Enthroned Upon the Hilltop
8/29/2012 11:30:00 AM | Football
A banner hangs awkwardly in the rafters of the 61-year old Memorial Athletic
and Convocation Center in the middle part of KSU's campus. Like many others it boasts
to all who enter what championships were won and when they were won. The banner –
simply titled "Football" has remained unmolested since "1972" was inscribed upon it
four decades ago.
CASTING CALL
Early 1972 saw the first-ever television release of MGM's 1951 Show Boat as
well as the theatrical release of The Godfather. It seemed fitting that just a year earlier,
KSU Athletic Director Mike Lude conducted his own casting call – to fill the roll of head
football coach. And so the school which had never sniffed a conference championship
went to work to find the man it felt could bring an end to a dubious Mid-American
Conference run which had seen a finish no better than third over the last 12 seasons.
Enticed away from the foothills of Boulder's breathtaking Rocky Mountains, Don
James was the choice to serve as the Golden Flashes' leading man in 1971 and, hopefully
beyond. His defenses at Colorado were mean, tough and physical. Kent State had
allowed an average of 25 points in its seven losses in 1970 – including 44 and 34 in backto-
back weeks against Bowling Green and Toledo.
Still – James was brought in as a football coach, not a miracle worker. And as the
1971 campaign – James' first - drew to a whimpering close, a humiliating 41-6 loss to the
champion Toledo Rockets closed KSU's mark at 3-8. That season's Golden Flashes went
winless in five conference games – the closest setback coming by 13 points at the hands
of BG – a cool October afternoon at the then-named Memorial Stadium the rookie head
coach won't soon forget.
"I remember walking out of the stadium after one of the onslaughts and overheard
one of the fans saying 'I'm sure glad we hired a defensive genius as a head coach',"
James recalled.
The dramatic turnaround James and the Flashes faithful had sought would have to
wait for the sequel.
TRAINING CAMP CASUALTY
James had transfer Bob Bender penciled in as the opening day starting middle
linebacker for the 1972 season.
"He was a good player," James remembered. "We were counting on him to be
our middle linebacker and he quit during fall camp. We were down. I was down."
Then, during one of the regular coaching meetings, assistant coach Dennis
Fitzgerald – along with James and the staff – came to a conclusion: you play your best
player at middle linebacker.
"It was Jack Lambert," James said. "So by losing Bob Bender we brought Jack
Lambert to a position where opponents couldn't run away from him. That really helped
us."
A GOLDEN OFF-SEASON
The world turned its eyes to Munich, West Germany in the summer of 1972 for
the Games of the XX Olympiad. And KSU football coaches had additional incentive to
follow the events in Europe, as Gerald Tinker –a superb athlete whom James had
encountered at Miami's Coral Gables High and lured to KSU to play football – would be
representing the USA on the track.
Tinker and cousin Larry Black celebrated Black's silver in the 200-meter dash on
the town in Munich on the night of September 4. A few hours later, after the celebrations
had run their course, the two athletes headed back to their dormitories in the Olympic
Village.
They were not prepared for what awaited them.
"Military people caught us at the gate and told us there was an incident going on
in the village they were going to escort us to our rooms and stand guard 24/7 outside our
rooms until the incident was cleared," Tinker said. "We didn't find out until the
following morning exactly what was going on."
In total, 11 athletes and one police officer were killed in the attacks. But despite
the perspective-forcing moments, the Games went on. And when they resumed, one of
the newest Golden Flashes was prepared to shine.
Tinker, who, along with his Black made up half of the United States' 4x100-meter
relay team, missed the 1971 season due to transfer rules. He was to run the third leg of
the relay while Black would open the race. The family tandem – ironically fierce rivals in
high school – helped the US blow by the Soviet Union in record time to seize gold.
"Standing on that podium was one of the top moments in my life, but being there
with my cousin who I'd been running against all my life – nothing is better than that,"
Tinker said.
As the cousins celebrated Olympic gold, the Flashes were opening the 1972
season half a world away in the Rubber City.
A FAMILIAR START
After three quarters of play at the Rubber Bowl, KSU trailed the Akron Zips 10-0.
