Outstanding speed led Warren Harding to first state title

The Panthers turned a 13-0 halftime lead into a 41-8 rout over Upper Arlington.
By BILL SULLIVAN
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
WARREN -- For the 1974 Warren Harding High football team, Valentine Day fell in late November.
In the state championship game against Upper Arlington, fullback Jim Valentine scored third-quarter touchdowns on runs of 79 and 74 yards as Harding routed the Golden Bears 41-8.
The Class AAA title game, played at the Akron Rubber Bowl, drew 19,253 fans.
Valentine (5-foot-10, 225-pounds) helped the Panthers turn a 13-0 lead at the halftime into a commanding 27-0 margin.
Valentine ran just six times in the game for 169 yards, about 28-yards per carry. On the season Valentine used his 4.7 speed in the 40 to gain 791 yards on 104 carries.
John Henry Ziegler scored first for Harding (11-1) in the title game, covering 12 yards for a first-quarter score. On the season Ziegler had 218 carries for 1,801 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Quarterback Jim Richburg added the conversion kick. Ziegler scored on a 36-yard run in the second quarter.
Richburg ran for a conversion after the Valentine 79-yard scoring dash to make it 21-0.
Richburg scored from the 2 and his placement made it 34-8, still in the third. On the season Richburg had 419 yards on 90 carries.
In the fourth quarter Terry McCoy blocked an Upper Arlington punt and Kelton Dansler returned the loose ball for a 5-yard score.
Scott Ingram added the conversion kick to round out the scoring.
Coaching
Ed Glass was the head coach of Harding that championship season and Tom Ross was the offensive coordinator.
The following season Glass became head coach at Hubbard High School where he stayed six years until the North Canton Hoover job opened. Glass coached the Vikings 15 seasons until he retired with a 164-106-1 record.
Ross followed Glass at Harding and was the head coach there for five seasons.
"In 1973, 21 of our 22 starters were juniors," recalled Ross. "We took our lumps early then we came on, gearing up for the 1974 season."
Ross said the team speed of the 1974 squad made it so unique. He said 21 of the 22 players ran the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds and under.
The biggest regular lineman was just over 200 pounds.
"They were undefeated as freshmen and that carried over," said Glass. "They were going to be successful and would not take losing as an option."
Rallying point
Glass saw the regular-season setback to Canton McKinley as a rallying point. "When we lost to McKinley, our quarterback suffered a separated shoulder on the first play. We weren't at full speed."
Upper Arlington's defense committed to stop Ziegler and Richburg and slacked off on Valentine.
"They made a defensive adjustment," said Glass. "We were running the dive option to the tight end side.
"They didn't adjust for the fullback. Valentine was a blocker; he was a bear. He was free to run."
The Panthers used their tremendous speed to run the ball well, averaging an incredible 6.9 yards a carry.
But, they were not much of a passing team. In 12 games Harding was just 14-for-52 passing. Jackie Hudson (5-9, 145) was to top receiver with 11 receptions for five touchdowns.
Tyrone Hicks, who went on to win a Big Ten sprinting title as a freshman on the Ohio State track team, was a reserve running back at Harding as a junior. He ran 39 times for 216 yards, a 6.6-yard average.
"We had no real reason to throw," said Glass.
"In 1974 their times were blinding compared to the kids they were playing," said Glass.
"We were just a lot faster than our opponents. We were really a dedicated team."
sullivan@vindy.com