Story about Ironton...

[sturg85]

I heard a story awhile back that former Ohio State coach Earl Bruce flew in on a helicopter to a Ironton game and landed on the practice field and went over to the press box to watch Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education Vs Ironton. He was there for Carlos Snow who was a good RB for Ohio state. I believe it was 1986 but anyways just thought it was a good story to share..anyone remember this or heard about it?

[The Oaf]

yep, it's true, absolutely true.......and Ironton won

[kantuckyII]

The head coach of Louisville was also in attendance. They weren't just there to see Carlos Snow. Ironton and CAPE both had a couple of boys that they were interested in. Vinnie Clark was on the CAPE team and had a great college career and then played for the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This was in 1986, C.A.P.E. was ranked 1st the state, Ironton was ranked 2nd. Ironton won the game but it took a big toll on the Tigers who lost in the first round to St. Clairsville at Tank Stadium in a pouring rain in the opening game of the playoffs that year. Injuries suffered from the CAPE game were a huge part of the loss. I was standing on the visitor's side as I had to work midnight shift that night and wanted to make sure I got out quickly so I wouldn't be late. I recall their fans cat calls and jeers and they were sure they were going to win the state after defeating the Tigers, 29 - 14. I thought to myself they were going to be mighty disappointed as it sure wasn't the same team that defeated CAPE two weeks before.

If you're interested, you can actually purchase a video of the CAPE - Ironton game from Sam and Penny Heighton who film for the high school and put together awesome end year videos for the kids. It's an great game to watch and it's amazing just how much Ironton has changed from those days. Then, it looked like a small college production rather than a high school game. Oh..and Sam and Penny capture the fans rushing to their seats immediately after the gates are open..I mean, they are literally running to get a seat. It's a fun game to watch!

[NY BUCKS]

ITS Real fun to be part of something like that.Its like magic everything your team does its the right way.

[85inside]

the best high school atmosphere that I have ever seen. CAPE jumped out to a 2 TD lead, but I believe ironton scored right before halftime. Ironton won by a TD. I do believe CAPE went on to win the state title that year, after Ironton was upset at home to St Clairsville.

[kantuckyII]

I didn't understand why CAPE's coach decided to go to the air against the Tigers in the second half. Then again, the boys from Ironton were just giving up their bods pounding Snow. I'm sure he woke up as sore as he'd ever been the next day but he was still gaining several yards a carry..every carry. He was a brute!

[yabbadabbadoo]

Yeah, that was the same year that they came to the Burg for a first round playoff game and beat the Burg 37-6. Snow ran all over them in the first half and then it drizzled a little in the second half and he didn't get as many yards, but by then the damage had been done.


I remember that playoff game against St. Clairsville the next night. My brother had some friends from St. C, as that is what they called themselves and man did it rain. It was raining so hard at one point that you couldn't even see the homestands.

[FANOSPORTS]

My dad and I drove down from Meigs county to watch the CAPE game that year and it was something special. Yep, the Earle of Bruce flew in on a helicopter to watch Snow and Vinnie Clark. CAPE jumped on Ironton early as Snow had one huge run down the visitor sideline for a td but then Ironton settled down and played good ball the rest of the game. It was a long ride back up 93 to Oak Hill and then to Rt. 35 to Rt. 7 after the game but we got out monies worth that night. We talked about the game all the way up the road, had a few pop tops along the way and before we got into Gallipolis got stopped by a State Trooper for a tail light or something. He came up to the car, asked us where we were going (there were empties on the floorboard) and I told him we were headed up Pomeroy-Middleport way from Ironton where we had been to the see the game, talked about it for a minute, he said drive safely and let us go. He could have got us for open flask and maybe even DUI but we were truthful with his questions and we did have a good time that night for sure.

[kantuckyII]

yabbadabbadoo, I wished you could have heard the way a bunch of St. Clairsville's fans were yelling at their coach when they played Ironton. I think many coaches would have had the police removed them, they were that bad. The kids on the team kept looking back into the stands as they'd be yelling him down instructions and telling him that he better not blow it and stuff like that.