With an offense handcuffed by the early loss of quarterback Larry Hayes, the Flashes
sought their first points of the season on the fresh arm of junior Darryl Hall. After a slow
start, Hall guided Kent down the field twice in the waning moments of the fourth period
to tie the game at 13. But a missed extra point kept the neighbors deadlocked at the end
of regulation and the Flashes started the season without a win or a loss.
A 27-point second quarter and defensive letdown allowed the Louisville Cardinals
to post a 34-0 win over KSU in Kentucky a week later. The Cards amassed 454 yards of
total offense against Kent State and the 34 points was the largest margin of victory over
Kent in the history of the series.
"You try not think about it," James said. "You are always thinking win the next
game. With our schedule we weren't going to be favorites a lot of times."
Things looked much better the next week at Robert C. Dix Stadium. Freshman
Greg Kokal was called upon to take the snaps against the Ohio Bobcats and the Euclid
product definitely felt the butterflies.
"I was nervous as hell," he said. "But fear of failure is a great motivator."
It showed as Kokal sliced up the Bobcat secondary to the tune of a 10-for-18,
190-yard and two-touchdown afternoon. The Flashes rolled, 37-14. Aside from Kokal's
emergence, it was James' decision to move Lambert to middle linebacker, which started
to bear fruit as the 6'5 junior totaled 10 tackles, intercepted a pass and blocked a kick.
Unfortunately for KSU, agonizing losses to San Diego State (14-0) and Western
Michigan (13-12) put them at 1-3-1 to start the season, 1-1 in MAC play – and the
breaks were certainly starting to beat the boys.
"I remember we got called for a 15-yard penalty and I asked the official what he
saw and he told me 'well he hit him too hard'," James recalled. "I thought that was one
of the ideas."
The special teams problems which haunted KSU in the one-point loss to Western
in which the Flashes missed two field goals, a PAT and two-point conversion paved the
way for a mid-season call-up which would provide another sign of destiny in just a few
short weeks.
FOREIGN AID
Tipping the scales at 140 pounds and standing 5'6, Markham, Canada's Herb
Page was summoned from the junior varsity ranks midway through the 1972 season to
assist with the Flashes' struggles in the kicking game.
"A lot of us, myself included, had never seen a soccer-style kicker before," Kokal
remembered.
A member of KSU's golf team and also a part of the Flashes' hockey squad,
Page's witnessed the previous seasons' struggles from the stands.
"I was not even on the pre-season roster in 1972. I was playing golf and ice
hockey," Page remembered. "I thought it was the coolest thing playing football. In the
locker room I'd sit back in the corner and try to hide and stay out of everyone's way!"
"I wasn't real big," James said. "And Herbie wasn't as big as I was."
OLYMPIC ENCORE
Barely a month removed from his overseas trip to West Germany for the summer
games, Tinker found himself in the crosshairs of a moment many feel was the turning
point of the season.
Better than 20,000 watched in frustration as the heavily-favored Bowling Green
Falcons scuffled to put the Golden Flashes away on a mid-October afternoon in Wood
County. BG had erased a 7-3 halftime deficit and led 10-7 nearing the final frame. But a
Falcon drive stalled and the home team prepared to safely punt the ball away as Tinker
trotted out onto the field in return formation.
"All I know is one thing – with my teammates, I just asked them to get in front of
somebody," Tinker said. "Because I'm running scared as hell anyway! You have no
time to think, you are just reacting to what's happening around you. It was 63 yards and I
don't remember a single one of them!"
"That turned the season around," Kokal stated.
Tinker's sprint silenced the Falcon fans and vaulted Kent State into immediate
MAC title contention.
HUSHED IN HUNTINGTON
Kent State split its next two games, knocking off Xavier 26-16 at home and
falling in the Land of Lincoln, 28-7 to Northern Illinois. There were three games
remaining. At 3-4-1 and 2-1 in the MAC, the good guys entered a unique atmosphere in
their Nov. 4 game against Marshall.
On Nov. 14, 1970, a Douglas DC-9 carrying 37 members of the Thundering Herd
football team crashed into a hill, killing everyone on board. Much like Kent State,
members of the Marshall community were trying to move on from tragedy. They used
football as an outlet, and although the team was struggling, thousands of boisterous fans
flocked to the stadium each week.
On this day, they roared with approval as the locals erased a 13-0 deficit to take a
14-13 lead with short time remaining. The Flashes seemed destined to fall victim to an
emotional upset on the road.
