kicking...senior year

Though Central was the perennial Macon football giant, the Warner Robins schools were becoming powerhouses, with Air Force families to draw from. Macon athletic resources were split between three high schools. Facilities were old and run down. With the state championship, Coach Brodie broke our hearts and defected south to Tift County, taking his entire staff with him. In his place came a group from another strong team, West Rome. The strong senior class was also gone, including the state player of the year. QB Mike Jolly.

We struggled in 1976, barely making it to the first round of the playoffs. In a repeat of the last year, the new coaches were also enamored with Kurtz’s distance, only to also discover his inconsistency. In an early season game we scored first, and my extra point made it seven to nothing. Our opponents scored, but were unable to convert the point after, and we won 7-6. The article in the paper incorrectly had holder Randy Griffin kicking “what proved to be the game-winner”…robbing me of my moment in glory. Later in the year we won two similar 7-6 games, and once the paper made the same mistake.

In one home game on a wet Porter Stadium field, I attempted a 39 yard field goal from the hash mark, using a hard-to-kick rubber ball. It was a tough attempt that missed, so I quickly shrugged it off. Behind at halftime, Coach Parker was livid. During his tirade, he mentioned “Murphy can’t kick a field goal.” I had forgotten I even made an attempt!

We traveled to International Stadium to play the nationally ranked Warner Robins Demons, led by their three dominate seniors. Jimmy Womack would go on to block for Herschel Walker at UGA. Russell Simmons would star on the FSU defensive line, and later become a popular professional wrestler. James Brooks went on to Auburn and the NFL, retiring as the Cinncinati Bengals all-time leading rusher. We lost 44-0, and I was proud that Brooks didn’t score on my lone kickoff to open the game. I actually got a hand on Brooks during the return, though it would be stretching it to say I made the tackle. I ran off the field and put my helmet on the bench. I then made a mistake…I borrowed a comb to smooth my long hair before doffing a ball cap, an act noticed by friends and family in the stands.

Our season ended with a first round playoff loss in Augusta. Our only score was a field goal that I kicked high and true. On the ensuing kickoff, for some reason the ball wouldn’t stay on the tee, and we had to have someone hold it upright.

As the playoffs wound down, I eagerly awaited the newspaper’s all-city team, hoping to finally make the honor. The previous year several teammates from the state championship team made all-city, but the kicker was the talented running back Dazvan. They didn’t have room for him in the backfield, so they gave him the kicker slot! But this year the all-city team was published without a kicker! I couldn’t win!