) The Kings Mountain
I
Herald | www.kmherald.net
NO
October 24, 2012
90 YEARS DF MOUNTAINEER FODTBALL
GARY STEWART
Sports Editor
Some of the best players in Kings Moun-
tain High football history attended the 90th
year reunion at Fridays football game with
Crest at John Gamble Stadium.
Athletic Director Dustin Morehead pre-
sented the last three Players of the Decade
Awards to George Harris, star quarterback
of the Mountaineers’ first championship
| team in 1955; Pat Murphy, quarterback of
the 1963 and 1964 teams that compiled a
19-1-1 overall record and won back-to-
back conference titles; and Kevin Mack,
the 1979 rushing star who went on to
become Rookie of the Year in the NFL.
Other Players of the Decades were
3] the late Calvin Stevens, 1985 Shrine
Above: Louise Carlton,
center, and her grand-
daughter; Becky, talk with
Mear| Valentine, who
played for the late Shu
Carlton in 1954 and
1955.
Photos by:
Gary Stewart
KMHS athletic director
Dustin Morehead, left,
presents Player of the
Pecade Awards to Kevin
Mack, Pat Murphy and
George Harris during half-
time of Friday's football
game.
honored at previous games, including
Some of all-time Mountaineer greats attend
American at the University of South Carolina
and also played in the NFL; Kareem Mar-
shall, an offensive lineman on KMHS cham-
pionship teams in 1996, 1997 and 1998 who
went on to become a two-time junior college
All-American and starting tackle at the Uni-
versity of Georgia; and Michael Roberts, star
quarterback of the 2008 championship team
and now an assistant coach with the Moun-
taineers.
Older Kings Mountain fans in the stands
- - and on the field - no doubt went back in
time and recalled some of the school’s most
exciting moments when the players were in-
troduced at halftime.
Seeing George Harris and Ken Baity on
the field at the same time no doubt made fans
recall that night in 1955 when Harris faked
out everybody, including the referees, in a
See 90 YEARS, 5B
Above: The "John-
son Twins" - Chris
and Chris - share
some happy mo-
ments. Both played
in the 1970s, giving
the Mountaineers a
Chris Johnson for six
© years in a row.
At right: Major Loftin,
82, is introduced to the
crowd.
Above: Four Mountaineers from the 1950s
share some wewories at 90th reunion of
KMHS football. Left to right, Ken Cloninger:
George Harris, Gene Patterson and Mearl
Valentine.
At left: Two of KM's greatest running backs
wet at Friday's 90th reunion of Moun-
taineer football. Left is Ken Baity, who es-
tablished the school record for most yards
rushing in a season in 1957 Right is Kevin
Mack, who broke the record in 1979.
Below: Three players from Kings Mountains
1964 championship team meet again at
Friday's 90th reunion. Left to right are
Richard Gold, Pat Murphy and Steve Grigg.
Grigg is still slim and trim enough to wear
his letter jacket. ?
1979 teammates Jeff Clonger, left, and Kevin Mack, center, pose with 1964 runwing star Steve Baker.
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