Category: <span>History</span>

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2018: Massillon 42, Akron Firestone 0

Methodical Massillon moves to 5-0 with rout of Firestone

Sep 21, 2018 10:18 PM
MASSILLON There was a lot of words Massillon coach Nate Moore could’ve conjured up to describe his team’s 42-0 win over Firestone on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

So, how about the word “methodical” to describe the performance?

“I think that’s a fair way to put it,” Moore said after his team improved to 5-0 on the season.

Game Action vs. Firestone

Methodical would fit perfectly with the approach the Tigers used to take care of a winless Falcon team which had come into the game having scored only 12 points in the first four games combined. Massillon, save for a pair of fumbles, came out and scored on four of its five first-half possessions, then added a fifth score to open the second half.

The Tigers would lead 35-0 16 seconds into the third quarter. That gave Massillon its fourth consecutive running-clock game, and the third time in that span in which the rule was put into effect within one play of the second half starting.

“I thought we did a good job during the week,” Moore said. “I liked out preparation. We were OK today, sloppy in a couple of places. We’ve got to get them cleaned up because we’ve got a big one coming up next week (against visiting Austintown Fitch).”

Both teams seemed content to not rush into things throughout the game, even as Massillon was opening up a 28-0 halftime lead. Firestone, in particular, was methodical when it had the football.

Despite the fact the Falcons only had four first-half first downs, and only two true drives in that span, they still owned a 15:51-8:09 edge in time of possession at the intermission. Even when Firestone set itself up with a first-and-goal from the Tiger 10 after a 63-yard quarterback keeper by George Rozier, its deliberate approach – and lack of timeouts – let the clock run out after a third-down run.

Rozier’s run accounted for 55 percent of the 114 first-half yards Firestone gained. The Falcons finished with 130 yards for the game.

“We kind of knew before the game started that it was going to be a very difficult task,” Firestone coach Eric Mitchell said. “(Massillon’s) a very good football team. They’re a disciplined football team. They’ve got players at every level: Skill, line, quarterback. Our game plan was to come in and try to shorten the game and run the ball a little bit and try to have some success with the short passing game and hopefully keep their offense off the field.”

Game action vs. Akron Firestone

The methodical approach by Firestone was countered by a Massillon offensive attack which was more than happy to play ground-and-pound. That was especially true with the Tigers short-handed due to a handful of players sidelined for a variety of reasons, including some team-discipline related.

“We had guys out because of injury and we had guys out tonight because of program expectations,” Moore said.

Massillon ran the ball 23 times – one of which was a quarterback scramble – out of its 32 first-half plays. Those 23, however, still accounted for 172 net yards and all four first-half scores.

The Tigers would finish with 282 rushing yards on 37 attempts. They had 365 total yards on 48 plays for the game.

Jamir Thomas was the primary beneficiary of the run-first approach, as he topped the 100-yard plateau for the fifth game in a row by halftime. Thomas, who had 107 yards and two touchdowns on 10 first-half carries, finished with 110 yards and three scores for the game.

That total gives him 2,900 yards and 43 rushing touchdowns for his career. That leaves him 190 yards behind Art Hasting’s school-record 3,090 yards, and four scores behind Bob Glass’ record 47 rushing touchdowns.

Thomas’s scoring runs of 11 and 21 yards on the first two Tiger drives staked Massillon to a 14-0 lead with 3:42 remaining in the first quarter. His third scoring run, a 3-yarder on the first play of the third quarter, made it 35-0 Massillon.

Marcellus Blake and Zion Phifer also had first-half scores for Massillon. Blake’s 1-yard run made it 21-0 Tigers with :51 left in the first quarter, while Phifer added a 3-yard scoring burst with 3:29 left in the half for a 28-0 lead.

Jean-Luc Beasley added a fourth-quarter touchdown for Massillon.

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Chris Spielman Ohio State

Let’s Put Chris Spielman In the Pro Football Hall…

From the Pro Football Hall of Fame website:

The Modern-Era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019 is comprised of 102 players and coaches. Among the group announced are four first-year eligible players including tight end Tony Gonzalez, linebacker London Fletcher, cornerback Champ Bailey and safety Ed Reed.

The roster of nominees consists of 47 offensive players, 39 defensive players, five special teams players and 11 coaches. The Modern-Era nominees will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and, from there, to 15 finalists in January.

MODERN-ERA NOMINEES FOR THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2019

*Finalist in 2018; Underline indicates first year of eligibility (Players and coaches must have last played or coached at least five full seasons to be eligible for nomination. Therefore, any individual who last played or coached in 2013 are eligible for the first time in 2019).