Mr. Page had other ideas.
Starting at their own 29, the Flashes marched down the field as time ticked away.
The drive finally stalled at Marshall's 12-yard line and the redheaded James pointed
silently at the smallest man on his roster to save the day.
Page lined up, approached the ball with his soccer-style approach and connected.
Fans in two cities held their breaths.
"I ran out there just thinking how far those goal posts were from me," Page
remembered. "It felt like they were 50 yards away. It really was a blur. It was a perfect
snap and the crowd noise was just so loud."
The rickety scoreboard at ancient Fairfield Stadium reluctantly posted three points
under "GUEST" and the final tally read: HOME: 14 GUEST: 16.
"That was a big, big win for us," James said.
GIANT KILLERS
The Miami Redskins and Toledo Rockets had combined for 12 MAC football
championships between them. And as fate would have it, that formidable duo made up
the final two games of Kent State's 1972 season. It was never going to be easy.
Fans at Miami Field filed in expecting to see another in a long line of scintillating
performances by national star running back Bob Hitchens. With Miami leading 7-0, Kent
State shocked the Oxford faithful with a pair of second quarter scores to push KSU to a
14-13 halftime lead. But it was an 80-yard interception return by Alonzo Curry that
spurred the Flashes to a 21-10 third quarter lead they would not relinquish.
Hitchens would go on to finish as the national rushing leader. But on one blustery
day in Oxford, he had no answer for James' defensive stars. He was held to just 78 yards
on 27 carries as Lambert collected 19 tackles by himself.
FINALLY
Saturday, Nov. 18, 1972.
While the weather was normal in Kent for mid-November, there was a feeling in
the air on the gray fall day no one had ever felt. Summit Road became the biggest
parking lot in the state as kickoff approached.
A title was at stake.
James' first season at KSU culminated with a lopsided loss in Toledo as the
Rockets claimed the conference crown. Now it was KSU who held the precious home
field advantage. But not even the wildest dreamers on the Flashes' roster could have
envisioned what awaited them as they poured out of the tunnel.
"We used to stay in Korb Hall on Friday nights before games so obviously we
needed to bus out to the stadium," Page reminisced. "And it was a traffic jam. I
remember so vividly that stadium being full and just thinking it was the coolest thing."
It was the Canadian who struck again for KSU as Page's pair of second quarter
field goals gave the Flashes a slim 6-3 edge at the intermission. The much-anticipated
battle was living up to all the hype as 20,715 looked on from Dix.
"I made a couple field goals and I think we led 6-3 at halftime and you could
literally feel the nervousness," Page said.
Toledo kicked off to start the second half and looked to have Kent pinned deep as
the kick was buried to the Flashes' five. Unfortunately for the Rockets, junior Eddie
Woodard – interestingly no taller than Page at 5'7 – cleanly picked the pigskin and
watched in glee as a perfect wall started to take shape. Executing flawlessly, the KSU
specialists sprung Woodard free and he seared down 95 yards of rich Kentucky bluegrass
into the end zone sending the thousands of long-suffering Flashes fans into a state of
delirious celebration.
"That was the play of the year," Page added. "It was crazy. I can still hear the
roar and I get goosebumps."
Armed now with a 13-3 lead – and with their 12th man shaking Dix Stadium to its
core – the Flashes defense anchored in. The unit which had been burned badly by UT
just a year prior completely diffused any potential Rocket uprising, throwing up a zero in
the third frame. That zero – coupled with the first of two Larry Poole touchdown runs –
gave Kent State a commanding 20-3 lead heading into the fourth period.
The final period was merely a curtain call – an exorcism of the demons of
seasons' past. Poole rumbled to pay dirt again and when the dust had finally settled, the
stadium scoreboard's brightness could no doubt be seen six counties away: KENT
STATE 27 – TOLEDO 9 – 0:00.
For the Flashes, any chance to celebrate alone was thwarted in an instant. An
estimated throng of thousands had achieved the ultimate security breach – racing from
the stands to the playing field. And it soon became clear – the defending champs weren't
the only ones going down on this November in Kent.
"Somehow the fraternity kids got down onto the field and went after the goal
posts," James said. "And believe it or not they made a plaque for me with part of the post
on it."