[tl895]

was that also the night it rained so hard a duck landed in a puddle of water on the 50? or was that another cape game? i was at both. bruce flying in was almost a surreal setting out of a movie. kinda like the pope making a visit

[kantuckyII]

The duck landing on the field was the CAPE game. I had to work evening shift that evening. My foreman, knowing how much I loved the Tigers..as he went around the room handing out job assignments, told me to go clean an office trailer that was unoccupied on evening shift. He said, 'go clean that trailer and..there's a radio in there by the way' That was pretty decent of the guy. When that game kept going into overtime, I just kept mopping in case someone came to get me to work somewhere else if they seen I was done. That floor was really spotless that evening!

[victor creed]

the duck in the middle of the field was in fact the c.a.p.e. game but it was not the 86 game with clark, and snow. the duck bowl as it came to be known in ironton was 2 years later, when c.a.p.e. came back to town. final score was ironton 6 and cape 0. i am fortunate enough to have a copy of both games. i happened to be at a wheelersburg playoff game in the mid 90's and ended up sitting behind a guy who happened to turn around and see my tigers hat. he informed me that he had played on the 86 cape team and how great it was playing ironton. we talked the entire game about the games that ironton and cape had played from 84 to 88. he was a pretty nice guy but he said one thing that really puzzled me, that the games in 85 and 86 that they had played against ironton, which are the only 2 games snow played in that he didnt score. that the game plan was to make snow the decoy so that they could keep irontons defense guessing. the entire time i was thinking, if you had a running back like carlos snow why in the world would you use him as a decoy.

[Sweet Pea]

if carlos snow wasn't running....then who was the guy that ran for like 350 yards in 84 or 85? I thought that was snow - with TD runs of like 83,70,65,53 that yr.... anyone have any clue??

thanks,
late,
sweetpea

[IronTigerMum]

Remember it well...

[The Flying Dutchman]

When Bruce entered the gate on the visitors side, the late George "Mush" McMillen decided he would be Bruce's escort and he cleared the way for Earle all the way to the pressbox. Bruce came to see Snow and Clark but came away very impressed with a Tiger Sophomore by the name of Bobby Brice.

[BigDintigertown775]

My dad won the game ball for that game. I have it on my desk. I was a freshman at the time and had a sideline seat on the CAPE side. Snow would come off the field shaking his head cause he couldnt do anything against us. Charlie Spencer absolutely drilled him about every play whether he had the ball or not. Great Game!

[ItownHosscat]

I bet money sez Ol Charlie had a smile on his face every hit too.

[BigDintigertown775]

u bet he did1

[Tjhtygeverve]

i was in the student section of the Ironton side aisle pressed against the wall.. NO ONE sat down, and every time the tigers or crusaders did anything my body and sometimes face would get whipped against the wall of the stadium... as a spectator, i had bruises. when we won, i got pushed down the stairs with my friends, and stomped on.. great fun... really...

[rachelcreek]

I think, after Carlos Snow ripped through Ironton in 1984, Snow did not score in his last two games vs. Ironton.
Ironton lost at C.A.P.E. in 1985, but kept Snow out of the end zone. Same again in 1986, but Ironton wins this
game in epic fashion. Met Earle Bruce ten years later as he was in line for the press box elevator at Ohio Stadium.
I asked him if he remembered "coptering" in behind Tank Stadium for the '86 Ironton-C.A.P.E. game. He said he
did, and confirmed again, that although in search of Carlos Snow and Vincent Clark (who scored C.A.P.E.'s two
touchdowns that night), recalled seeing an Ironton player who had a big game at tailback...the first time he had
played the position. Bruce was remembering Bobby Brice. He asked what ever became of Brice, and after catching
him up on Brice after his Ironton career ended following the 1987 season, the elevator he was waiting for opened up
and he was gone.

The C.A.P.E. series with Ironton whipped extra excitement in to the history of Ironton football at Tank Stadium.

I think Heath Brownstead scored the winning touchdown in the "Duck Bowl" overtime game with C.A.P.E. in 1988.
Classic stuff.