QUARTERBACKS

(5) – Randall Cunningham, Dave Krieg, Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair

RUNNING BACKS

(14) — Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, Earnest Byner, Larry Centers, Corey Dillon, Eddie George, *Edgerrin James, Darryl Johnston, Eric Metcalf (WR/KR/PR), Clinton Portis, Fred Taylor, Herschel Walker (also KR), Chris Warren, Ricky Watters

WIDE RECEIVERS

(9) — *Isaac Bruce, Gary Clark, Henry Ellard (also PR), Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Sterling Sharpe, Rod Smith, Hines Ward

TIGHT ENDS

(4) — Mark Bavaro, Tony Gonzalez, Brent Jones, Jay Novacek

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

(15) — Willie Anderson (T), *Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Ray Donaldson (C), *Alan Faneca (G), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull (C), *Steve Hutchinson (G), Mike Kenn (T), Olin Kreutz (C), *Kevin Mawae (C/G), Tom Nalen (C), Chris Samuels (T), Richmond Webb (T), Steve Wisniewski (G)

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

(7) — La’Roi Glover (DT/NT), Russell Maryland (DT), Leslie O’Neal (DE), Simeon Rice (DE), Richard Seymour (DT), Neil Smith (DE), Bryant Young (DT)

LINEBACKERS

(14) — Carl Banks, Cornelius Bennett, Tedy Bruschi, London Fletcher, Seth Joyner, Wilber Marshall, Clay Matthews, Willie McGinest (also DE), Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Chris Spielman, Takeo Spikes, Darryl Talley, Zach Thomas

DEFENSIVE BACKS

(18) — Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Champ Bailey (CB), Ronde Barber (CB/S), Bill Bates (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Nick Collins (S), Thomas Everett (S), Rodney Harrison (S), *Ty Law (CB), Albert Lewis (CB), *John Lynch (S), Tim McDonald (S), Ed Reed (FS), Dennis Smith (S), Troy Vincent (CB), Adrian Wilson (S), Darren Woodson (S)

PUNTERS/KICKER

(3) — Jason Elam (K), Jeff Feagles (P), Sean Landeta (P)

SPECIAL TEAMS

(2) — Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB), Steve Tasker (ST also WR)

COACHES

(11) — Don Coryell, Bill Cowher, Tom Flores, Jim Hanifan, Mike Holmgren, Jimmy Johnson, Richie Petitbon, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, Clark Shaughnessy, Dick Vermeil

 

Eighteen finalists will be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on “Selection Saturday,” the day before Super Bowl LIII. The finalists will consist of 15 Modern-Era finalists, the recently named Senior Finalist, Johnny Robinson, and the Contributor Finalists, Pat Bowlen andGil Brandt.

The Selection Committee will meet on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019 in Atlanta, Ga. to elect the Class of 2019. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the selection process by-laws provide that between four and eight new members will be selected.

The Senior Finalist and Contributor Finalists are voted “yes” or “no” for election at the annual selection meeting and must receive at least 80 percent support from the Committee to be elected. The Modern-Era Finalists will be trimmed during the meeting from 15 to 10 and then from 10 to 5. The remaining five finalists will be voted on individually, “yes” or “no” and must receive the same 80 percent positive vote as the Senior and Contributors Finalists to earn election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Class of 2019 will be announced during the “NFL Honors” nationally broadcast award show that evening.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019 will be formally enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019 in Canton. The enshrinement is one of three marquee events, along with the Hall of Fame Game and the Concert for Legends, that are held in the spectacular Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium during Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls.

FAN VOTE

For the eighth consecutive year, fans can vote for their favorite Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees. Fans should visit www.nfl.com/hofvote to make their picks. The Class of 2019 fan vote is presented by Ford, the Official Automobile of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Massillon Tigers Letter Logo

Booster Club Report – Week 4

Scores from last week:

  • Varsity defeated Montclair, New Jersey, 49-7.
  • Junior Varsity defeated Walsh Jesuit, 56-0.
  • Freshmen defeated Walsh Jesuit, 25-13.
  • 8th Grade lost to Akron East, 14-0.
  • 7th Grade game vs. Tuscarawas Central Catholic was canceled.

This week’s schedule:

  • Tuesday – 7th Grade vs. Wooster at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday – 8th Grade vs. Akron Buchtel at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Thursday – Freshmen vs. Akron Firestone at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 6:00 pm
  • Friday – Varsity vs. Akron Firestone at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday – Junior Varsity vs. Akron Firestone at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 1:00 pm

Dean Clark (defensive back and wide receiver) and Justin Gaddis (center) were the guest co-captains.

Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback Coach Jarrett Troxler was the guest coach. “I didn’t expect it (Montclair victory) to go that way,” he said.  “They had some great players.”  A point of emphasis was that each week the coaches prepare the team offensively for what they believe the opponent’s defense will throw at them.  And each week there are surprises.  “We prepared for what they did on defense (previously),” said Troxler.  “But we get different fronts every week.”

Coach Troxler also addressed the play of junior quarterback Aidan Longwell.  “I thought he did a tremendous job with his maturity after the interception,” he stated.  “The 72-yard bomb after the sack.  That was a big moment for Aidan.”  In the Montclair game, Longwell completed 11 of 20 pass for 216 yards and five touchdowns.  The five TDs is second in the Massillon record book for touchdown passes thrown in a single game.  The record is currently held by Justin Zwick, who threw six TDs against Fremont Ross in 2001.  For the season, Aidan has completed 44 of 73 passes (60%) for 652 yards and 14 touchdowns.

“I thought Tre’von (Morgan) stepped up big time,” said the coach.  “This is what we expected (prior to the season).”  Morgan caught three passes, all going for touchdowns. For the season, Tre’von has 7 receptions for 108 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The 6′-6″, 215 lb. wide receiver has also put forth great effort in throwing downfield blocks to spring his teammates for large gains.

“I like where we are,” summed up Troxler.  “We’re right where we need to be.  But we need to get better.  We haven’t shown a lot on film.  But we continue to work on these in practice.”

Head Coach Nate Moore then reviewed the film from last Friday’s win and a few clips of this week’s opponent, Akron Firestone.  “I’m proud of our defensive performance, giving up just 43 yards.”

Turnovers also played a big role in the victory.  Twice the Tigers caused fumbles on kickoff returns.  Moore believes that Montclair was not prepared for the physical nature of the Massillon kickoff team.

Regarding his own team, he said that the Tigers continue to make some mistakes, but play really hard to minimize the impacts of the mistakes.

Massillon is 4-0 and is gearing to be 5-0 after this week’s game.  Firestone has struggled this year, which will make the task that much easier.  The Falcons are winless, with losses to Wadsworth (63-0), Copley (28-0), Revere (51-12) and Akron Buchtel (28-0).  But don’t expect the Tigers to take the game lightly.  All focus this week is only on Firestone.

Firestone offense:

  • Line averages 6’1″, 238
  • Best players are the two 6′-4″ wide receivers

Firestone defense:

  • LIne (4-front) averages 6’1″, 214
  • Best players are one linebacker and two linemen
  • Senior dominated

Four players go both ways.  Expect the Tigers to have both a size and physicality advantage.

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2018: Massillon 49, Montclair, NJ 7

Turnovers turn to touchdowns as Tigers torch Montclair

MASSILLON Turnovers are a football team’s worst enemy. They can also be a team’s best friend.

For Massillon, they were a little bit of both as it played host to New Jersey 2017 state champion Montclair on Friday night.

Game Action vs. Montclair

The Tigers found themselves in an early deficit thanks to an interception which was returned for a Mounties’ touchdown. However, they used Montclair fumbles on consecutive kickoffs to turn a tie game into an advantage, kick-starting Massillon to a 49-7 victory at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“The special-team units ran fast, hit hard,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore after his team improved to 4-0 with a visit from Firestone coming next week. “The ball popped out and we were able to recover a couple of those. Our offense was able to take advantage of it.”

Those back-to-back Mountie fumbles were two of three first-half turnovers they had. They also muffed a punt – on fourth-and-38, no less – to set up the Tigers’ for one more score before half, giving them a 35-7 advantage at the break.

It would be 42-7 on the first play of the second half after a 65-yard Jamir Thomas run. Thomas finished with 131 yards on 18 carries and the one score, giving him a fourth consecutive 100-plus-yard rushing performance.

“We’ve been giving stuff away,” said Montclair coach John Fiore, whose team fell to 1-2. “Even the 35-0 win (over Nutley, N.J., last week) should’ve been 70-0. We just give it away, give it away, give it away. Three fumbles in a row; missing a first down by an inch.

Massillon would begin emptying the bench after that run, which instituted the running-clock rule or the third consecutive game. It was the second time in that span the Tigers have basically played the entire second half under the rule.

Game Action vs. Montclair

Quarterback Aidan Longwell once again showed he likes Week 4. He threw a career-high five touchdowns – all in the first half – matching the five he threw in Week 4 a year ago against Ursuline.

That was all part of Longwell’s 11-of-20, 216-yard performance. All coming in the first half.