Dix Stadium's north end zone goal post fell to the earth like a California redwood
– and with it brought an end to decades of frustration and futility. Indeed, on this day,
anyone who had ever wore the blue and gold of KSU had a reason to stick their chest out
a little. Kent State's football team had reached the unreachable star.
"One of our alums had heard one of the coaches in the league say on his radio
show Kent could never beat Bowling Green, Miami and Toledo," James said. "I took
that and copied it and played for the team. You do whatever you can to focus and get
ready to play."
A BITTERSWEET FINISH
Though KSU's furious rally against Earle Bruce's Tampa Spartans fell three
points show in late December, the Flashes won over the Hall of Fame head coach – both
as a team and individually.
"Kent State is a well-coached football team, offensively and defensively. Kokal
is a good one. Lambert was the best player on the field tonight. Kent State did a great
job of fighting back – they stuck in there," Bruce told reporters after his team's 21-18
victory in Orlando.
Back in MAC country, the Flashes were earning quite a haul of hardware. James
was a natural choice for Coach of the Year and Lambert – a converted high school
quarterback – earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. For the season, Lambert
finished with 117 solo tackles and assisted on 116 more.
A LASTING LEGACY
"There was a tremendous spirit on that team," Page said. "It was because of Don
James. He would not let you give up. And that was the attitude we had all the time."
"It was one group of guys who played their hearts out for a great leader," Tinker
said proudly. "We had guys who stuck together, played together, lived together and won
together at all times. Don James was a winner and he made us all believe we were
winners too."
The Flashes of 1972 came together perfectly. A Mantua quarterback who was
moved to defense and then placed at middle linebacker when the projected starter left the
team. A placekicker from Canada who silenced thousands with a 30-yard field goal. A
freshman quarterback thrust into the limelight when injury struck. An all-around athlete
from south Florida who in the span of four months traveled to Germany, won a gold
medal and helped start the turn around which brought KSU its first MAC football title.
All neatly tied together by a Massillon native who was lured back home.
And all of whom – despite their current mileage distances – all stand together
upon the hilltop as Kent State University's first and only championship football team.
and Convocation Center in the middle part of KSU's campus. Like many others it boasts
to all who enter what championships were won and when they were won. The banner –
simply titled "Football" has remained unmolested since "1972" was inscribed upon it
four decades ago.
CASTING CALL
Early 1972 saw the first-ever television release of MGM's 1951 Show Boat as
well as the theatrical release of The Godfather. It seemed fitting that just a year earlier,
KSU Athletic Director Mike Lude conducted his own casting call – to fill the roll of head
football coach. And so the school which had never sniffed a conference championship
went to work to find the man it felt could bring an end to a dubious Mid-American
Conference run which had seen a finish no better than third over the last 12 seasons.
Enticed away from the foothills of Boulder's breathtaking Rocky Mountains, Don
James was the choice to serve as the Golden Flashes' leading man in 1971 and, hopefully
beyond. His defenses at Colorado were mean, tough and physical. Kent State had
allowed an average of 25 points in its seven losses in 1970 – including 44 and 34 in backto-
back weeks against Bowling Green and Toledo.
Still – James was brought in as a football coach, not a miracle worker. And as the
1971 campaign – James' first - drew to a whimpering close, a humiliating 41-6 loss to the
champion Toledo Rockets closed KSU's mark at 3-8. That season's Golden Flashes went
winless in five conference games – the closest setback coming by 13 points at the hands
of BG – a cool October afternoon at the then-named Memorial Stadium the rookie head
coach won't soon forget.
"I remember walking out of the stadium after one of the onslaughts and overheard
one of the fans saying 'I'm sure glad we hired a defensive genius as a head coach',"
James recalled.
The dramatic turnaround James and the Flashes faithful had sought would have to
wait for the sequel.
TRAINING CAMP CASUALTY
James had transfer Bob Bender penciled in as the opening day starting middle
linebacker for the 1972 season.
"He was a good player," James remembered. "We were counting on him to be
our middle linebacker and he quit during fall camp. We were down. I was down."
Then, during one of the regular coaching meetings, assistant coach Dennis
Fitzgerald – along with James and the staff – came to a conclusion: you play your best
player at middle linebacker.
"It was Jack Lambert," James said. "So by losing Bob Bender we brought Jack
Lambert to a position where opponents couldn't run away from him. That really helped
us."
