Undefeated and unforgotten: Miami of Ohio football team stays connected through Ashland

They came together as a team to achieve a common goal and now, former members of the Miami of Ohio 1973 football team that achieved a perfect 11-0 record, gathered earlier this month at Brookside Golf Course to take part in the annual Ashland Elks golf outing.

Bill Driscoll of Ashland, along with John McVay, Mike Monos, and Bill Blind, have been golfing with many other former Miami teammates for years in Ashland, but 2023 is a special one for the group.

On September 22, Miami University Athletics will recognize one team and six worthy and deserving candidates in its Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

That one team is the 1973 Miami football team.

Under head coach Bill Mallory, Miami went a perfect 11-0, including wins over Purdue, South Carolina, and Florida (in the Tangerine Bowl). In all, the football team outscored its opponents 223-76 in 1973, finishing the year ranked No. 15 in the final Associated Press poll.

The 1973 football team is the first team inducted into the Miami Hall of Fame.

"It's hard to imagine 50-some years ago when we first met, we would still be this close and our lives intertwine so much, and the fact they really enjoy meeting the people in Ashland when they come here, which makes me feel good since it's my adopted home," Driscoll noted. "And the friendships, we look for reasons to get together. As soon as I told them we were playing in the Elks tournament again, they were in."

McVay is the son of John Edward McVay, the former vice president/director of football operations for the San Francisco 49ers, who presided over five Super Bowl-winning seasons.

"It all really starts with our time back in Miami in the early '70s, and we come back with Bill being here and the Elks being such great hosts, we just come back and have a great time," McVay said. "And the staff at Brookside are so welcoming, hospitable, just great folks."

McVay talked about the 1973 Miami team going into the Hall of Fame.

"We had great senior leadership, and I was a year behind them, a wonderful coaching staff led by Bill Mallory, may he rest in peace. We had so much fun, and it was a great experience," McVay said. "It is the first time a team has ever been inducted at Miami University, and, of course, the rich tradition of athletics and football in particular at Miami, is a very special thing. We've been so close for 50-plus years."

Monos was the captain of Miami's defense in 1973 which allowed just 7.6 points a game.

"We had just great college football players. None of us got drafted, none of us went to the NFL but tough as nails and we played extremely well as a team," Monos pointed out. "There was no superstar, they were all good."

Monos also gave his insight on playing for Mallory.

"I loved the man, next to my father I respected nobody more, he was very demanding, and the lessons he taught us when we were 18 years old, I've carried through and used for the rest of my life. College is a great education but everything I've used all of my life I've learned from coach Mallory and playing football with my teammates."

Monos said the 1973 season was something to behold.

"It was really a cool deal, finished our season with Cincinnati, a big rivalry, we returned the opening kickoff, and we were up 6-0, missed the extra point, and Cincinnati never scored, never crossed the 50-yard line," he said. "Then we went to the Tangerine Bowl and played the University of Florida, and that was really special. But the whole thing about the season and the four years was our teammates. Bill Driscoll has been my best friend since 1970."

Blind gave his spin on his teammates staying so close through the years.

"When we were on the team together, we believed in our hearts we were working harder than any other team in our league or of any of our other opponents because our coaches were tough," Blind noted. "It was tough ball. We came in for two-a-days as freshmen and they handed out long-sleeve green sweatshirts that we had to wear, but they only did it to our class. So, we had a mindset we were going to win no matter what because we were working so hard."

And to be the first team to be inducted into the Miami Sports Hall of Fame, under Mallory, is extra special.

"We had I don't know how many decades hanging out with Bill Mallory, we have a Bill Mallory Scholarship Fund where we bring people back once a year to raise money, so there a lot of respect and he was a great guy," Blind said. "It was a great experience."

One former Miami player who formerly came to Ashland to golf but passed away in 2018 was Tim "Tuna" Williams, an outstanding tight end and person.

"He wasn't one of the captains, but he was a great leader, a guy who pushed everybody, made everybody better," Driscoll noted. "He loved coming to the Elks, coming here for the golf outing, he was so personable, and just had that personality, that's what made him such a great leader."

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: 1973 Miami of Ohio football team has Ashland roots