“They were loading the box on us,” Moore said. “Our receiving corps and our quarterback executed what they’re supposed to execute.”

At one point, Longwell threw touchdowns on four consecutive pass attempts. The only issue was that the first of those accounted for Montclair’s only score.

On a first-and-21 play from the Montclair 37, a pass attempt was deflected by a defender and intercepted by Walter King, who brought it back 66 yards for a Mountie touchdown. The 7-0 deficit, with 8:17 remaining in the first quarter, marked he second time in as many games the Tigers trailed early in a game.

That was one of two first-half interceptions by the Tigers. They also had one at the Mounties’ 2.

The deficit, as was the case a week earlier in a win over Warren Harding, didn’t last long. On a third-and-14 play from their own 28, Longwell hit Aydrik Ford on a post pattern for a 72-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 just 1:33 after the Montclair touchdown.

That’s when the Mounties began giving the ball up, and the Tigers were more than happy to turn those into points. The first fumbled kickoff return came at the Montclair 32.

Five plays after that, Longwell hit Tre’Von Morgan on a fade route down the left sideline for a 20-yard touchdown. Alex Bauer’s point-after kick gave the Tigers a 14-7 lead.

On the next kickoff, Montclair fumbled at its own 20. On the next play, Longwell and Ford hooked up to make it 21-7 Massillon with 3:52 left in the first quarter.

Morgan had three first-half catches for 51 yards, all of which went for touchdowns. Beyond the go-ahead 20-yard scoring catch, he added twoleaping grabs in the end zone in the second quartert to turn a 21-7 lead into a 35-7 cushion.

Not to be outdone was Ford, the Tigers’ statistical leader. He had a seven-catch, 162-yard first half, almost doubling his season output.

While the Tiger offense was putting up points, the defense was doing its part to keep the Mounties’ offense from finding a rhythm. The Mounties were held to just 45 net first-half yards, and only had two first-half first down, one of which came courtesy of a Massillon penalty.

In fact, two of the three Montclair first downs came thanks to Tiger flags. The Mounties finished with just 43 yards on 30 total plays.

The passing game which was a concern to Massillon’s defensive coaches never materialized. Montclair was just 2-of-12 throwing the ball for three yards.

“Listen, you can’t have 40 yards of offense,” Fiore said. “We just imploded.”

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2018: Massillon 51, Warren Harding 21

Tigers contain Adams, roll over Warren Harding

MASSILLON Kay’Ron Adams slipped through the line of scrimmage, out into the open and into the end zone for a Warren Harding touchdown.

Four plays into Friday night’s game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon was looking at two things it didn’t want to see. Adams getting free and a deficit on the scoreboard.

Those two things, however, wouldn’t endure for long.

Game action vs. Warren Harding

The Tigers would score on seven of their nine possessions, while the Raider running back could never really find the running lanes available he found on his scoring jaunt. All of those added up to a 51-21 win and Massillon’s first 3-0 start since 2014.

“We did well offensively all night,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said afterwards. “I’m proud of the way we executed for most of the night. … We’ll take 51 points.”

Adams, the physical and fast Warren senior running back, was the focal point of the Tiger defensive game plan throughout the week. As a junior, he had rushed for 202 yards and three scores in a 31-21 Massillon.

Two carries into Friday’s game, Adams looked to be on his way to another such night. He had 66 yards, 55 of those on his touchdown run which gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead 1:13 into the game.

Adams would add a 31-yard run on Warren’s second possession, which ended with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-23 from the Tiger 30. However, he wouldn’t have another run from scrimmage for more than 10 yards, as he finished with 123 yards on 20 carries.

Adams’ two longest plays in the final three quarters were receptions of 11 and 32 yards. The latter was a screen pass which went for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Game Action vs. Warren Harding

“It’s just playing hard, being disciplined, being in the right place, getting off blocks,” said Moore, whose team also recorded a safety when Nakoa Keefer picked up a second-quarter sack. “We tackled, wrapped up. You just go out and try to play really good defense.”

While Adams had Massillon’s full attention, the Tigers had their own runner worthy of a defense’s focus. And Jamir Thomas also wasted little time reminding the Raiders of that fact.

Thomas ripped off a 53-yard run to the Warren 3 on his first carry of the game, and tied the game with a 1-yard plunge two plays later. By the time Massillon hit the locked room with a 30-13 halftime lead, the senior running back had already topped the 100-yard plateau for the third time in as many games this season, with 149 yards on 17 first-half carries.

Thomas would finish with a career-high 262 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns. Massillon ran for 380 net yards as a team and finished with 550 total yards.