A GOLDEN OFF-SEASON
The world turned its eyes to Munich, West Germany in the summer of 1972 for
the Games of the XX Olympiad. And KSU football coaches had additional incentive to
follow the events in Europe, as Gerald Tinker –a superb athlete whom James had
encountered at Miami's Coral Gables High and lured to KSU to play football – would be
representing the USA on the track.
Tinker and cousin Larry Black celebrated Black's silver in the 200-meter dash on
the town in Munich on the night of September 4. A few hours later, after the celebrations
had run their course, the two athletes headed back to their dormitories in the Olympic
Village.
They were not prepared for what awaited them.
"Military people caught us at the gate and told us there was an incident going on
in the village they were going to escort us to our rooms and stand guard 24/7 outside our
rooms until the incident was cleared," Tinker said. "We didn't find out until the
following morning exactly what was going on."
In total, 11 athletes and one police officer were killed in the attacks. But despite
the perspective-forcing moments, the Games went on. And when they resumed, one of
the newest Golden Flashes was prepared to shine.
Tinker, who, along with his Black made up half of the United States' 4x100-meter
relay team, missed the 1971 season due to transfer rules. He was to run the third leg of
the relay while Black would open the race. The family tandem – ironically fierce rivals in
high school – helped the US blow by the Soviet Union in record time to seize gold.
"Standing on that podium was one of the top moments in my life, but being there
with my cousin who I'd been running against all my life – nothing is better than that,"
Tinker said.
As the cousins celebrated Olympic gold, the Flashes were opening the 1972
season half a world away in the Rubber City.
A FAMILIAR START
After three quarters of play at the Rubber Bowl, KSU trailed the Akron Zips 10-0.
With an offense handcuffed by the early loss of quarterback Larry Hayes, the Flashes
sought their first points of the season on the fresh arm of junior Darryl Hall. After a slow
start, Hall guided Kent down the field twice in the waning moments of the fourth period
to tie the game at 13. But a missed extra point kept the neighbors deadlocked at the end
of regulation and the Flashes started the season without a win or a loss.
A 27-point second quarter and defensive letdown allowed the Louisville Cardinals
to post a 34-0 win over KSU in Kentucky a week later. The Cards amassed 454 yards of
total offense against Kent State and the 34 points was the largest margin of victory over
Kent in the history of the series.
"You try not think about it," James said. "You are always thinking win the next
game. With our schedule we weren't going to be favorites a lot of times."
Things looked much better the next week at Robert C. Dix Stadium. Freshman
Greg Kokal was called upon to take the snaps against the Ohio Bobcats and the Euclid
product definitely felt the butterflies.
"I was nervous as hell," he said. "But fear of failure is a great motivator."
It showed as Kokal sliced up the Bobcat secondary to the tune of a 10-for-18,
190-yard and two-touchdown afternoon. The Flashes rolled, 37-14. Aside from Kokal's
emergence, it was James' decision to move Lambert to middle linebacker, which started
to bear fruit as the 6'5 junior totaled 10 tackles, intercepted a pass and blocked a kick.
Unfortunately for KSU, agonizing losses to San Diego State (14-0) and Western
Michigan (13-12) put them at 1-3-1 to start the season, 1-1 in MAC play – and the
breaks were certainly starting to beat the boys.
"I remember we got called for a 15-yard penalty and I asked the official what he
saw and he told me 'well he hit him too hard'," James recalled. "I thought that was one
of the ideas."
The special teams problems which haunted KSU in the one-point loss to Western
in which the Flashes missed two field goals, a PAT and two-point conversion paved the
way for a mid-season call-up which would provide another sign of destiny in just a few
short weeks.
FOREIGN AID
Tipping the scales at 140 pounds and standing 5'6, Markham, Canada's Herb
Page was summoned from the junior varsity ranks midway through the 1972 season to
assist with the Flashes' struggles in the kicking game.
"A lot of us, myself included, had never seen a soccer-style kicker before," Kokal
remembered.
A member of KSU's golf team and also a part of the Flashes' hockey squad,
Page's witnessed the previous seasons' struggles from the stands.
"I was not even on the pre-season roster in 1972. I was playing golf and ice
hockey," Page remembered. "I thought it was the coolest thing playing football. In the
locker room I'd sit back in the corner and try to hide and stay out of everyone's way!"
