Mike Currence Was Hired by Massillon Fifty Years Ago
How time flies. It doesn’t seem like fifty years. But that’s how long it’s been since Mike Currence was hired by Massillon Washington High School to become its next head football coach. Currence stayed in that position for nine years throughout one of the more entertaining periods of Tiger football and he left with an outstanding record.
The 36-year old Currence was the top candidate to replace Coach Chuck Shuff, who in his two years at the helm had compiled a less than stellar 12-7-1 record. His previous stop involved a 2-year stint at Lakewood St. Edward, where his 1974 team went 9-1 and his 1975 team finished with an 11-1 record, while losing 14-12 to Cincinnati Moeller in the state finals. Following that season, he was voted the Associated Press “Coach of the Year.” Prior to coaching Currence attended Fairmont State College, WV, graduating in 1961. There, he lettered four years in football and two years in basketball. He also received a master’s degree in 1971 from Wesleyan University, CT.
Following many years of power-run football the game in Massillon was about to change. For Currence brought a completely different approach to the offense with his “run-and-shoot” scheme and its emphasis on the passing game, along with two-platoon football. He said football was going to be fun again, while providing opportunities for smaller players. In fact, Currence was able to bolster the roster with around 90 juniors and seniors each year.
The base offensive formation involved five interior linemen with a split end on either side. The quarterback was under center with a fullback behind in a 3-point stance. Finally, a wingback was positioned at the edge of each tackle. The play was initiated by one of the wingbacks going in motion. Running plays resembled that of the Wing-T, while passing plays were more like a pre-cursor to the spread offense with, owing to the motion man, effectively three receivers on one side of the ball at the snap. On pass plays, after the motioning wingback cleared the interior line, the QB would roll to the direction of the motion, protected by the blocking of the fullback, and seeking one of three potential targets on that side of the field: the wide receiver and both wingbacks. Of course, there was also the option for the QB to tuck the ball and run. It was an extremely effective scheme for advancing the ball down the field.
But in that inaugural 1976 season there were certainly some growing pains, particularly with the passing attack. Currence just didn’t have a quarterback in camp with the necessary skill set and experience to make it effective. As a result, the Tigers dropped their first two games, to Middletown (7-2) and Gahanna Lincoln (10-1), while completing just 7 of 30 passes.
Against Middletown throughout a constant rain Massillon gained just 74 yards in a 6-0 loss. And it wasn’t much better the next week against Gahanna on yet another wet night in a 10-0 setback. But at least in this one, the rushing attack showed promise with 219 yards, including 110 by Richard Cleveland. But the Tigers had yet to crack the end zone. That, in spite of outgaining Gahanna, 267-134.
Fortunately, persistence paid off and Massillon rebounded to win their next eight games to close the season with an 8-2 record. The Tigers didn’t score a lot of points, but the defense was superb, surrendering just four touchdowns and two field goals during that span.
Given the lack of points, most of the games were competitive. For example, in a road game at Warren Harding, the two teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 15 points apiece. But, with 9:50 left in the game, Anthony Grizzard returned a punt 38 yards to the end zone to propel the Tigers to a 22-15 victory, keeping the win streak alive.
Two weeks later Massillon closed the season against Canton McKinley. The Bulldogs managed a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter and that margin held up until the final frame when Mike Grove went in from the three to cap a 4-play, 15-yard drive. That, following a McKinley fumble. With the defense holding the Bulldogs at the 30 on their final drive, Massillon secured a 7-3 victory.
Following that tenuous first year, Currence’s teams went on to win 71 of their next 87 games, bolstered by some great passing by the likes of Brent Offenbecher, Bill Scott, Dave Eberhart, Rick Spielman, Brian Dewitz and Mike Scott. Included were two undefeated regular seasons (1979 and 1982) and two appearances in the Division I state championship game (1980 and 1982). Currence also holds a 7-3 record against McKinley and a 13-1-1 record in the All-American Conference play. And he had the opportunity to coach 27 All-Ohio selections, including first-teamers Offenbecher, Eberhart and future pro Chris Spielman (twice).
Ironically, Currence was released by the Board of Education following the 6-4 record 1984 season for undisclosed reasons, with two years remaining on his contract. A lawsuit filed later was ruled in his favor and he was compensated for the lost years. Nevertheless, he finished with a record of 79-16-2 and currently ranks third in all-time Massillon wins, behind current head coach Nate Moore (119-29) and former head coach Paul Brown (80-8-2).
