The seven years included six league championships and five state championships, including the first Kansas state playoff championship with the infamous “1-to-nothing game” in 1969.
In the seven seasons between 1965 and 1971, Shawnee Mission North football teams measured themselves by the answer to one question: Did you win the state championship? Five times in those seven years, the answer was “yes.”
In those seven years, Shawnee Mission North, led by Coach Larry Taylor, dominated the large-class high school football in Kansas. The statistics speak for themselves:
The 1969 season was the first with a playoff system and included the infamous “1-to-nothing game.” That championship season was among the memories recounted Sept. 18-19, 2015, when the graduating class of 1970 – including the seniors on the 1969 football team – gathered for its 45-year reunion.
A week later, on Sept. 25-26, 2015, all of the championships and all of the teams were celebrated when Shawnee Mission North hosted its football reunion weekend, an event that occurs about every five years.
I grew up in Mission, Kansas, played football at Shawnee Mission North and was a senior on the 1969 team and a member of the Class of 1970. My brother, Lance, was a junior on the 1970 team and a senior on the 1971 team.
In the seven seasons between 1965 and 1971, Shawnee Mission North football teams measured themselves by the answer to one question: Did you win the state championship? Five times in those seven years, the answer was “yes.”
In those seven years, Shawnee Mission North, led by Coach Larry Taylor, dominated the large-class high school football in Kansas. The statistics speak for themselves:
- Six Sunflower League titles – four outright and two co-championships
- Five state championships – two via polls and the first three determined by playoffs, starting with the 1969 season
- 60-4-3 (.918) record – including three undefeated seasons
- 22 shutouts in the 60 wins; in another 22 games, North allowed 7 or fewer points
- Outscored its opponents 1,970 (29.4 average) to 489 (7.3 average) in the 67 games; 18 times scoring at least 40 points
The 1969 season was the first with a playoff system and included the infamous “1-to-nothing game.” That championship season was among the memories recounted Sept. 18-19, 2015, when the graduating class of 1970 – including the seniors on the 1969 football team – gathered for its 45-year reunion.
A week later, on Sept. 25-26, 2015, all of the championships and all of the teams were celebrated when Shawnee Mission North hosted its football reunion weekend, an event that occurs about every five years.
I grew up in Mission, Kansas, played football at Shawnee Mission North and was a senior on the 1969 team and a member of the Class of 1970. My brother, Lance, was a junior on the 1970 team and a senior on the 1971 team.
Coach Taylor’s “North System” included getting players at all levels focused on a common goal
Coach Larry Taylor was 24 years old when he was named head coach of Shawnee Mission North in 1964. His first team went 3-5-1. A year later, North was 9-0 and state champions. The tradition had begun.
Taylor instituted his system through all three grades. In 1969, for example, the composite record for the four North teams was 27-4-1: 8-1-1 for the varsity, 5-1 for the junior varsity, 8-0 for the Black Squad (first sophomore team) and 6-2 for Red Squad (second sophomore team).
“We wanted our sophomores to be successful as sophomores and we wanted our juniors to be successful as juniors,” said Taylor, now 76 years old and still living in Overland Park. “That prepared them to be successful when they became seniors.”
It would be logical to think there was great camaraderie among the players and teams at Shawnee Mission North. In fact, there was no kumbaya. Because of Taylor’s progressive system from sophomore team to junior varsity to varsity, there was deep class loyalty. Seniors were given every opportunity to start and they took pride in doing so. Juniors who became starters were accepted begrudgingly, at least initially, since they replaced seniors. The summer baseball competition among some players playing for different teams, the normal high school hormones, and the intensity of football itself also were present.
Part of Taylor and his staff’s magic was keeping the players focused on a common purpose and playing as a team. They accomplished that by demanding and expecting excellence, by insisting on mutual respect, by being tough while making fair decisions based upon performance, and by consistently applying the rules to all players.
Read more about Coach Larry Taylor at Shawnee Mission North >>
Taylor instituted his system through all three grades. In 1969, for example, the composite record for the four North teams was 27-4-1: 8-1-1 for the varsity, 5-1 for the junior varsity, 8-0 for the Black Squad (first sophomore team) and 6-2 for Red Squad (second sophomore team).