"I wasn't real big," James said. "And Herbie wasn't as big as I was."
OLYMPIC ENCORE
Barely a month removed from his overseas trip to West Germany for the summer
games, Tinker found himself in the crosshairs of a moment many feel was the turning
point of the season.
Better than 20,000 watched in frustration as the heavily-favored Bowling Green
Falcons scuffled to put the Golden Flashes away on a mid-October afternoon in Wood
County. BG had erased a 7-3 halftime deficit and led 10-7 nearing the final frame. But a
Falcon drive stalled and the home team prepared to safely punt the ball away as Tinker
trotted out onto the field in return formation.
"All I know is one thing – with my teammates, I just asked them to get in front of
somebody," Tinker said. "Because I'm running scared as hell anyway! You have no
time to think, you are just reacting to what's happening around you. It was 63 yards and I
don't remember a single one of them!"
"That turned the season around," Kokal stated.
Tinker's sprint silenced the Falcon fans and vaulted Kent State into immediate
MAC title contention.
HUSHED IN HUNTINGTON
Kent State split its next two games, knocking off Xavier 26-16 at home and
falling in the Land of Lincoln, 28-7 to Northern Illinois. There were three games
remaining. At 3-4-1 and 2-1 in the MAC, the good guys entered a unique atmosphere in
their Nov. 4 game against Marshall.
On Nov. 14, 1970, a Douglas DC-9 carrying 37 members of the Thundering Herd
football team crashed into a hill, killing everyone on board. Much like Kent State,
members of the Marshall community were trying to move on from tragedy. They used
football as an outlet, and although the team was struggling, thousands of boisterous fans
flocked to the stadium each week.
On this day, they roared with approval as the locals erased a 13-0 deficit to take a
14-13 lead with short time remaining. The Flashes seemed destined to fall victim to an
emotional upset on the road.
Mr. Page had other ideas.
Starting at their own 29, the Flashes marched down the field as time ticked away.
The drive finally stalled at Marshall's 12-yard line and the redheaded James pointed
silently at the smallest man on his roster to save the day.
Page lined up, approached the ball with his soccer-style approach and connected.
Fans in two cities held their breaths.
"I ran out there just thinking how far those goal posts were from me," Page
remembered. "It felt like they were 50 yards away. It really was a blur. It was a perfect
snap and the crowd noise was just so loud."
The rickety scoreboard at ancient Fairfield Stadium reluctantly posted three points
under "GUEST" and the final tally read: HOME: 14 GUEST: 16.
"That was a big, big win for us," James said.
GIANT KILLERS
The Miami Redskins and Toledo Rockets had combined for 12 MAC football
championships between them. And as fate would have it, that formidable duo made up
the final two games of Kent State's 1972 season. It was never going to be easy.
Fans at Miami Field filed in expecting to see another in a long line of scintillating
performances by national star running back Bob Hitchens. With Miami leading 7-0, Kent
State shocked the Oxford faithful with a pair of second quarter scores to push KSU to a
14-13 halftime lead. But it was an 80-yard interception return by Alonzo Curry that
spurred the Flashes to a 21-10 third quarter lead they would not relinquish.
Hitchens would go on to finish as the national rushing leader. But on one blustery
day in Oxford, he had no answer for James' defensive stars. He was held to just 78 yards
on 27 carries as Lambert collected 19 tackles by himself.
FINALLY
Saturday, Nov. 18, 1972.
While the weather was normal in Kent for mid-November, there was a feeling in
the air on the gray fall day no one had ever felt. Summit Road became the biggest
parking lot in the state as kickoff approached.
A title was at stake.
James' first season at KSU culminated with a lopsided loss in Toledo as the
Rockets claimed the conference crown. Now it was KSU who held the precious home
field advantage. But not even the wildest dreamers on the Flashes' roster could have
envisioned what awaited them as they poured out of the tunnel.
"We used to stay in Korb Hall on Friday nights before games so obviously we
needed to bus out to the stadium," Page reminisced. "And it was a traffic jam. I
remember so vividly that stadium being full and just thinking it was the coolest thing."
It was the Canadian who struck again for KSU as Page's pair of second quarter
field goals gave the Flashes a slim 6-3 edge at the intermission. The much-anticipated
battle was living up to all the hype as 20,715 looked on from Dix.
