Inductees

In the summer of 1979, during the hot and humid days north of Kansas City, the football players readying for Plattsburg High School’s season hit a two-week training camp ready to work.

In some ways, they could have taken their lunch pails and hardhats to the field daily. After all, they had a job to do, right down to making sure two-a-days weren’t wasted. The schedule? It called for three hours in the morning and two hours at night. Hills included.

“We knew it was the first year of the Show-Me Bowl and a few of us seniors said we thought we had a chance to do something special,” said Richard Wade, a tight end. “And actually when we ran hills, some of us chanted, ‘Busch Stadium.’”

The Tigers charged right to St. Louis’ then- baseball & football venue that fall, going undefeated to win the state championship. And it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Plattsburg High School 1979 State Championship Football Team with the Class of 2024.

Coached by Jim Freeman, Plattsburg beat Marceline 12-7 and finished 12-0 to win Class 2. In the finals, Plattsburg led 12-0 at halftime and then turned back its opponent twice inside the 5-yard line. An interception iced the game with about 2 minutes left.

It was a remarkable season, considering Plattsburg had reached the playoffs only one other previous season, in 1972, with the state title coming a decade after MSHSAA first fielded a postseason tournament.

In fact, the Tigers were not even picked to win the KC-10 Conference but outscored their opponents 287-39. They beat Stockton 20-6, with Plattsburg returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

“Coach Freeman’s philosophy was short and sweet: 1 ½ hour practices were intense, and we ran hills everyday except Thursdays,” assistant coach Joe Trotter said. “That made a big difference in the fourth quarter.”

The wishbone offense featured quarterback Corey Wohlford, wide receiver Chris Wohlford, running backs Troy McKay and Mike Freeman, fullback David Adam, Wade at tight end, left tackles Dannis Hudson and Dennis Bartee, left guard John Gassman, center Jeff Howard, right guard Scott Taylor and right tackle Dan Booth.

The defense featured ends David Adam, Brian Wall and Rich Romey, tackles Dan Booth, Hudson and Bartee, nose guard Gailen Green, linebackers Scott Wilson and Jeff Howard, cornerbacks Chris Wohlford and Troy McCay, safety Corey Wohlford and Wade in a monster role.

John Gassman, Scott Taylor and Roger Mead were key back-ups on defense, and Mead, Robbie Bennett and Mark Rawlings were key offensive subs.

Eleven players earned postseason honors, with offensive tackle Dan Booth, punter Troy McKay, defensive end David Adam, quarterback Cory Wohlford and guard Scott Taylor earning All-State honors. Assistant coaches were Joe Trotter, George Garrett and Bill Lankford.

“Because we played as a team, we didn’t rely on one starter or one star,” Wade said, “and everybody fought hard for the player next to him.”

Keep in mind that the 1978 team graduated a number of seniors, so local fans assumed the Tigers would take a step back. Yet, there became an unspoken mindset to stay on point in everything they did.

In other words, there was no let-up. Just consider the state semifinal game. Played in 72-degree weather, Plattsburg took a 22-0 lead into halftime. But Freeman’s halftime speech, to some, made it seem as if the Tigers were trailing 22-0. He was that passionate.

The playoff run remains etched in the memories of so many. Before that season, the stands included family and friends. But by the playoffs, the field was circled eight deep of onlookers. And, for road games, the school needed six prep busses full of fans.

For the state championship, Plattsburg – a community of roughly 2,000 back then just north of Kansas City – was mostly a ghost town.

To a man, the players look back and will tell you that they just had a good rapport with each other. That’s why Friday nights were so much fun. Players took their weekday practices into games and executed the playbook. Everything seemed to run like a well-oiled machine.

Week by week, parents cut out newspaper clips from the St. Joseph News Press. At the time, youth sports were years from becoming specialized, so high school football meant even more to the community.

“At that point, it was the greatest thing in our lives. It had never been done, and the town treated us like royalty,” Wade said.