Troy University Athletics
Band of Brothers – Troy State 1984 NCAA Division II National Champions
9/18/2024 8:28:00 AM | Football
The Kick.
It will forever be remembered as one of, if not the greatest, plays in the history of Troy Football.
However, the story of the 1984 Troy State NCAA Division II National Champions is much deeper than one play.
"All the upperclassmen had been through some hard years and losing seasons, but they stuck through it," Ted Clem, the owner of the right leg who booted the game-winning field goal, said. "That season was so much more than one kick; it was truly a team-led effort by the upperclassmen who bought into the vision that Coach Gailey installed, and it was amazing to see it all come together."
Chan Gailey arrived the season prior to Troy's second of three national titles following a four-year stint at Air Force, where he served as the Falcons' defensive coordinator for the 1981 and 1982 seasons. After winning just five games the two seasons prior, Gailey's Trojans went 7-4 in 1983, including wins over West Alabama and Jacksonville State to close the season.
"All of us thought we were going to pretty good from the get-go," Gailey said. "It sounds cocky, but there was a lot of confidence that we had a good football team and we were going to play well."
"I came to Troy in 1983 as a true freshman, and I thought this could be something special as I got to know the coaches and meet the players," Freddie Thomas said. "It was a tight-knit family, and that is what made that team special. Those are the memories that stand out the most."
The 1984 campaign started as well as the Trojans could have hoped – a 26-7 victory over Nicholls State and a 17-3 win against Florida A&M at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
And then adversity hit.
Troy State handled in-state rival West Alabama (Livingston), 35-26, in week three thanks to a Mike Brewster 44-yard interception return for a touchdown to seal the victory. The win was costly for the Trojans as senior quarterback Carey Christensen broke his foot in the game. An unknown walk-on freshman named Mike Turk, who joined the program that spring, took over for Christensen and finished the game 8-of-13 for 166 yards and a score.
"We were friendly the whole time, but when he got hurt, he was with me all the way," Turk said. "Every time I would come off the field, he was right there, and we would talk through the possession. It was like having a 24-7 coach with me because Carey was there. I wouldn't have made it through without him."
Big victories over West Georgia and Valdosta State followed as Turk became more comfortable running the offense, and Troy State's senior leadership continued to be the story.
"I remember the group of seniors that we had that were so solid for a lot of reasons," Turk said. "Their first two years at Troy were pretty miserable; they won five games, and the ones who stayed were cut from the right cloth and turned it around pretty quickly."
The Trojans moved to 6-0 on the season despite trailing No. 10 Mississippi College 7-0 in the fourth quarter. Troy State scored twice in the final six minutes to pull out a 14-7 win. Turk began the rally with a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line. Brewster forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, which Troy recovered at the Choctaw 20. One play later, Turk found Rufus Cox with a TD pass to preserve the Trojans' victory. The offense was back in order against Delta State the following week, racking up 459 yards in a 35-20 win over the Statesmen.
And then adversity hit … again.
A thorn in Troy State's side for four years struck again. North Alabama.
Clem missed a 39-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining in the game, which would have all but likely ended the game in a 13-all tie.
"It was probably the greatest lesson of my life," Clem said. "I knew the ramifications and the importance of that kick, and I was down. Coach Gailey pulled me aside and said one simple thing, 'Ted, the sun is going to come up tomorrow.' That's all he said, and that became my mantra in life."
"There wasn't a lot that needed to be said," Gailey said. "I told them we lost the game, but we were still a good football team."
"I didn't get a feeling of doubt," Turk said. "When we looked at it, we shot ourselves in the foot that night. We turned the ball over, and the team was more determined than anything. We never checked up after that, which said a lot about the seniors and their leadership."
Troy bounced back to win its last two games and the Gulf South Conference title. The Trojans routed UT-Martin, 31-7, on Homecoming and wrapped up the regular season with a 42-39 victory over archrival Jacksonville State.
With the GSC title, the Trojans advanced to the Division II playoffs and hosted Central State (Ohio) in the quarterfinals. The wishbone offense flexed its muscles, running up 579 yards of offense, as Troy pulled out a 31-21 win. The semifinals were a repeat of the quarterfinals, as the offense ruled the day. Troy pounded out 537 yards and demolished Towson State, 45-3, to advance to the title game.
And now, The Kick.
With less than 90 seconds remaining in the title game against North Dakota State, Christensen led the Trojans on a last-ditch drive. Starting from their own 10-yard line, Christensen led Troy State on a 58-yard drive down to the Bisons' 32-yard line.
"I remember it vividly," Thomas said. "My recollection of that if we had the (timing rules) like we do now, they would have same time has expired. He trotted out there like he had all the time in the world when it was just a few seconds."
"Everybody had their role on that play," Clem said. "A kicker is all about routine; my thing was get the ball spotted at the right spot; you just go through your routines. That was something that Coach Gailey had drilled us on throughout the season."
"I was yelling get it off," Gailey said. "The clock was running, and we had no timeouts left. Lee Hollingsworth, our holder, did exactly like we taught him and counted to make sure we had 11, and I thought that count would ever end."
The sun came up on Dec. 8, 1984, in McAllen, Texas, and Ted Clem kicked the kick of his. A 50-yard field goal that would have been good from 60 yards to win the game. To win the National Championship. To send the seniors home winners.
"Guys were laying down, on their knees, standing up," Thomas recalled about the moments before the kick. "I remember Greg Harris and me standing there. To see it go through and the jubilation that came after that was crazy."