"I made a couple field goals and I think we led 6-3 at halftime and you could
literally feel the nervousness," Page said.
Toledo kicked off to start the second half and looked to have Kent pinned deep as
the kick was buried to the Flashes' five. Unfortunately for the Rockets, junior Eddie
Woodard – interestingly no taller than Page at 5'7 – cleanly picked the pigskin and
watched in glee as a perfect wall started to take shape. Executing flawlessly, the KSU
specialists sprung Woodard free and he seared down 95 yards of rich Kentucky bluegrass
into the end zone sending the thousands of long-suffering Flashes fans into a state of
delirious celebration.
"That was the play of the year," Page added. "It was crazy. I can still hear the
roar and I get goosebumps."
Armed now with a 13-3 lead – and with their 12th man shaking Dix Stadium to its
core – the Flashes defense anchored in. The unit which had been burned badly by UT
just a year prior completely diffused any potential Rocket uprising, throwing up a zero in
the third frame. That zero – coupled with the first of two Larry Poole touchdown runs –
gave Kent State a commanding 20-3 lead heading into the fourth period.
The final period was merely a curtain call – an exorcism of the demons of
seasons' past. Poole rumbled to pay dirt again and when the dust had finally settled, the
stadium scoreboard's brightness could no doubt be seen six counties away: KENT
STATE 27 – TOLEDO 9 – 0:00.
For the Flashes, any chance to celebrate alone was thwarted in an instant. An
estimated throng of thousands had achieved the ultimate security breach – racing from
the stands to the playing field. And it soon became clear – the defending champs weren't
the only ones going down on this November in Kent.
"Somehow the fraternity kids got down onto the field and went after the goal
posts," James said. "And believe it or not they made a plaque for me with part of the post
on it."
Dix Stadium's north end zone goal post fell to the earth like a California redwood
– and with it brought an end to decades of frustration and futility. Indeed, on this day,
anyone who had ever wore the blue and gold of KSU had a reason to stick their chest out
a little. Kent State's football team had reached the unreachable star.
"One of our alums had heard one of the coaches in the league say on his radio
show Kent could never beat Bowling Green, Miami and Toledo," James said. "I took
that and copied it and played for the team. You do whatever you can to focus and get
ready to play."
A BITTERSWEET FINISH
Though KSU's furious rally against Earle Bruce's Tampa Spartans fell three
points show in late December, the Flashes won over the Hall of Fame head coach – both
as a team and individually.
"Kent State is a well-coached football team, offensively and defensively. Kokal
is a good one. Lambert was the best player on the field tonight. Kent State did a great
job of fighting back – they stuck in there," Bruce told reporters after his team's 21-18
victory in Orlando.
Back in MAC country, the Flashes were earning quite a haul of hardware. James
was a natural choice for Coach of the Year and Lambert – a converted high school
quarterback – earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. For the season, Lambert
finished with 117 solo tackles and assisted on 116 more.
A LASTING LEGACY
"There was a tremendous spirit on that team," Page said. "It was because of Don
James. He would not let you give up. And that was the attitude we had all the time."
"It was one group of guys who played their hearts out for a great leader," Tinker
said proudly. "We had guys who stuck together, played together, lived together and won
together at all times. Don James was a winner and he made us all believe we were
winners too."
The Flashes of 1972 came together perfectly. A Mantua quarterback who was
moved to defense and then placed at middle linebacker when the projected starter left the
team. A placekicker from Canada who silenced thousands with a 30-yard field goal. A
freshman quarterback thrust into the limelight when injury struck. An all-around athlete
from south Florida who in the span of four months traveled to Germany, won a gold
medal and helped start the turn around which brought KSU its first MAC football title.
All neatly tied together by a Massillon native who was lured back home.
And all of whom – despite their current mileage distances – all stand together
upon the hilltop as Kent State University's first and only championship football team.
Kent State Football 2025 Early Signing Day Press Conference
Wednesday, December 03
Kent State Football vs Northern Illinois 11.28.25 | Cinematic Recap
Sunday, November 30
Kent State Football vs Northern Illinois 11.28.25 | Football Game Highlights
Saturday, November 29
Kent State Football Postgame Press Conference - Game 12 at Northern Illinois
Friday, November 28
