MHS State Championship Football 1974 Team Honored by KHSAA

The 1974 Murray High School State Championship Football team members were honored Friday, December 6, at Kroger Field in Lexington as a 50th Anniversary tribute during halftime of the KHSAA Class A Championship game. The recognition came 50 years later to mark November 29, 1974, when they defeated Beechwood 14-0 at Hanger Field in Richmond.

It happened. It is in the books, and it occurred just like the day they defeated Beechwood. Fourteen former players and coaches made the journey. Coach Tommy Turner and Bo McDougal flew from their Florida homes. Others drove from Murray, Georgia, Knoxville, Ohio, and Virginia. Cliff Dibble, Eddie Rollins, Donnie Winchester, Craig Suiter, Lindsey Hudspeth, Coach Mark Brady, and Tony Thurman travelled from Murray. Doug Shelton (Dayton, Ohio), Dale McCuiston, (Temple, Ga.), Andy Ryan, (Lexington,) Brett (Steve) Porter (Sulfolk, Va.), and Phil Zacharetti, (Knoxville, Tenn.) make the trek from their respective homes.

Ann Greenfield, Murray Independent School District Athletic Director, organized the effort with KHSAA. She traveled to Lexington and watched as these men did a walk 50 years later, remembering when they beat Beechwood under the coaching direction of the late John Hina. “The team members traveled long distances to unite as a family and a band of brothers. Driving and flying the distance to Lexington was on their minds to share that moment once again to mark 50 years.”

Distance did not matter, just like the travel to the Championship game in 1974. They were going back to that day.

Coach Tommy Turner left Gainesville to catch his flight in Orlando. However, he missed boarding time after being delayed in construction for over an hour. He rescheduled a flight that left at 4 p.m., with stops in Atlanta and a change in Chicago. Turner made it to Lexington at the same time as his original flight, only because he had a longer layover in Chicago on his first flight.

Bo McDougal said he was going to do whatever it took to make the celebration from Jacksonville, Fla. “I was not passing up the opportunity to be on a football field with my teammates one more time. It’s hard to believe it has been 50 years. Many of us have not seen each other since our playing days ended. It was a pleasure to reminisce with this great group of guys. I would not have missed it. It’s great to be a Murray Tiger.

Coach Mark Brady said it is an honor to be part of the 1974 Football Tiger family. Brady made the trip to Lexington from Murray with Eddie Rollins and Donnie Winchester. “It was August 1974 when the Murray High School Football team and coaches started practice for the upcoming season,” he said. “On November 29, 1974, Murray High School won the Kentucky High School Football State Championship defeating Beechwood 14-0 with the late John Hina as the head coach. The players and coaches were a close family. Fifty years later, in 2024, that family of players and coaches are just as close as they were in 1974.”

The walk at Kroger Field began when the three captains, Craig Suiter, (Jumbo), Doug Shelton, and Steve Porter led their teammates and former coaches onto Kroger Field at halftime, which they describe as a five-minute glory recognition that brought much more than a glory recognition.

Suiter said the walk they shared was heartfelt and reminiscent of the days they were photographed together in a special order. “Doug Shelton said here we go, we are heading to the 50-yard line, and like always, Craig is on my right, and Steve on the left. It was a moment only we could all share.”

Suiter said they felt the absence of many other players who could not attend, including those who are deceased. “We all are one big family. We were teammates and would run through fire for our coaches, and each other.”

Porter, who drove nine and a half hours from Virginia, said they were freaks of nature, and their coaches guided them. “But other than that, they stayed out of our way. We were strong, fast, and mean. The results speak for themselves. We are a Band of Brothers then and a band of brothers now.”

“Great team, greater teammates. Band of Brothers,” said Doug Shelton.

Phil Zacharetti said many things in lives change over a 50-year span, some bad and some good. “One thing that did not change was the brotherhood of several young men who accomplished a rare feat in high school sports. Winning the state football championship was that feat. Whether a senior starter, junior backup, or a sophomore sideline watcher, it took all the team to win the trophy.”

Eddie Rollins was a sophomore when they claimed the championship. “It was a great honor on my part to have been able to contribute to a great bunch of upper-class men. And to have played for Coach Hina, one of the greatest men ever.”

Fee Dibble, who now has grandchildren in the Murray schools, hopes his grandchildren grow and experience the uniqueness of the Murray schools and community. “Growing up in Murray and the all the friends from first grade through my senior year, is something I wouldn’t change for anything,” he said. “Being part of the high school football team is a treasured memory, and winning the state championship was an impressive bonus. I’m always proud to tell anyone that asks about Murray High School football, and that it was our team who won the last state championship. We’ve lost a lot of friends, and we still have a lot of friends and great memories, and of course being state champs for Murray, there aren’t even words for, it is so awesome.”

Lindsey Hudspeth, “It was a great day to be a part of a historic moment to celebrate with my Tiger brothers.”

Tommy Turner sends special thanks to Mark Brady and the Murray High Football 1974 Championship team for asking him to be a part of the 50-year recognition. “It was great meeting with all those guys after all that time, this is something I will always remember.”

Andy Ryan said it was great to spend time with my teammates who could capture magic in a bottle and keep it there a complete season. “Wonderful to visit with Coach Mark Brady, and Tommy Turner, while remembering the late coach John Hina, and remembering Jimmy Harrell, Bobby Toon, and Coach Miller. Their guidance and leadership made us each better men, for that, I am forever grateful.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it,” said Dale McCuiston.

Zacharetti said though many were unable to attend, those who did attend, made it feel like 1974 again. “Talking about specific plays from that game, our families, careers, and current situations, it was a memory we will all remember, just like the championship,” he said. “We cannot thank Ann Greenfield and others enough for organizing and making us feel special again. Those few hours will be cherished and MHS was a huge part of developing our young lives, and this event may be the last hurrah of that era.”

50 years later, it never was about the distance.