“They have weapons,” Warren coach Steve Arnold said. “(Thomas is) fast, strong and plays a demanding, physical style of football. He’s been here for a long time. I have a loss for words what they did offensively to our defense.”

Thomas may have had Warren’s attention, but it found itself distracted by Massillon’s aerial attack as well. Aidan Longwell threw three first-half touchdown – two of which went to Aydrik Ford, plus one to Tre’Von Morgan – as part of a 145-yard first-half effort.

Longwell finished 12-of-20 passing for 170 yards. He also ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

If there was an issue, though, for Massillon, it was its own miscues. The Tigers threw two interceptions – two of the three times their drives wouldn’t end in scores – as well as had a roughing-the-punter penalty.

The first pick set up an Elijah Taylor 1-yard run to pull Warren to within 23-13. The roughing call kept a drive alive which resulted in Adams’ second score, pulling the Raiders to within 37-21.

“We have plenty to work on,” said Moore, whose team finished the game with the ball on the Warren 1. “Plenty to work on.”

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2018: Massillon 49, Canton Glenoak 0

Tigers run wild, run past GlenOak23 hours ago

Chris Easterling – The Independent
PLAIN TWP. It was one of those nights at Bob Commings Field on Friday night.

It was a night where almost everything went right for Massillon, and everything went wrong for GlenOak. When it was all said and done, it was a night where the Tigers posted their biggest margin of victory since Week 5 of the 2016 season in rolling to a 49-0 win over the Golden Eagles.

Game action vs. Canton Glenoak

“(Massillon’s) a good football team,” said GlenOak coach Scott Garcia, whose team lost starting quarterback Kindel Richardson to a first-quarter injury. “They took it to us. They have it all. They’ve got an offensive line, the back – (Jamir) Thomas — is as good as they come, and they can spread you out at the same time. They present you a lot of problems.”

Massillon, 2-0 for the first time since 2014, had all of it on display in its biggest win since a 75-7 beating of Toledo Bowsher. The Tigers ran it, they threw it and they stifled GlenOak at every turn.

And that was just in opening up a 35-0 halftime lead.

“They showed that they’re focused,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “They showed they’re disciplined. They showed they play hard and really care about this season.”

The Tigers’ big night started with their big running back Thomas powering his way to 170 yards on 11 rushing attempts. All of those were in the first half, as he also ran for three touchdowns of 35, 53 and 49 yards.

Game Action vs. Canton Glenoak

The first two came on Massillon’s second and third possessions, giving it a 14-0 lead. The third came on the first play of the Tigers’ fifth drive, making it 21-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter.

“A really great night tonight,” Moore said of Thomas, who has 278 rushing yards in two games. “He really showed some flashes of some breakaway speed, which didn’t happen much last year. Glad to see that out of him.”

Thomas was just part of the Tigers’ rushing tandem that gained 254 yards in the first half and finished with 343 yards for the game. Zion Phifer, while he wasn’t able to get into the end zone, added 106 yards on eight carries.

Meanwhile, Aidan Longwell added four more touchdown passes, giving him seven on the season. He hit Aydrik Ford on scoring strikes of 35 and 46 yards, while tossing 18- and 17-yard scores to Jayden Ballard.

The final one to Ballard came on Longwell’s last pass of the night, giving the Tigers a 42-0 third-quarter lead. Longwell finished 8-of-13 for 151 yards with the four scores, but two other interceptions in the end zone.

Listen to Longwell’s TD pass to Ballard

“He’s our field general,” Moore said of Longwell. “He’s our quarterback. He’s the one who makes everything work. A couple picks tonight that we certainly don’t want but, he’ll bounce back.”

Longwell’s TD pass to Murphy

Game Action vs. Canton Glenoak

GlenOak, which suffered its worst loss since a similar 49-0 setback at McKinley in Week 4 of the 2005 season, is hoping to bounce back from consecutive tough Friday nights against potentially two of the best teams in the state. The Golden Eagles are 0-2 for the second consecutive season after setbacks to first Toledo Whitmer and now to Massillon.

It was a bit of injury thrown on top of insult, however, on this night with the loss of Richardson. The dynamic junior quarterback suffered what appeared to be a leg injury on GlenOak’s third series of the game after being sacked.

After Richardson was taken off the field on a stretcher, J.T. Cooke came in to play quarterback the rest of the way. Regardless of who the quarterback was, GlenOak finished the night with 76 total yards, 65 of those on the ground,

“We’ve to learn from it and move on,” said Garcia, whose team plays host to Royal Imperial Collegiate (Ont.) next Friday. “We have a lot of season left. Obviously, it’s going to be tough without our quarterback. I thought J.T. stepped up and did some decent things. We just have to get better. Right now, we’re playing with a JV football team.”

