Submitted photo: Former Warren Harding Panthers head coach Ed Glass hoists the Class AAA state championship trophy after the Panthers defeated Upper Arlington, 41-8, in the 1974 Rubber Bowl in Akron.
WARREN — The early 1970s was a time of unprecedented success for high school football in Warren.
In 1971, the Warren Harding Panthers finished the season as Associated Press state champions, then in 1972, the Western Reserve Raiders defeated Cincinnati Princeton to win the first state championship of the Class AAA playoff era, then the Raiders returned to the state finals in 1973, but this time lost to Cardinal Mooney, finishing as runner-up.
Other area teams such as Warren JFK, Howland and Niles also had success: the Eagles were undefeated in 1971 and 9-1 in 1972, while the Tigers were 8-1 in 1972 and 9-1 in 1974, and Niles had winning seasons from 1972-1976.
“The atmosphere around Warren was great.” Former Harding Panthers player Jim Valentine said: “There were a lot of good football teams in this area. When we were growing up, almost every school in the area had a good football team, so this area was always exciting.”
Then in 1974, it was Warren Harding’s turn to win the first state championship of the playoff era, as the Panthers finished off an 11-1 season and defeated Upper Arlington, 41-8, to win the Class AAA state title.
“We started playing together in the eighth grade and ran together all the way through our senior year of high school.” “It was a tough game,” said Terry McCoy, a guard on the 1974 team. “We had a great time and were part of something special.”
The 2024 season marks the 50th anniversary of Harding’s magical run in 1974, and remaining players and coaches from that team will be honored before and during tonight’s game between Warren G. Harding and St. Vincent St. Mary at Mollenkopf Stadium.
“The 40th anniversary (in 2014) was great, but the 50th was very significant because so many people have passed away since we were here last.” “It’s a great moment,” said Tom Spolich, a former defensive tackle and organizer of today’s celebration.
“Not just the players, but the coaches too. So this may be the last time we’ll ever be together physically. A lot of our parents aren’t here anymore so we really don’t have that connection. And it’s tough because when we were here in Warren, it was one of the best times in Warren, Ohio. … We just want to relive those childhood memories and enjoy those moments when we were all No. 1 in the entire state of Ohio. That’s very important to us.”
The man orchestrating it all was former Harding head coach Ed Glass.
Glass served as the Panthers’ defensive coordinator under head coach Tom Batta from 1970 to 1972 before becoming head coach in 1973.
In his first season, the Panthers went 6-4, but three of those losses came by single digits: In addition to a 34-18 loss to Massillon, Harding lost 2-0 to Youngstown South, 15-6 to Howland and 14-6 to Warren Western Reserve.
The team felt like they were really on top of their game as a junior year, they just needed to put it all together.
“We had the experience and we were confident we could get this done.” “He was a great guy,” said Nick Kasudakis, a wingback and defensive back for Harding in 1974. “We had some tough losses in our 6-4 season. … After those losses, it was those teams that were with us for a year. We thought about that all the time.”
The Panthers came into 1974 with renewed vigor, fueled by the painful defeat.
During summer practices and workouts, a feeling began to grow within the program that if Harding fulfilled his potential, the team could accomplish something special that year.
“I had the expectation that I was going to hit some really good shots.” “It’s a great feeling,” said Valentine, the team’s fullback. “So we practiced and we worked hard. We had workouts in the summer and then summer camp started with two days of practice. There were high expectations because you grow from playing together for a long time. … We’ve grown together as a team, so we knew we had what you’d call the right qualities.”
Harding opened the 1974 season with a 46-0 victory over Cleveland John Adams, then got revenge by defeating Youngstown South and Howland by a combined 63-0 score.
“I always thought we were good friends.” McCoy said. “We just had to prove it and we proved it our senior year. We just went out there and did what we had to do.”
The Panthers then used their vaunted defense to handily defeat Steubenville (30-6), rival Warren Western Reserve (20-6), Alliance (40-8), Cincinnati Taft (55-0) and Massillon (35-10).
Harding’s defense recorded four shutout games that season and held opponents to single digits in scoring in eight games.
“We took pride in the little things, not scoring and things like that.” Kashdakis said.
The Panthers were on a roll at 8-0, but the team suffered its first and only setback of the season, losing 19-6 to Canton McKinley.
The defeat “The Call to Wake Up” For the team.
“We lost.” Valentine said. “That team was a good football team. After that loss, teams from out west outscored us, so we had to stay calm. We had Niles and they were 6-3. That team was a good football team.”
Heading into the final week of the season, Reserve was just ahead of Harding in the computer rankings that determine the four state playoff berths.
In Week 10, Harding beat Niles, 40-18, and Reserve defeated Lorain Southview, 36-8.
“After the game (against Canton McKinley), there were a lot of people sobbing because they felt like they had lost an opportunity.” Valentine said. “But when you look at the table we were only one or two points behind, so we thought we’d just win this game and let the rest take care of itself.”
Niles was ranked higher than South View, so the win allowed the Panthers to overtake the Raiders in the rankings and clinch a spot in the four-team state playoffs.
In the state semifinals, Harding faced perennial winner Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
On paper, the Fighting Crusaders may have had the better team, but the Panthers had the speed.
“We had so much speed, no one could match our speed on the outside.” Valentine said. “We were fast, we were a fast team, so we were able to compete against a lot of the bigger teams.”
Harding, led by Valentine, tailback John Henry Ziegler, quarterback Jim Richburg and receiver Jackie Hudson, rallied from a 10-6 deficit early in the fourth quarter to defeat Moeller 20-10 and advance to the championship game.
“We drove into the stadium and I remember being nervous.” Kashdakis said. “I got the first penalty of the game. I was on the kickoff team and it was offside. But in that game, we had to come back and win. But that game was probably one of the best games we’ve played. I felt like coach (Glass) really motivated us at halftime to get back on track and do what we do best.”
In the state title game, Harding’s speed was once again on full display as the Panthers dominated the Golden Bears, 41-8, in front of more than 19,000 fans at the Rubber Bowl in Akron.
With the Upper Arlington defense focused on Richburg and Ziegler, Valentine had a great game, running six times for 169 yards, including touchdown runs of 79 and 74 yards. Richburg and Ziegler also found the end zone for the Panthers.
Harding’s special teams play added to the scoring in the fourth quarter when McCoy blocked a punt that was picked off and returned by Kelton Dansler for the game’s final touchdown.
Some of our members can’t believe it’s been 50 years – they still remember it like it was yesterday.
“The friendship we built, I think that was the most important thing.” McCoy said. “I developed friendships with a lot of people and we’re still friends to this day.”
But above all else, through all the ups and downs, 1974 was a season no Panthers player will soon forget.
“We have a lot of talent and I think our coaching staff has been able to get the best out of us.” Kashdakis said. “I felt the coaches were very strong motivators. … I don’t think anyone worked harder than us. We did everything to push us to our limits. I think the coaches motivated us and made us feel like if we worked hard we could win.”
Have an interesting story to share? Contact Neel Madhavan at nmadhavan@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter): @NeelMadhavan.
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