but would be a stalwart on the 1974 team wearing No. 00.

Sophomores who played some with the varsity before the benches were emptied included Jeff Aiken, Pat Corey, Jody Locklear, and Mike Wallace, among likely others.

Among those who at least played college football for some time or signed with a school included Scott Price and David Hannah at Alabama; Andy Rutledge, Cal Jumper and Van Bunch at Vanderbilt; Bobby Worthington, Rob Davis and Mike Shuford at UTC; and David Shrader at Lousiana-Monroe, among possibly others. Although just a sophomore in 1973, Frank Hughes went on to play some at Kentucky, and fellow sophomore Blake Moore played in the NFL.

Just to highlight a few of the players today and knowing several with worthy accomplishments are being left out, twins Harry and Larry Cash (better known for their Baylor basketball achievements) are lawyers, as are Clay Gibson, Allen Corey and Randy Wilson. Mr. Corey has also been involved in several successful restaurant ventures. John Wooley has been a medical doctor, and Cal Jumper was a former military pilot, among many others in business and other realms.

The Baylor cheerleaders in 1973 were Madden James, Ann Wilson (also selected homecoming queen in the Louisville Male game), Mary Graves, Zane Probasco, Abby Dyer, Kim Lupton, Tom Hackney, Jay Wommack, Hal Hisey, Bill Ireland, Mark Chesnutt, and Barry Milligan.

Student football managers were Jack Latimer, Bud Johnson, and Dudley Owens.

The coaching staff in the team picture included head coach E.B. “Red” Etter and assistants Gene Etter, Fred Hubbs, David Longley, and Sib Evans Jr. Maj. Luke Worsham was also an assistant about that time, although he was not in the team picture.

* * *

On a personal note, as an eighth grader in the fall of 1973 who was an aspiring football player, I think I went to about every game Baylor played that year, including the ones in Clarksville and Memphis on long bus rides. I also remember spending the afternoon before the Hillcrest game on the campus of what is now Rhodes College.

I have also never forgotten many of the players’ jersey numbers. I still recall Andy Rutledge wore No. 42, Bobby Worthington was No. 14, Mike Shuford was No. 16, Clay Gibson was No. 17, and Scott Price was No. 40, among others.

And I have never forgotten how the school felt a special pride for the first time ever of being connected to another number – No. 1.

Congratulations to the Baylor state champions of 1973 on their 50^th anniversary, just as kudos are in order for the other state football champions from the Chattanooga area in the years since, including McCallie this year.

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Jcshearer2@comcast.net