“We wanted our sophomores to be successful as sophomores and we wanted our juniors to be successful as juniors,” said Taylor, now 76 years old and still living in Overland Park. “That prepared them to be successful when they became seniors.”
It would be logical to think there was great camaraderie among the players and teams at Shawnee Mission North. In fact, there was no kumbaya. Because of Taylor’s progressive system from sophomore team to junior varsity to varsity, there was deep class loyalty. Seniors were given every opportunity to start and they took pride in doing so. Juniors who became starters were accepted begrudgingly, at least initially, since they replaced seniors. The summer baseball competition among some players playing for different teams, the normal high school hormones, and the intensity of football itself also were present.
Part of Taylor and his staff’s magic was keeping the players focused on a common purpose and playing as a team. They accomplished that by demanding and expecting excellence, by insisting on mutual respect, by being tough while making fair decisions based upon performance, and by consistently applying the rules to all players.
Read more about Coach Larry Taylor at Shawnee Mission North >>
Among the seven years, 1969 was the most different and difficult, but the stars were aligned
None of the seven years was quite like 1969. It was a different time – the year Apollo 11 landed on the moon; the year of Woodstock; and the final year of the Beatles. It was a year after the civil unrest and assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King in 1968. The Vietnam War was escalating and the military draft lottery was instituted on Dec. 1, 1969. It was an interesting environment for the disciplined, team approach that Taylor employed at Shawnee Mission North.
In the fall of 1969, Shawnee Mission North had 1,944 students in three grades: sophomore, junior, senior. While gender records were not kept, it is safe to assume about half were male. That fall, there were 126 players on the four North teams: 33 on the varsity; 30 others on the junior varsity; 22 on the Black Squad, the first team sophomores; and 41 on the Red Squad, the second team sophomores. The 126 players represented about 13 percent of the male student body. With high school baseball and soccer not instituted until 1974 and 1979, respectively, football was the team sport available if male athletes wanted to compete in the fall.
The game was different then, too. Of the 33 players listed for North in the state championship game program, only five were listed at 200 pounds or over. The biggest player was offensive tackle Gary Rider at 6-foot-3 inches and 217 pounds. Typically, five to seven players “played both ways” on offense and defense. Taylor’s teams relied on quickness, angles, leverage, and discipline.
The 1969 Shawnee Mission North team expected to win the state title and it did. But it was a struggle. The 1969 team was not the best team of that era; in fact, it was probably the fifth or sixth best of the seven; the three great teams were in 1965, 1967 and 1970. Fortunately for North, the stars seemed to align in 1969.
1969 was the first year of existence for Shawnee Mission Northwest, which joined the Sunflower League along with long-time independent powerhouse Lawrence. With 10 teams, the league was divided into two divisions: Western with Shawnee Mission North, Shawnee Mission West, Topeka West, Washington and Lawrence; and Eastern with Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission East, Shawnee Mission Northwest, Topeka, and Wyandotte.
Going into the year, Taylor changed the standard slot back formation to a formation with a wide receiver on the weak side opposite the slot back and tight end. By being proficient at the passing game, Taylor reasoned, the team would be prepared for the close games, most of which were won through the air.
To further open up the offense, North instituted a “fullback option” toward the wide receiver side of the formation. Depending on the defensive end, 5-9, 160-pound quarterback and team captain Steve Howard – who also played defensive back and rarely came off the field in close games – would either run inside or pitch to the fullback going wide. (Unlike the triple option, there was no inside handoff to the fullback.) Once 5-10, 181-pound Dave Specht was moved from halfback to fullback for the fourth game of the season, the option became the team’s most potent weapon.
Only one senior, Rider, had started as a junior; most other seniors had very little varsity playing time. Unlike most years, many juniors became starters and first substitutes due to either injuries or performance. In the fourth game of the year, as part of major personnel changes, Todd Morgan, a sophomore halfback, was brought up to the varsity. It was a rare occurrence, but Taylor thought it was needed and he thought Morgan’s prep school background made him better prepared than most sophomores. Of the 33 players suited up for the state championship game, there were 15 juniors and Morgan. It served the 1969 team well; it served the great 1970 team even better.
