Overview
Troy High School is a public high school in Troy, Ohio, part of Troy City Schools. The current complex was built in 1958, and has an enrollment of 1,504 students. The school's mascot is the Trojan. As of 2019-20, the Trojans are again Miami Valley League (MVL) members.
1969–1971 Trojans football
In 1969 Troy Trojans was a high school team that was rebuilding and led by undersized sophomores, they were having a terrible season (they went 2-7-1), this making four straight losing seasons, two in the Western Ohio League (WOL) 1968 and 1969, and two before that (1966–1967) in the Miami Valley League (MVL). On the last play, of the last game of the season, with the game tied 22-22 against powerful rival Huber Heights Wayne, the pass went to the 165-pound Randy Walker. He was tackled from the end zone. After the game the coach, James "Jim" Conard, made the entire team walk around with a piece of cloth that was long, until the start of the 1970 season. Walker gave up his first love, baseball, joined the track team for speed and stamina, and started lifting weights-gaining 30 pounds, reporting to fall practice at 195-pounds.
The strip of cloth would motivate his team, Conard and Walker would not lose another game the remaining two seasons, going 20-0, and winning back-to-back WOL titles. In 1971 they outscored opponents, 406-54, out-gained opponents to 1,267, and punting only 19 times all season. The team and the defense dominated opponents, forcing 31 turnovers, and posting five shutouts (including a 35-0 victory over Wayne).
Three backs would be selected to the All-Western Ohio League team, Gordon Bell, Walker, and Joe Allen. Bell, who gained in three seasons, rushed for 1,447 yards (on 198 carries) and scored 19 touchdowns in 1971, and was named first team All-Ohio for both 1970 and 1971. Bell would have also been "Ohio Back of the Year" had he not finish second, to Archie Griffin (Columbus Eastmoor), in both years. Walker, whose main assignment was to block, rushed for , on a per carry average. Allen had on 67 carries (8.1 YPC). David Starkey, the heart of the defense and was named an All-Ohio defensive lineman. Elmo Boyd, a track star who only played football his senior season (1971), finished with 12 catches for 374 yards (31.2 yards-per-catch average) and seven touchdowns.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).