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"Our coach at Fairmont was 'Deacon' Duvall. they called him Deacon I guess because he used to preach a lot to us. Everyone on the wam but Tuffy was scared to death of him, but for some reason Tuffy was his right hand man. The rest of us had to toe the line, but Tully could talk him into anything-" WLU protege, of Tuffy will titter at that revelation, now armed with the knowledge that if nothing else. Laurier's top (athletic) dog has remained consistent. But what about Cntrrence? A four-year letterman in football to say nothing of two-year man in basketball while at Fairmont, Cur rence's itinerary since college took him initially into assistant coaching roles, most notably with nowA)hio State coach Earl Bruce at Sandusky, Ohio high school That was followed by four years of head coaching at Westlake, and most recently, the landing at the top of the totem pole at Massillon, breeding ground for Paul Brown. one of the most revered individuals in the gem» today. professional or otherwise. _ According to the Tiger press guide. Currence was hired in 1976 at Massillon Washington because "he knew how to win." Good thing, “It‘s a situation that if you lose a game, you could be Given the rapscallion reputations of both Newbrnugh and Knight, a reporter craved juicy anecdotes from Currence in the Wl.U coffee shop just prior to Saturdayus clinic. He did not disappoint. "Well. I was just a lowly freshman when l played with them, but they were a lot of fun to be around." said Currence. "i'd say our group that year was one of the better ones to over come through Fairmont: Tuffy and Rich and l have gono our separate ways. but we're still very close. All the speakers brought in by WLU' associate director of athletics Rich Newhruugh are most qualified profes- sorx of the game. But Currenee was a unique attraction. if for no other reamn than the fact he played as a freshman on the same football team at Fairmont State College (West Va.) as junior quarterback Newbrouph, and ahem. third-year grad school centre Dave (Tully) Knight. now athletic director and head football man here at Laurier. When checking out the guest speaker list for Last weekend's Mth annual WIA? football coaching clinic, Mike Currence's bio stood out like a punk rocker at a church social. But it is also just another philosophical brick in the superstructure that has established Massillon Washing- ton as one of the premier pigskin powerhouses in US. high school sport. Sound a bit melodramatic? Almost enough to make a movie about? You‘re too late, They already have. "And from that moment on," says Mike Currence. poking his finger in a reporter's shoulder. "the kid is expected to dedicate himself to playing football at Massillon. That's just the way it is. It puts a lot of pressure on both the kid and the coach (in later years) whether it comeit to a climax or not." When a baby boy is born in the blue-collar Ohio steel town of 31,000. the Massillon Washington high school booster club gives HIM a cigar. Except in this case, the cigar is leather and lace, and is more commonly referred to as a football. By Rick Campbell Chronicle Sports Editor . Down Massillon way, they do things Just a little dif ferently. The name of the game is football at Massillon, "We've often made so much money we don 't know what to do with it, but they tell us we can 't cut back because we support so many outside activities." Mike Currence Massillon Washington football coach Since I932, the Brown-era established as the starting block of modern Massillon statistics, Tigers have drawn over six million fans to their games at Paul Brown Tiger (what else) Stadium. They have had 20 undefeated teams. have been 22 times Ohio scholastic (poll) champions and seven times national (poll) scholastic champions. In 1980. they drew 180,000 fans to 13 games. and after Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Ohio State Buckeyes, Tigers are the next best draw in the entire state. For anyone pondering what all the fuss is about at a school a jog down Route 30from the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Canton, the facts do more than speak for themselves. They are, especially to those of us attuned to the lower-profile Canadian scholastic system. mind. boggling. Despite the enormity of their success. Currence claims Tigers are not really cast in the villain role, the target of the less successful schools, Massillon just happens to be at the moment in the shadow of Cincinnati Mueller. a Catholic institution that has wrin six of the last eight state championships and four or five nationals to boot Not this year though, as they were upset by Massilion's arctrrival Canton McKinley in the playoffs The dngrealrdng exislem'e will continue next season, and the wasun after. and the "ne after. for the state's Pigskin powerhouses, gum- (as coach)," Currence said openly Saturday. "Actually they don't mind you losing one or two along the way. but you're expected to be around at the end.“ And little wonder. . To say the school is the focal point in Massillon is akin to commenting that Wayne Gretzky has a decent future in hockey, 1n Massillon. they live and breathe Tiger foot. ball, “The Student body is totally involved, if not as a player. with the booster clubs, the band (iso-strong), with statistics. organizing pep rallies." said Currence. “It used to be something to see to watch everyone dressed up in orange. parade downtown before a game for a gigantic bonfire rally. We had to stop the parades though. there were just too many traffic tierups. just imagine It) H.000 people gathering all in one place for a pep rally TT “We usually get about I60 tfootball) candidates each year." said Currence "Our squad, yes. it's rather Massillon Washington high school football coach Mike Currence (centre) reminisces during the weekend with former college teammates Rich Newbrough (left) and Dave (Tufty) Knight during a break in WLU's 14th annual football clinic. Currence has one of the most high-pressured portfolios in high school sport, and spoke to the over 70 coaches in attendance at WLU about the people and program at Massillon. . "And those big 0nd zones." he said. poking thc Name finger in the reporter's shoulder "Why. on our fields with those 10 yard end tom-s and our passing game. we run put of room sometimes I almost have to hobo we score before we get the ball inside the loryard lim- I'd just love to have those big Canadian end zones to work with." Ah. there you go. Something. for the man who has ev orything. On the field, Currence's success lies in his innovative "run and shoot" offence. basically a pass-oriented set up employing four quick receivers. a running back and a quarterback situated in a pass~or-run option. He made a point of explaining how the formation would be of benefit to Canadian coaches in attendance at the clinic. "There's no way I'd ever change my system, and iCd be ideal tor the Canadian game. Yote've got those wide fields, and the thh man could be employed ah it tail back, _ Like 22 varsity teams. 20 junior high teams and 10 other high school activities totalling over '400,00o in the past 10 years. A veritable bed of roses situation. one that would draw the envy of any administration. . "We've often made so much money we don't know what to do with it, but they (administrators) tell us we can't cut back. because wv support so many outside ac tivities." Currenee claims however. that his department has approached the administration at times citing the worry that they are creating a monster with respect to both statistical and financial success. Is there not. an outsider questions. too much pressure, too much emphasis placed on football and the essence of excellence? Currence quickly denies the "jock palace" conception. mammoth proportions, we usually dress 90-95 players per game. They just brought in a state rule saying you can only dress (is tor playoffs. 1 try not to cut students unless they are really physically unable to play - you have to appreciate what it means to a kid at our school to make the grade." "You can't downplay our role, we once had a movie producer who wanted to do a story about a midwestern football player in a steel town, and he picked Massillon. He said it was the perfect example, he was here shooting for three days"