Thanks From the Editor: "50 Years as Champions" Series Nearing 40K Views

Darren Doyle, story:
The five-series documentary, "50 Years as Champions" is now available with the series finale being released on Friday, March 27th. Across all Edmonson Voice platforms, it's getting close to receiving 40,000 views. 

In the film world, that's nothing. Not even a drop in the tiniest bucket. But for a county with a population of only 12,000, with a homegrown production, that's pretty significant. 

I first had the idea of this project 10 years ago when the team "celebrated" their 40th anniversary. When I use the term "celebrated," I mean some of the members of the team came to the high school and waved at the crowd during halftime at one of the games. It was a nice gesture but I felt like they deserved more. I remember thinking, "somebody better do something really special for their 50th."

Who would that be? Would I write an article on how great the team was? There was no way to do that in one article. No matter whether or not you are a sports fan, you have to understand that the chances of Edmonson County winning the state basketball championship was the same as getting struck by lightning. Twice. At the end of the rainbow, in a field of four-leaf clovers.

I said it before and I'll say it again. This wasn't just a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. It's more like ten lifetimes. That's no disrespect to any of the other teams that have come through Edmonson County High School. There have been some dandy teams and amazing players down through the years. But winning the championship for a community like ours takes so much more than just being a great team.

In 1976, the ECHS Wildcats were a group of young boys that would have played on a homemade hoop in a dirt floor barn. In fact, most of them did. They never set out to win a championship, but because their love and dedication to each other was a bond so strong, they fought for each other on and off the court, which led to winning.

This group of boys had practiced against some of the best players that ever came through Edmonson County. There was never a night where the 76 Wildcats would ever face players better than Gary Key or Gary Meredith. Those earlier teams showed the 76 team what it was like to be winners. The teams before them were just as good, if not better, statistically in some areas.

But the 76 Wildcats had something all championship teams have--it's hard to say exactly what that was. They were all obviously skilled at their positions but not really stars. For whatever reason, Coach Bo Davenport played mostly six players. There were a few others that got into some games during that season, but they didn't earn many minutes. There was other talent there besides the six, but the six were the ones that played the majority of the minutes. The ones that sat the bench were not only some of the loudest cheerleaders, but also very talented athletes. 

When their coach got in their faces, they didn't run home and tell their mommies. They didn't call the superintendent's office and demand a meeting. They didn't demand the coach be fired. They respected their coach enough and their commitment to the team enough, to do what it took to win. They cared about the name on the front of the jersey much more that individual accolades.

The 76 team was fearless but not arrogant. They simply took each game one at a time and knew that it would take the same thing to win every night. They didn't win because of their super-stardom; they won because losing meant they were letting their teammates down, their coach down, their school down, and their community, and they did not want to lose.

They had some luck along the way. They made the big plays when they had to. They knew they had to make them, and they did. They got an outstanding draw in the Sweet Sixteen, and one of the best teams in the nation, with national player of the year Darryl Griffith, didn't even make it to the state tournament that year.

The strokes of good fortune they had are too many to name, on TOP of being an outstanding team. So when you say "once-in-a-lifetime," it's more than just a phrase; however, the boys saw an opportunity and they were relentless in making the most out of that opportunity, which ultimately ended with cutting down the nets at Freedom Hall.

Interviews with former players, staff, administration, and even an opponent, tell the stories of how the team came to be. The audience gets to hear straight from them. You'll get to see the comradery between the guys, and even 50 years later, they are still laughing and sharing these memories.

I would like to personally thank everyone that was a part of this series in any way, and specifically, those who helped financially. Those people include Dion Houchins, Kasey Alford, and Alan Kepple. They helped make my vision of this possible.

I would also like to thank Yellowberri Creative Studios in Bowling Green. One of my dear friends in the media business is Josh Hampton, who helped create this company nearly 20 years ago. I am not a filmmaker, I've never claimed to be, and I needed some real help to figure out if I could pull this off. He was a huge help in the very beginning of this project as a consultant, and with the help of other YB team members Nate Morgulen and Dave Downing, they brought my idea to life. 

The rest of the thanks are in the credits of the series, and there are plenty more of them. 

I would encourage any athlete at any level to watch this series. This is how championships are won. It's literally a recipe to bring home trophies; and while the recipe is simple, following it is anything but easy. 

Need motivation to get something done? To move to another level of something in your life? Watch this series. If you aren't motivated to do something better after watching it, you can't be motivated.

These guys deserve all the accolades, ceremonies, and reflection possible, and more. People keep thanking me and the Voice crew for doing this, but please direct your thanks to the guys that made up this team. 

The Voice didn't profit from this project and that wasn't the intent. This was for two reasons: honor and preservation. I hope both can be accomplished.

It's incredible, and I thank all of you for watching and sharing it. With as much work as this one took, I'm already behind on the next project: "100 Years as Champions..."