The 1969 season started with a 63-0 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest. An 18-6 loss to Shawnee Mission South followed, as North turned the ball over five times. It was the first loss to another Shawnee Mission school since 1964 and it came at the hands of Coach John Davis, a former assistant at North. It was a humbling experience for North and the catalyst for major changes that were made in time for the fourth game.
North scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to survive 27-20 over Shawnee Mission East. Then there were easy wins over Washington, 40-8, and Wyandotte, 39-7, as North adjusted to Specht moving to fullback, the late Vic Markey moving to halfback, and Morgan adding depth in the backfield.
The sixth game of the season was against Shawnee Mission West, team led by linebacker Steve Towle, who starred at the University of Kansas before playing from 1975-80 in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins.
The late Mark Gaul, a junior tight end, fielded the opening kickoff at the North 23. Twice he went down to one hand, but regained his balance, ultimately returning the ball 48 yards to the West 29-yard-line. (Gaul’s determined run was shown for several years to inspire teams that followed.) Markey went the remaining 29 yards in three plays for a 6-0 lead.
A factor in the win was the scouting by Taylor and his staff. They noticed that West ran certain plays from certain formations. It gave the defense a great advantage.
The final score was 18-6, with West scoring its lone touchdown late in the game.
North then defeated Topeka West, 13-6, in the mud, and perennial power Lawrence, 13-6, with Specht rushing for 194 yards on 25 carries and defensive end Dan Shoup intercepting a pass inside the North 25-yard-line with 12 second remaining to preserve the win.
In the fall of 1969, Shawnee Mission North had 1,944 students in three grades: sophomore, junior, senior. While gender records were not kept, it is safe to assume about half were male. That fall, there were 126 players on the four North teams: 33 on the varsity; 30 others on the junior varsity; 22 on the Black Squad, the first team sophomores; and 41 on the Red Squad, the second team sophomores. The 126 players represented about 13 percent of the male student body. With high school baseball and soccer not instituted until 1974 and 1979, respectively, football was the team sport available if male athletes wanted to compete in the fall.
The game was different then, too. Of the 33 players listed for North in the state championship game program, only five were listed at 200 pounds or over. The biggest player was offensive tackle Gary Rider at 6-foot-3 inches and 217 pounds. Typically, five to seven players “played both ways” on offense and defense. Taylor’s teams relied on quickness, angles, leverage, and discipline.
The 1969 Shawnee Mission North team expected to win the state title and it did. But it was a struggle. The 1969 team was not the best team of that era; in fact, it was probably the fifth or sixth best of the seven; the three great teams were in 1965, 1967 and 1970. Fortunately for North, the stars seemed to align in 1969.
1969 was the first year of existence for Shawnee Mission Northwest, which joined the Sunflower League along with long-time independent powerhouse Lawrence. With 10 teams, the league was divided into two divisions: Western with Shawnee Mission North, Shawnee Mission West, Topeka West, Washington and Lawrence; and Eastern with Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission East, Shawnee Mission Northwest, Topeka, and Wyandotte.
Going into the year, Taylor changed the standard slot back formation to a formation with a wide receiver on the weak side opposite the slot back and tight end. By being proficient at the passing game, Taylor reasoned, the team would be prepared for the close games, most of which were won through the air.
To further open up the offense, North instituted a “fullback option” toward the wide receiver side of the formation. Depending on the defensive end, 5-9, 160-pound quarterback and team captain Steve Howard – who also played defensive back and rarely came off the field in close games – would either run inside or pitch to the fullback going wide. (Unlike the triple option, there was no inside handoff to the fullback.) Once 5-10, 181-pound Dave Specht was moved from halfback to fullback for the fourth game of the season, the option became the team’s most potent weapon.
Only one senior, Rider, had started as a junior; most other seniors had very little varsity playing time. Unlike most years, many juniors became starters and first substitutes due to either injuries or performance. In the fourth game of the year, as part of major personnel changes, Todd Morgan, a sophomore halfback, was brought up to the varsity. It was a rare occurrence, but Taylor thought it was needed and he thought Morgan’s prep school background made him better prepared than most sophomores. Of the 33 players suited up for the state championship game, there were 15 juniors and Morgan. It served the 1969 team well; it served the great 1970 team even better.
