Should-a, Could-a, Epilog on the Tigers 1970 Season

We should have beaten Cowpens. We could have beaten Hendersonville. We would have liked to been able to play both of them at the end of the season when we were at our strongest. Eight wins tied Coach Neal's most wins for the regular season in Tryon. Not bad for the smallest public school in North Carolina to field a football team - and playing up in a conference with schools 3 to 4 times bigger. We would have been a movie if we'd won those two games - could have done for NC football what the movie Hoosiers did for Indiana.

How good were the tigers?:

• Ken Warrington scored 107 points
• Only 13 points were scored on the tigers by conference teams
• Only two extra points were made on the tigers (ironically - those two points contributed to both losses)
• The tigers outscored opponents 216 to  56
• Hendersonville's Robbie McManus, "Tryon was the hardest hitting club I played against. They really came across the line at you"
• Edneyville's Vic Pryor, "Tryon was the toughest team we faced. They had a good defense and were hard to block. We couldn't move the ball against them. They had size and they could hit"
• Hendersonville's Phil Dietz, "Tryon hit me real hard, as hard as any club all year"
• Edneyville's Tommy McCall, "Tryon and T.C. hit me as hard as anybody"
• Hendersonville's Birdie Johnson, "Tryon was the toughest club I faced".

So, why were the Tigers good. What was in the mixture that caused Curt Eargle, long time Harmon Field commissioner, to announce after the first game that "Big Time Football" had arrived in Tryon?

Certainly the student body and community were supportive. There were big crowds, home and away, no matter the weather. The band may have been the best ever - with new shows every football game.

Coach Neal and Ken Warrington

Certainly the two folks above were major factors. One sports writer said it was Coach Neal's best effort. Certainly, the seniors saw a side of him that was not visible in the past - stopping "head on tackling" drills - allowing seniors to change the defense - asking for jokes before a game with a rival - all examples of situational leadership. Had this been done in the past and only obvious to seniors? The coaching staff was well organized and enthusiastic. Everything clicked.

And then there was Warrington. If Ken had speed or size he would be in the NFL hall of fame today. There might have never been a better game player in the history of Tryon. How many players have split their helmet dishing out punishment while running the football as Ken did. And Ken also dished it out on defense! Hendersonville's John Wilson said, "Ken Warrington was the hardest runner I faced. He was real tough". Hendersonville's Birdie Johnson said, "I never got a solid lick at Warrington". Several coaches called Warrington, "a blue chipper". Ken made the all-conference and all-WNC teams and walked on and played freshman ball for UNC.

Bob Willis at Rest

But there were others on the team - Bob Willis (pictured above) was one of them. Hendersonville's Birdie Johnson said of Bob, "Their center racked me all night long". Bob wasn't fast, but he was persistent - probably one of the best blocking centers in Tryon history. Bob was also an interesting character - getting up at 4 am to deliver two newspapers (that's why he napped a lot) - reading books at every break - and was class valedictorian. Bob made all-conference, played ball at Haverford College, and is now a lawyer.

Joe Covil

The team was also successful because of players like Joe "Roger" Covil. Joe wouldn't have been able to play at most schools. He had a bad knee, bad shoulder, and when excited, talked in a foreign language (at least foreign to us). He weighed in at 137 pounds, if he had just eaten a big meal and was soaking wet. But Joe was an immovable object and never complained - really an inspiration. I found out latter that Joe said he got the team through school by allowing everyone to look at his papers - we just thought Willis was smart.

But, something could be said for every senior on the team. Personalities and issues were checked at the door. Everyone was focussed on making the team better - and for a season - we almost made it happen.

Other team members making all-conference were: Mike Burns, Jim Vining, Larry Durham, Nathan Shields, and Lee Glenn. Click here for copies of season end articles.