"Thank God, I didn't let them down," Clem said.
It will forever be remembered as one of, if not the greatest, plays in the history of Troy Football.
However, the story of the 1984 Troy State NCAA Division II National Champions is much deeper than one play.
"All the upperclassmen had been through some hard years and losing seasons, but they stuck through it," Ted Clem, the owner of the right leg who booted the game-winning field goal, said. "That season was so much more than one kick; it was truly a team-led effort by the upperclassmen who bought into the vision that Coach Gailey installed, and it was amazing to see it all come together."
Chan Gailey arrived the season prior to Troy's second of three national titles following a four-year stint at Air Force, where he served as the Falcons' defensive coordinator for the 1981 and 1982 seasons. After winning just five games the two seasons prior, Gailey's Trojans went 7-4 in 1983, including wins over West Alabama and Jacksonville State to close the season.
"All of us thought we were going to pretty good from the get-go," Gailey said. "It sounds cocky, but there was a lot of confidence that we had a good football team and we were going to play well."
"I came to Troy in 1983 as a true freshman, and I thought this could be something special as I got to know the coaches and meet the players," Freddie Thomas said. "It was a tight-knit family, and that is what made that team special. Those are the memories that stand out the most."
The 1984 campaign started as well as the Trojans could have hoped – a 26-7 victory over Nicholls State and a 17-3 win against Florida A&M at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
And then adversity hit.
Troy State handled in-state rival West Alabama (Livingston), 35-26, in week three thanks to a Mike Brewster 44-yard interception return for a touchdown to seal the victory. The win was costly for the Trojans as senior quarterback Carey Christensen broke his foot in the game. An unknown walk-on freshman named Mike Turk, who joined the program that spring, took over for Christensen and finished the game 8-of-13 for 166 yards and a score.
"We were friendly the whole time, but when he got hurt, he was with me all the way," Turk said. "Every time I would come off the field, he was right there, and we would talk through the possession. It was like having a 24-7 coach with me because Carey was there. I wouldn't have made it through without him."
Big victories over West Georgia and Valdosta State followed as Turk became more comfortable running the offense, and Troy State's senior leadership continued to be the story.
"I remember the group of seniors that we had that were so solid for a lot of reasons," Turk said. "Their first two years at Troy were pretty miserable; they won five games, and the ones who stayed were cut from the right cloth and turned it around pretty quickly."
The Trojans moved to 6-0 on the season despite trailing No. 10 Mississippi College 7-0 in the fourth quarter. Troy State scored twice in the final six minutes to pull out a 14-7 win. Turk began the rally with a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line. Brewster forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, which Troy recovered at the Choctaw 20. One play later, Turk found Rufus Cox with a TD pass to preserve the Trojans' victory. The offense was back in order against Delta State the following week, racking up 459 yards in a 35-20 win over the Statesmen.
And then adversity hit … again.
A thorn in Troy State's side for four years struck again. North Alabama.
Clem missed a 39-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining in the game, which would have all but likely ended the game in a 13-all tie.
"It was probably the greatest lesson of my life," Clem said. "I knew the ramifications and the importance of that kick, and I was down. Coach Gailey pulled me aside and said one simple thing, 'Ted, the sun is going to come up tomorrow.' That's all he said, and that became my mantra in life."
"There wasn't a lot that needed to be said," Gailey said. "I told them we lost the game, but we were still a good football team."
"I didn't get a feeling of doubt," Turk said. "When we looked at it, we shot ourselves in the foot that night. We turned the ball over, and the team was more determined than anything. We never checked up after that, which said a lot about the seniors and their leadership."
Troy bounced back to win its last two games and the Gulf South Conference title. The Trojans routed UT-Martin, 31-7, on Homecoming and wrapped up the regular season with a 42-39 victory over archrival Jacksonville State.
With the GSC title, the Trojans advanced to the Division II playoffs and hosted Central State (Ohio) in the quarterfinals. The wishbone offense flexed its muscles, running up 579 yards of offense, as Troy pulled out a 31-21 win. The semifinals were a repeat of the quarterfinals, as the offense ruled the day. Troy pounded out 537 yards and demolished Towson State, 45-3, to advance to the title game.
And now, The Kick.
With less than 90 seconds remaining in the title game against North Dakota State, Christensen led the Trojans on a last-ditch drive. Starting from their own 10-yard line, Christensen led Troy State on a 58-yard drive down to the Bisons' 32-yard line.
"I remember it vividly," Thomas said. "My recollection of that if we had the (timing rules) like we do now, they would have same time has expired. He trotted out there like he had all the time in the world when it was just a few seconds."
"Everybody had their role on that play," Clem said. "A kicker is all about routine; my thing was get the ball spotted at the right spot; you just go through your routines. That was something that Coach Gailey had drilled us on throughout the season."
"I was yelling get it off," Gailey said. "The clock was running, and we had no timeouts left. Lee Hollingsworth, our holder, did exactly like we taught him and counted to make sure we had 11, and I thought that count would ever end."
The sun came up on Dec. 8, 1984, in McAllen, Texas, and Ted Clem kicked the kick of his. A 50-yard field goal that would have been good from 60 yards to win the game. To win the National Championship. To send the seniors home winners.
"Guys were laying down, on their knees, standing up," Thomas recalled about the moments before the kick. "I remember Greg Harris and me standing there. To see it go through and the jubilation that came after that was crazy."
"Thank God, I didn't let them down," Clem said.
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