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

John McVay, Wall of Champions

John McVay always wanted to be a football coach.  You see, he was drawn to the profession when he saw first-hand the stability provided by some great leaders in the sport, specifically Massillon head coach Chuck Mather and Miami of Ohio coaches Woody Hayes and Ara Parseghian.  But eventually he would become much more than that.  Not only did McVay coach in the high school, college and professional arenas, he also served as general manager at the highest level, enjoying tremendous success in the process.  Here is his story.

John McVay was born on January 5, 1951, in Bellaire, Ohio, and moved shortly afterward to Massillon.  It was there in Tigertown that he received his first exposure to organized football.  His first two years of varsity play were under Coach Bud Houghton.  But his senior season saw a change in leadership when Chuck Mather arrived in town.  Mather’s tutelage provided the spark that would eventually launch McVay’s long career in football.

During McVay’s first season, which was his final year in high school, Mather fashioned a 9-1 record and a first place finish in the Associated Press state poll, ahead of Canton McKinley, which also finished 9-1.  John McVay was instrumental in this success and was named for his efforts as 2nd Team All-Ohio at the center position.  But McVay was also a good student at Massillon, as he was accepted into the National Honor Society.

College found him at Miami of Ohio, where he played his first two years under Woody Hayes.  Hayes finished 9-1 during his second year and then departed for Ohio State.  In came Ara Parseghian who, during McVay’s final two years there, recorded 15 wins in 19 starts.  Again McVay was right in the mix.  A 2-time MVP for Miami, McVay was also selected as All-Mid-American Conference center and served during his senior year as team captain.  With an education degree under his belt, he would later earn a Master’s Degree in School Administration at Kent State.

Now it was time for his dream job; i.e., coaching football.  After serving as an assistant at Lancaster High School for three years, McVay landed his first head coaching assignment at Franklin High School in 1956.  Although his team struggled during his only year there, he was able to return home the following year to assume the head reigns at Canton Central Catholic, a position he held for five years.  While there, McVay fashioned a fine record of 41-7, including a 9-1 mark in 1959, when his team finished 7th in the state.  When he departed, he was the winningest coach ever at Central.  Today, McVay is honored with a scholarship in his name.

McVay’s success at Central was notable and he was able to jump then to college.  His first stop was Michigan State University, where he served under legendary coach Duffy Daugherty.  Three years later, in 1965, he was hired as head coach at the University of Dayton.  During his eight years there, he recorded a record of 37-41-3, finishing 8-2 in 1962, which was one of the best marks in the Flyers’ history.

The World Football League, a short-lived venture started in 1974, called on McVay to coach Memphis.  He immediately signed three standout athletes from the Miami Dolphins that were nearing the ends of their playing careers in order to bolster attendance.  They included Paul Warfield, Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick (two are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame).  At Memphis, McVay finished a respectable 24-7, good enough to be named head coach of the New York Giants the following year.  He coached there for three seasons, which were his final years as a coach.  Following a 20-year span of head coaching assignments, McVay had won 117 games against 85 losses and 6 ties.

But he wasn’t done with football just yet.  In 1979, McVay was hired by the San Francisco 49ers to become Vice President and General Manager, a position he held for 18 years.  Under his leadership, McVay stocked the team with some outstanding players, including Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley and Fred Dean.  In all, he brought in some 50 players who were later selected as All-Pro.  But his crowning achievement was the five Super Bowl Championships captured by the 49ers during his tenure.  Coach Bill Walsh once said, “It’s quite possible that the 49ers would not have won five Super Bowls had it not been for John McVay.”

And the beat goes on.  His grandson, Sean McVay, is the current head coach of the Los Angeles Rams.

McVay has been inducted into the following halls of fame:

  • Massillon High School Wall of Champions, 1963 (charter member)
  • Massillon High School Distinguished Citizen, 1996
  • Massillon High School Tiger Football  Hall of Fame, 2016
  • Stark County, Ohio, High School Hall of Fame, 2005
  • Miami of Ohio University Football Red Hawks, 1977
  • San Francisco 49ers, 2013
  • San Francisco Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, 2018

John died on November 1, 2022, in Granite Bay, California.

Can the Pro Football Hall of Fame be far off for John McVay?

Mike Riordan provided the materials for this story.

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2018: Massillon 35 , Akron St. Vincent St. Mary…

Tigers defense steals show in stifling St. V-M

MASSILLON The storyline going into Friday night’s season opener between Massillon and St. Vincent-St. Mary was simple. It would be the Tigers’ talent-laden offense against the Irish experienced and strong defense.