The 1969 season started with a 63-0 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest. An 18-6 loss to Shawnee Mission South followed, as North turned the ball over five times. It was the first loss to another Shawnee Mission school since 1964 and it came at the hands of Coach John Davis, a former assistant at North. It was a humbling experience for North and the catalyst for major changes that were made in time for the fourth game.
North scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to survive 27-20 over Shawnee Mission East. Then there were easy wins over Washington, 40-8, and Wyandotte, 39-7, as North adjusted to Specht moving to fullback, the late Vic Markey moving to halfback, and Morgan adding depth in the backfield.
The sixth game of the season was against Shawnee Mission West, team led by linebacker Steve Towle, who starred at the University of Kansas before playing from 1975-80 in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins.
The late Mark Gaul, a junior tight end, fielded the opening kickoff at the North 23. Twice he went down to one hand, but regained his balance, ultimately returning the ball 48 yards to the West 29-yard-line. (Gaul’s determined run was shown for several years to inspire teams that followed.) Markey went the remaining 29 yards in three plays for a 6-0 lead.
A factor in the win was the scouting by Taylor and his staff. They noticed that West ran certain plays from certain formations. It gave the defense a great advantage.
The final score was 18-6, with West scoring its lone touchdown late in the game.
North then defeated Topeka West, 13-6, in the mud, and perennial power Lawrence, 13-6, with Specht rushing for 194 yards on 25 carries and defensive end Dan Shoup intercepting a pass inside the North 25-yard-line with 12 second remaining to preserve the win.
People still remember the “1-to-nothing game” determined not by overtime, but by “penetration”
At the end of the semi-final game between North and South, most of the 8,000 fans crammed into Shawnee Mission District football stadium on Saturday, November 15, 1969, were described as “bewildered.” They did not know why the scoreboard read “1-0.” Some of the South fans began to chant: “What the hell’s going on?”
Meanwhile, the North players ran jubilantly off the field. They knew what had happened. They had won the first state playoff semi-final game 1-0 on “penetration points” and they were headed to the state championship game.
It is still one of the most memorable games in history of Kansas high school football, known simply as the “1-to-nothing game.”
In 1969, the large high school class (5A then, 6A now) playoff system was the champion of Sunflower League, which included the teams from Kansas City, Topeka and Lawrence, playing the Wichita champion. Shawnee Mission South won the Eastern Division of the Sunflower League and Shawnee Mission North won the Western Division, setting up a rematch of the second game of the season.
In a team meeting early the week of the semi-final game, Taylor began, “I don’t think this will be a factor, but I wanted you to be aware of it.” He then read the rules to the team.
If the game ended in a tie, points would be awarded for the number of times teams got inside the 5, 10 or 20 yard-lines – there were called “penetration points.” If the teams still remained tied after the penetration points had been determined, the tie-breaking procedure was alternating scoring opportunities for the teams from the 10-yard-line.
While South led in almost every statistical category, the Raiders never advanced beyond North’s 28-yard-line. Meanwhile, in the third quarter, North’s Specht broke loose for a 53-yard run to the South’s 5-yard-line. North pounded the ball inside the 1, but failed to score.
Based on “penetration,” North was declared the winner, 1-0, making it the only game in the seven years in which North failed to score at least one touchdown.
In the week following, Sunflower League coaches and executives met and declared the teams co-champions of the Sunflower League, with North advancing to the state championship based on the 1-0 penetration score. Had Taylor known a tie would be the outcome, he admits he would have been more aggressive to win the crown outright.
Because it occurred in a major market like Kansas City, because it was the largest class of high school, and because the largest class playoffs were one week ahead of the other classes, the North-South 1-0 game was the first game determined by penetration and had the highest profile. There were, however, two other games determined by penetration points in the 1969 playoffs. In the 8-Man Semi-Finals a week later, Lucas defeated Lecompton, 31-30, on penetration after the two tied 30-30; and two weeks later, in the Class A State Championship, Clifton defeated Frontenac, 9-8, thanks to penetration.
