Trojan Warriors: Pondering Past Playoff Glory in the Age of Polls

In a football world shrouded by the ever-thickening cloud of controversy and confusion that is the BCS, it’s hard to remember a time when teams weren’t playing for poll rankings and style points.

The BCS has clouded our vision, and the landscape of college football is so foggy that, in some cases, a team’s name affects where it lands in the polls more than its performance on the field.

Nowadays, a team must win with style in order to be recognized in the polls.

Margin of victory, strength of schedule, and key wins and losses are dealt into the hand that decides postseason destiny.

The days when simply scoring more points than the opponent was enough are clearly a thing of the past.

There are, however, days (usually during a bye week) when the people of the pigskin can afford to take a deep breath, lean back in their La-Z-Boys, and reflect on their team’s past.

Troy University’s past is an alluring one, complete with a rich postseason history.

The most recent chapter in that history was written just two years ago when the Trojans annihilated the Rice Owls in the New Orleans Bowl.

There is more glory to reflect on, however.

So sit back, relax, and travel with me down the long road of Trojan lore, paved by the likes of DeMarcus Ware, Osi Umenyiora, and the countless others who have worn the cardinal and black.

Travel back to a time before the BCS, before the Trojans were a part of the newly-named “Football Bowl Subdivision”.

The year is 1984, and the Troy State University Trojans are poised for a season of change under a certain Chan Gailey, who had taken over the program the previous season and led the Trojans to a 7-4 mark.

The ’84 campaign yielded the highest of rewards for the Trojans.

They ran through the regular season, compiling a 9-1 record. The only blemish was a 13-10 setback at the hands of the University of North Alabama.

Troy State advanced to the Division II National Championship, the Palm Bowl, played in McAllen, Texas, and played the North Dakota State University Bison.

Freshman quarterback Mike Turk, a preseason walk-on who was forced into the limelight early in the year due to a foot injury to starter Carey Christensen, remembers the Trojan mindset going into the title game.

“We lost one game that year, UNA beat us, and from that point on, we didn’t look back.”

We were excited,” Turk said. “We were focused and excited to be there, but we realized that if we didn’t win the game, it would be a disappointment.”

Senior offensive lineman Anthony “Buck” Hanson said the Trojans were ready for the challenge.

“We were very confident,” Hanson said.  “We had a super coaching staff and a lot of hungry players that were willing to lay it all on the line.”

The game proved to be a nail-biter, and it went down to the final snap.

Troy State trailed 17-15 late in the contest and, with 1:30 remaining, Carey Christensen returned to lead the Trojans on one final drive for the title.

Starting from its own 10-yard line, Troy eventually reached the NDSU 32.

With the clock running and the Trojans out of time-outs, freshman kicker Ted Clem and the rest of the field goal unit stampeded onto the field.

I’ll let Buck Hanson take you through the final play.

“We actually didn't have time to think it happened so fast.  We snapped the ball as the horn was literally sounding,” Hanson recalls.

“Ted Clem actually marked off the yards for the tee as he and the holder were running onto the field. I believe our kicking team ran on the field with 8 seconds and dropping.  After it was over we remembered doing that exact drill every week.”

“ Ironic, huh?”
 
Ironic indeed.

When all was said and done Clem’s kick was true, and the Troy State Trojans were the 1984 Division II National Champions, winning by a score of 18-17.

Mike Turk cited Troy’s post-game locker room as his favorite memory of the title game.

“ I was so proud of our seniors, they had been through so much, and the fact that they were there, I just remember that championship being for those guys,” said Turk.

Mike Turk went on to win another championship at Troy State, in 1987, capping off a stellar collegiate career.

He is now the head coach at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama.

Turk was elected to the Division II Football Hall of Fame, and was inducted on December 14, 2007 .

The 1984 title game and the events surrounding it held some strange coincidences for Buck Hanson.

“After winning a state championship in high school [at Enterprise High School in 1979] and a National championship in college I recall the similarities were bizarre.  I injured my knee in high school in last regular season game, but continued to play, we won 15-14 over Vestavia.  I separated my shoulder in the last regular season game but continued to play, we beat North Dakota State 18-17.”

Hanson graduated from Troy State and has now returned to Enterprise High where he serves as an assistant coach for the Wildcat football team.

The 1984 Troy Trojans didn’t need style points or polls to win a championship.

Troy didn’t have to worry about what other teams did, as long as they kept winning.

But that was a simpler time, and now the Trojans have moved on to play with the “big boys”.

With great power comes great responsibility, and the Trojans must continue to win -and win big-if they want any respect from the computers and/or the pollsters.

But, when the time comes to sit up in the recliner and return to the Age of the Polls, at least Troy fans can remember what it was like before the cloud of controversy rolled in.