After going 11-1 and falling to eventual Class 3A state champion Carmel in the 1978 regional, John Stafford had an idea that his Columbus East football team could be pretty good in 1979.
The Olympians proved their coach right. Led by quarterback Blair Kiel, they went 13-0, and 40 years ago today, they captured the school’s first state championship just seven years after the split of Columbus High School into Columbus North and East.
"We thought we were going to be pretty good again, and we were," Stafford said. "Blair was a senior that year, and then we had Glen Spinks and Jerry Buchanan and Brian Tooley that had great size. They were big at that time."
Tooley, who weighed 270 pounds, Spinks (255) and Buchanan (240) anchored the Olympians offensive line. They opened holes for running back Tom Hendrickson and fullback Anthony Young-Bey and gave Blair Kiel time to throw to receivers Brian Perry, Wiley Umphress and Jimmy Warner and tight ends Doug Kamman and Kip Kiel.
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"It just kind of fell into place," Stafford said. "The thing that really helped though, was we had a great defense that year."
That defense shut out its first five opponents, posted six shutouts in all and set a state record with 35 interceptions.
Defensive tackles Buchanan and Spinks and 148-pound nose guard Brian Whipker anchored the defensive line. Tim Bokelman and Tony Murphy were the cornerbacks, and the late Kenny Davis and Vince James played safety. Kip Kiel and Hendrickson were the inside linebackers.
"In all my years of coaching, they’re the two best linebackers I ever had," Stafford said.
The road to a title
The success of East’s football program wasn’t immediate. The Olympians went 0-10 in their first year, 1972.
East improved to 3-7 in 1973, then went 4-6, 5-5 and 6-4 the next three years. The Olympians went 5-5 in 1977 before putting together the 11-1 season in 1978.
Stafford remembers the initial 1972 season.
"We played a varsity schedule with sophomores and juniors, and it was a rough year," Stafford said. "We got cheered when we made a first down. We scored three touchdowns on the year, and then seven years later, we won the state. We just made a good progression, got a great group of kids in there that were very coachable and very talented."
In 1979, East blitzed through its first five opponents by a combined score of 155-0. The closest game was a 10-0 victory against Columbus North in Week 2.
The Olympians closest contest came in Week 6, a 17-14 victory against Bloomington North. East then rolled to lopsided wins the final four games of the regular season, beating an undefeated Bedford North Lawrence team 34-6 in the finale.
At that time, only 24 teams — eight in each of three classes — made the playoffs. The Olympians matched up against Bedford again in the sectional and won the rematch 21-0.
In the regional, East beat Bishop Chatard 20-14 in a game played at North Central High School. That put the Olympians in the state finals for the first time.
Winning a championship
A week after beating Chatard, East returned to North Central for the title game against an undefeated Hobart team from northwest Indiana.
In the first half, a block from Young-Bey sprang Hendrickson for a long touchdown run.
"It was an awesome feeling," Young-Bey said. "I remember Tommy’s first touchdown, being able to throw a block for that, and seeing him go down that sideline for a touchdown was just an amazing sight."
The game was tied 14-14 in the final minute of the first half when Blair Kiel found his brother Kip for what would prove to be the winning touchdown.
Neither team scored in the second half, allowing the Olympians to hang on for a 21-14 win.
"I’ve watched it several times on video," Young-Bey said. "It was probably the quickest game I ever played. I didn’t feel like I got in a good rhythm, and the game was over."
The victory was extra special for Kamman, who was celebrating his 18th birthday.
"I was fortunate because I played basketball, and I hadn’t played football since ninth grade," Kamman said. "Blair and I were best friends, so he and I were together all the time. Blair said, ‘You have to come out and play. We’re going to be awesome this year.’ So I decided to come out and play football that year, and we actually won the state championship on my birthday."
East came back in 1980 and won its first nine games before falling to Bedford in the regular-season finale and Martinsville in the sectional.
The Olympians wouldn’t return to state until 2013, when they went 15-0 under Bob Gaddis and won the Class 4A title. Gaddis led East back to the 5A state final in 2016 and the 5A title in 2017.
Looking back
A few players from the 1979 team played college football, but the collective team was greater than the individuals.
"I remember just what a tight-knit group it was," Kamman said. "We were close from the beginning to the end. We had such a great group of leaders from the start. It was just a tight, tight group of people."
If there was a star on that team, it was Blair Kiel. He went on to be a four-year starter at Notre Dame and spend seven years as a backup quarterback in the NFL, including two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
Kiel died in 2012 at the age of 50.
"It was just one of those situations where it was a great team because everybody knew what their position was," Stafford said. "There wasn’t any jealousy on that team. Blair was a great leader. He made other people play up to their abilities, if not better than their abilities."
Stafford and most of the players from the 1979 team returned to East on Oct. 18 for a 40-year reunion and were recognized at halftime of the Olympians’ regular-season finale against Madison at Stafford Field, which was named after the legendary coach.
They remembered their title run with fondness.
"At the time, everybody tells you it doesn’t hit you until later, and they’re absolutely right because at the time, we were obviously excited and happy about it," Hendrickson said. "But as the years go by, you look back and say, that was a special time. That was a really special moment."
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Columbus East’s game-by-game results in 1979:
Aug. 24;Seymour;W 35-0
Aug. 31;Columbus North;W 10-0
Sept. 7;Madison;W 26-0
Sept. 14;New Albany;W 35-0
Sept. 21;Shelbyville;W 49-0
Sept. 28;Bloomington North;W 17-14
Oct. 5;Jennings County;W 57-14
Oct. 12;Rushville;W 35-7
Oct. 19;Floyd Central;W 52-6
Oct. 26;Bedford North Lawrence;W 34-6
Nov. 2;Bedford NL (sectional);W 21-0
Nov. 9;Bishop Chatard (regional);W 20-13
Nov. 17;Hobart (state);W 21-14
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