The Penetration Rule stood for the 1969 and 1970 seasons before being eliminated for the 1971 season. For the 44 years since then, the alternating possession in overtime has been in place for Kansas football playoffs. The rule also served as the model for the overtime rule adopted by colleges.
Meanwhile, the North players ran jubilantly off the field. They knew what had happened. They had won the first state playoff semi-final game 1-0 on “penetration points” and they were headed to the state championship game.
It is still one of the most memorable games in history of Kansas high school football, known simply as the “1-to-nothing game.”
In 1969, the large high school class (5A then, 6A now) playoff system was the champion of Sunflower League, which included the teams from Kansas City, Topeka and Lawrence, playing the Wichita champion. Shawnee Mission South won the Eastern Division of the Sunflower League and Shawnee Mission North won the Western Division, setting up a rematch of the second game of the season.
In a team meeting early the week of the semi-final game, Taylor began, “I don’t think this will be a factor, but I wanted you to be aware of it.” He then read the rules to the team.
If the game ended in a tie, points would be awarded for the number of times teams got inside the 5, 10 or 20 yard-lines – there were called “penetration points.” If the teams still remained tied after the penetration points had been determined, the tie-breaking procedure was alternating scoring opportunities for the teams from the 10-yard-line.
While South led in almost every statistical category, the Raiders never advanced beyond North’s 28-yard-line. Meanwhile, in the third quarter, North’s Specht broke loose for a 53-yard run to the South’s 5-yard-line. North pounded the ball inside the 1, but failed to score.
Based on “penetration,” North was declared the winner, 1-0, making it the only game in the seven years in which North failed to score at least one touchdown.
In the week following, Sunflower League coaches and executives met and declared the teams co-champions of the Sunflower League, with North advancing to the state championship based on the 1-0 penetration score. Had Taylor known a tie would be the outcome, he admits he would have been more aggressive to win the crown outright.
Because it occurred in a major market like Kansas City, because it was the largest class of high school, and because the largest class playoffs were one week ahead of the other classes, the North-South 1-0 game was the first game determined by penetration and had the highest profile. There were, however, two other games determined by penetration points in the 1969 playoffs. In the 8-Man Semi-Finals a week later, Lucas defeated Lecompton, 31-30, on penetration after the two tied 30-30; and two weeks later, in the Class A State Championship, Clifton defeated Frontenac, 9-8, thanks to penetration.
The Penetration Rule stood for the 1969 and 1970 seasons before being eliminated for the 1971 season. For the 44 years since then, the alternating possession in overtime has been in place for Kansas football playoffs. The rule also served as the model for the overtime rule adopted by colleges.
Shawnee Mission North accomplished what every team wants to in the playoffs: play your best game
At 7:30 p.m. on November 21, 1969, before 10,591 fans in Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University, Shawnee Mission North played its best game of the season.
Wichita North was favored, at least partially based on appearance – while the SM North starting offense line averaged about 175 pounds, for example, the Wichita North line averaged 210 pounds. To all, Wichita North just looked more like a championship team, leading Taylor to observe, “I think they may have taken us a little lightly.”
Shawnee Mission North received the opening kickoff and went 16 plays against the wind to score the opening touchdown. The extra point failed. The quarter ended with SM North ahead, 6-0, meaning North did not allow a point in the first quarter in the final five games of the year.
SM North added two more scores late in the second quarter; both extra point attempts failed.
With the score 18-0 and less than a minute left in the half, Wichita North’s 6-0, 195-pound fullback Don Calhoun returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and an 18-6 halftime score.
Wichita North fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half and Shawnee Mission North recovered on the 4-yard line. The ensuing touchdown and 2-point conversion made the score 26-6. A touchdown midway through the fourth quarter made it 32-6 with 8:38 remaining.
Less than two minutes later, Shawnee Mission North fumbled a punt at its own 4-yard-line. Wichita North scored two plays later and added the two-point conversion for the final 32-14 score.
There is little doubt that the best football player on the field that night was Calhoun. He went on to star at Kansas State University, earning induction into the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame, and playing professionally for nine years – eight years with the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL, and one year with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL. But the 1969 championship game was not his night. He had 27 yards on 14 carries, failing to get the 29 yards he needed to break the Wichita city rushing record.