Turns out, someone forgot to tell the Massillon defense it was going to have to take second billing.

The Tigers forced four St.Vincent-St. Mary turnovers, while stifling the Irish offense most of the night, to help key a 35-7 victory at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“I thought we really controlled the line of scrimmage,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “I thought our front seven played really well. I thought they did a good job of reading their keys. A lot of mid-direction stuff and jet-sweep stuff and they did a really good job with that.”

The key to the Tiger defensive effort, as much as the takeaways, was the way they did not allow the Irish to get their running game established. At least, not with highly-regarded tailback Terrance Keyes Jr.

A year after rushing for 198 yards against Massillon in a 13-10 Irish win in Week 9, Keyes was held to just 10 yards on 11 carries. As a team, St. Vincent-St. Mary had just 85 rushing yards on 32 carries, including just 20 yards on 14 second-half carries.

“I think we definitely had trouble establishing the run,” said Irish coach Bobby Nickol, who was making his head-coaching debut. “There was a couple of small things we wanted to do, get the passing game going (because) we thought there was a couple of holes we were going to be able to take advantage of. We knew they were athletic; we knew that blocking-scheme-wise, we had to do a couple of different things up front to keep their blitzing off-base.”

The Tigers, though, made sure that even when St. Vincent-St. Mary was able to get things going, it didn’t go far. Of the four takeaways Massillon had, three of those came in its territory.

The first, a fumble recovery by Deon Williams a the Tiger 45 on the Irish’s first possession, set up Massillon’s first score. Aidan Longwell hit Aydrik Ford on a 24-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-seven play to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter.

It was one of three touchdown passes by Longwell, who was 14-of-21 for 150 yards. He added second-half scoring tosses to Tre’Von Morgan and Dean Clark, which helped to blow open what had been a 21-7 game at the half.

“We were efficient in the passing game at times,” said Moore, whose team ran for 177 yards, including 109 yards and a score by senior Jamir Thomas. “There’s some things we have to sharpen up.”

The Irish helped to turn the relatively close game at the break into a lopsided one with giveaways on three of its first four second-half possessions. Ben Krichbaum recovered a pair of fumbles on strip sacks for Massillon, while also intercepting a pass at the Tiger 15.

It was more than just turnovers which helped the Tigers turn away the Irish. They also managed to swing momentum to their side almost instantaneously after St. Vincent-St. Mary appeared to get it going its way.

The Irish capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive when Luke Lindsay hit Joshua Jones on a 19-yard fade route to tie the game at 7-7 with 8:53 remaining in the first half. Massillon, though, turned the subsequent kickoff into an 88-yard Tyree Broyles touchdown for a 14-7 lead which it would never relinquish.

“It was freaking huge,” Nickol said of Broyles’ return. “It was absolutely huge. It’s 7-7, we have a lot of momentum going and things are kind of pushing our way. … As soon as he brings that back, it just kind of took the wind out of our sails.”

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club President 2006 - Ben Bradley

Ben Bradley – Wall of Champions

Ben Bradley Was a Giant of a Man On and Off the Field

Research material provided by Mike Riordan.

He seemed larger than life when he trotted onto the field prior to the Ohio High School North-South All-Star Game.  He was 6’-2”, 282 lbs., dwarfing future NFL Hall-of-Fame teammate Alan Page.  And at the time he was the largest player to ever don a Massillon Tiger Jersey.  But he was also a gentle giant, devoting his later years to making Massillon a better place.

Ben Bradley at WHS

“Big Ben” Bradley was born in Anderson, Alabama, to parents Oscar and Blanche, on November 26, 1944.  Early in life the family moved to Massillon and as a high schooler Ben took up the sports of football, wrestling and track.  He also sang in the choir.  But it was football where Ben made his mark.  At a time when high school lineman weighed in from 175 to 200 lbs., Ben played his sophomore season at 6’-0, 220 lbs. and grew to 6’-2”, 265 lbs. by the time his senior season rolled around.

Playing under the very successful Coach Leo Strang, his teams finished 10-1 in 1960 (state champs), 11-0 in 1961 (2nd in the state A.P. poll, 1st in the state UPI poll), and 6-5 in 1962.  Along the way, he had two opportunities to play in the annual Massillon-McKinley fracas and his team was victorious both times.

Ben’s normal position was center, but he occasionally filled in at offensive tackle when needed.  In recognition of his outstanding play, he was named All-Stark County in 1961 and 1962, and 1st Team A.P. All-Ohio in 1962, while being named that year as a Massillon Co-Captain and subsequently its most valuable player.  The awards didn’t stop there as they moved to the national scene, where was named 1st Team Pre-Season All-American by “Complete Sports” magazine and 1st Team All-American by “Scholastic Coach” magazine.

