750th win latest milestone in long tradition of OHS football

September 23, 2019 | 1:03 am

Updated September 23, 2019 | 1:03 am

Illustration by The Owensboro Times

While win number 750 was a monumental milestone for the Owensboro High School football program Friday night, it’s only the latest achievement in a storied history.

Since the team formed in 1895 — a mere 24 years after the school itself began — the Red Devils have continued to build a lasting tradition of success full of impressive feats.

Several generations of Red Devils have shared in the success of the football program, and current head coach Jay Fallin was ecstatic to play a role in the milestone.

“When you play football at Owensboro High School, the tradition of excellence means something to us,” he said. “Getting to be a part of that tradition and casting your legacy on that tradition is something that means a lot to our kids.”

Several members of this year’s team have parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents that were once Red Devil greats. The strong sense of pride that surrounds the football program transcends across generations of faithful alumni and the Owensboro school community.

“So many of our kids are second- and third-generation football players,” Fallin said. “Their fathers and grandfathers and uncles and older brothers and cousins played here, and they instilled that love for Red Devil football in them, and they want to be able to tell their kids and grandkids 50 years from now about the role they played in the 750th victory.”

En route to their 750th win, the Red Devils have built quite a resume on the field. The program boasts 29 city-county championships since its formation in 1971, and they’ve had nearly 20 players compete in the Border Bowl, an all-star game that features the finest players from Kentucky and Tennessee.

Owensboro experienced undefeated seasons in 1897, 1904, 1906, 1909, 1914, 1917, 1929, 1945 and 1974. They’ve won four state championships, three of which occurred after the Kentucky High School Athletic Association began sponsoring football in 1959. Those titles came in 1917, 1974, 1983 and 1986.

It’s difficult to pinpoint their best team, but arguably their longest stint of success came in the early 1970s when the Red Devils recorded 28 consecutive victories from 1973 to 1975. Gerald Poynter was the coach at the time, and he helped lead the team to the 1974 state title.

Other state championship coaches include Arther Acker and Larry Moore, who is the only coach to lead the program to multiple state titles (1983 and 1986).

In achieving win number 750, Owensboro became the seventh all-time winningest program in Kentucky football history. Fallin is hopeful that his Devils will continue in their winning ways, but more than anything he hopes that this generation of players will continue to preserve the tradition that so many greats helped to mold before them.

“Hopefully four or five years from now, when we’re going for win number 800, all these guys will be sitting in the stands cheering on the next group of Red Devils,” he said. “That’s how the tradition moves forward, and it definitely matters to us.”

September 23, 2019 | 1:03 am

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