As a team, Wichita North had 35 total yards of offense on 44 plays. That included a net 31 rushing yards – 76 gained and 45 lost. Meanwhile, Shawnee Mission North had 220 yards on 64 plays.
Taylor and his staff again noticed in game films that Wichita North ran certain plays from certain formations. Recognize the formation, know the play. More than once, the SM North defenders called the play before it was run, frustrating Calhoun and the offense.
“I give a lot of credit to (pulling guard, defensive back and co-captain) Pat Murphy,” says Taylor. “He was one smart dude and he knew what we were trying to accomplish. He was able to call out the plays based on the formation.”
With the 32-14 win, Shawnee Mission North had won the first state championship determined by a playoff system, finishing with an 8-1-1 record, one of the first times the state champion had not been undefeated.
Howard and Specht led the way for Shawnee Mission North’s state championship season, supported by seniors Rider, Markey, Murphy, Shoup, tackle Mike Denny, and slot back Gary VanDenabelle, along with juniors Gaul, Mike Rome, Kent Yeager, Mike Regnier, and Larry Hall, with Morgan as the lone sophomore.
The 1969 Shawnee Mission North team had adapted and persevered, found a way to get into the playoffs, and then peaked at the right time…..while sharing an occasional slow dance with Lady Luck. The result was the memorable first state championship settled on the field and one of the five state championships in Shawnee Mission North’s glory years.
Wichita North was favored, at least partially based on appearance – while the SM North starting offense line averaged about 175 pounds, for example, the Wichita North line averaged 210 pounds. To all, Wichita North just looked more like a championship team, leading Taylor to observe, “I think they may have taken us a little lightly.”
Shawnee Mission North received the opening kickoff and went 16 plays against the wind to score the opening touchdown. The extra point failed. The quarter ended with SM North ahead, 6-0, meaning North did not allow a point in the first quarter in the final five games of the year.
SM North added two more scores late in the second quarter; both extra point attempts failed.
With the score 18-0 and less than a minute left in the half, Wichita North’s 6-0, 195-pound fullback Don Calhoun returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and an 18-6 halftime score.
Wichita North fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half and Shawnee Mission North recovered on the 4-yard line. The ensuing touchdown and 2-point conversion made the score 26-6. A touchdown midway through the fourth quarter made it 32-6 with 8:38 remaining.
Less than two minutes later, Shawnee Mission North fumbled a punt at its own 4-yard-line. Wichita North scored two plays later and added the two-point conversion for the final 32-14 score.
There is little doubt that the best football player on the field that night was Calhoun. He went on to star at Kansas State University, earning induction into the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame, and playing professionally for nine years – eight years with the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL, and one year with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL. But the 1969 championship game was not his night. He had 27 yards on 14 carries, failing to get the 29 yards he needed to break the Wichita city rushing record.
As a team, Wichita North had 35 total yards of offense on 44 plays. That included a net 31 rushing yards – 76 gained and 45 lost. Meanwhile, Shawnee Mission North had 220 yards on 64 plays.
Taylor and his staff again noticed in game films that Wichita North ran certain plays from certain formations. Recognize the formation, know the play. More than once, the SM North defenders called the play before it was run, frustrating Calhoun and the offense.
“I give a lot of credit to (pulling guard, defensive back and co-captain) Pat Murphy,” says Taylor. “He was one smart dude and he knew what we were trying to accomplish. He was able to call out the plays based on the formation.”
With the 32-14 win, Shawnee Mission North had won the first state championship determined by a playoff system, finishing with an 8-1-1 record, one of the first times the state champion had not been undefeated.
Howard and Specht led the way for Shawnee Mission North’s state championship season, supported by seniors Rider, Markey, Murphy, Shoup, tackle Mike Denny, and slot back Gary VanDenabelle, along with juniors Gaul, Mike Rome, Kent Yeager, Mike Regnier, and Larry Hall, with Morgan as the lone sophomore.
The 1969 Shawnee Mission North team had adapted and persevered, found a way to get into the playoffs, and then peaked at the right time…..while sharing an occasional slow dance with Lady Luck. The result was the memorable first state championship settled on the field and one of the five state championships in Shawnee Mission North’s glory years.