High School football success brought Ben to the University of Dayton, where he continued his football career and was named Outstanding Freshman Football Player.  He eventually transferred to Northwood Institute College in Michigan to complete his studies.  At Northwood, he continued to excel on the gridiron and was named 1st Team NAIA Conference at Offensive Tackle.  Ben was eventually drafted in 1967 by both the NFL Kansas City Chiefs and the Montreal Allouettes of the Canadian Football League.

Post-football, Ben spent his entire career with General Motors and retired in 1993 as General Supervisor of Inland GM, Lake St. Louis, Missouri.  He remained active in Massillon, but died too young on June 8, 2008 at the age of 63.

In 2008, Bradley was inducted into the Massillon Wall of Champions and 2019 he was inducted into the Tiger Football hall of Fame.

“Big Ben” was a true community role model.  In fact, his accomplishments on the football field are rather insignificant when compared to his community involvement.  But never one to stay away from football, Ben also took a turn in 2006 as President of the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club.  In addition, he also held these positions, when he wasn’t selling tickets for the freshmen and JV games:

  • Athletic Advisory Council, President
  • Second and first vice president of the Massillon Tiger Booster Club (2005, 2006)
  • Incumbent 2008 President of the Massillon Tiger Touchdown Club

Away from sports, Ben was heavily engaged in community organizations, including:

  • Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Stark County Community Action Agency Committee
  • Member of the Massillon Parks and Recreation Board
  • City Planning Commissiondon n
  • African American Men’s Association
  • Member of the Mayor’s Drug Task Force
  • Trustee at Friendship Baptist Church
  • Board Member of the Lion’s Lincoln Theater (1st African-American)
  • Board of Directors, Lighthouse Visions, Inc., President 2004 and 2008
  • Chairman of the Board of the Civil Service Commission, 2008

Esther Bryan, founder of Lighthouse Visions, honored Ben with the creation of the Benjamin T. Bradley scholarship.  This is awarded annually to a worthy Massillon-area college student.  Also, Ben was so beloved in the community that they named Bradley Place senior apartments after him in 2010.

“Big Ben” certainly accomplished his goal of leaving Massillon a better place than he found it.

Bradley Place
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

Tigers to unveil new scoreboard and features in 2018

The Tigers open the 2018 home schedule on Friday August 24th against Akron St. Vincent St. Mary and will do so with a new addition to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium; a brand new scoreboard.

The new scoreboard is an upgrade of the scoreboard/video board in the south endzone from 2005 through the 2017 season. The new scoreboard will fit within the same framework as the scoreboard constructed in 2005 (27 ½ ‘ H x 81’ W).

Developed in partnership with Daktronics, the new scoreboard digital area measures 21’ H x 69’ W and can show live video, making it one of the largest high school video boards in Ohio. (NOTE: A High School in Georgia has the “Largest” but they are unable to show LIVE video on it). Putting the size into perspective, the old scoreboard replay area measured approximately 15’ H x 19’ W.

With a digital area measuring approximately 1,449 square feet in size, the new board is a whopping 408 percent larger than the former digital scoreboard area. To put that into context, it’s the equivalent of approximately 290 60-inch televisions. The scoreboard also features 1.7 million LED lights, and high-definition 1080p technology.

“The picture will be much clearer than the old one. The pixel spacing on the old board was 23mm. The new one is 15mm spacing. (Same as FirstEnergy Stadium)” – Dave Wagner (Scoreboard Operations Manager)

The new state of the art scoreboard/video board is full LED meaning replays and live video will be crisp and easy to see. The board from an operation standpoint is fully dynamic meaning it can be configured in a variety of ways to accommodate various events going on at PBTS.  With the ability to record UP TO 8 different cameras for replay at one time it will give a whole new experience to PBTS. “It is believed WHS-TV should have at least 4 cameras from WHS-TV every home game.” says Wagner

“With that said, we will be able to show more information and graphics on the screen than we have ever been able to do.” said Wagner

Also being upgraded is the Lincoln Way marquee. Using the current and existing framework the marquee will also be full LED digital display.

The old scoreboard is currently in the process of being removed. Deconstruction began on Monday July 9th. Below are some photos of the removal process.

Thank You to the sponsors of the new scoreboard: MCTV, Massillon City Schools, Aultman, Huntington, Spectrum Orthopedics, Midwestern Industries, WHS Class of 1983, Freshmark, Walsh University, and BellStores.