1967-1968 Spencer state champions reflect on 50th anniversary

It’s been 48 years since James “Monk” Johnson suited up for the Spencer Greenwave football team, but this week he remains just as busy for his alma mater.

Johnson is Spencer’s football booster club president and is gearing up for events centered around Friday’s Greenwave matchup with Carver in the Heritage Bowl. Johnson, his fellow Spencer alumni and former Carver players will meet for a fish fry Thursday. On Friday morning, the two sides with face off in a golf tournament.

In the Greenwave reunion, one of the topics sure to be discussed will be a team of which Johnson was named the Most Valuable Player. The 1967 Spencer squad dominated the Georgia Interscholastic Association’s Class 2A, going 10-1 in a state championship season.

With the 50th anniversary of the title closing in, those who led the Greenwave to glory still revel in those triumphs.

“That team was something else,” said Brad Ogletree, who was a sophomore offensive and defensive tackle in 1967. “Nowadays, you get a lot of guys that weigh 300 pounds, but we had a couple of 300-pound guys on that team. We had guys lifting weights before lifting weights became really big. Any player who made that team was a real football player.”

An early gut check

Football was a pillar of life in Muscogee County in the 1960s, a time during which schools still were segregated. Ogletree remembers the likes of Spencer and Carver being treated like college teams. Parades were held before games, fans wore their best outfits and games were broadcast on the radio.

But to appreciate the 1967 team’s push for a state championship, it’s important to consider 1966.

The ’66 Greenwave had bumps in the road with two-point losses to Hunt and Booker T. Washington but didn’t slow down in the postseason, beating Henry County Training to reach the state championship game. There, Spencer faced undefeated Laney, which surrendered double-digit points only twice all season.

Spencer traveled to Augusta and lost 25-6. Though it left the Greenwave players disappointed, the loss also generated a drive to go one step farther the next time around.

Spencer returned the majority of its players from 1966. With the work of head coach Odis Spencer and the rest of the staff, the Greenwave to aim on a crash course to greatness.

Spencer had a sign over his office door that read, ‘We give you everything except guts.’ And to play for the Greenwave, guts were a must. In an era when water breaks were for the weak, Spencer and the other coaches pushed the players to the brink on a daily basis.

Despite the work regimen, the team’s season hit a snag in Week 2 against Carver. Ogletree recalls fullback Rudolph Johnson suffering a knee injury the day before the game and defensive back Charles Deese also sidelined. The crosstown rivals duked it out, but at the day’s end, Carver prevailed 7-6.

In hindsight, several Spencer players said the one-point defeat gave the team just what it needed.

“We messed around and let Carver — of all people — beat us,” Monk Johnson said. “After that, we just got together and said, ‘Look, we’re going to kick butt and take names.’

“If you look at the scores, you can see that’s what we did.”

Green-Waving Goodbye

Spencer’s setback courtesy of Carver didn’t linger long. From there, the Greenwave obliterated the competition, outscoring their next seven opponents 213-27.

Monk Johnson chalked it up to the team’s talent. Along with himself as a sophomore tight end, there were the ball carriers like Rudolph Johnson, Aaron Smith and Willie “Butterball” Williams. Quarterback Jonathan Williams provided his share of big plays, as did split end Michael White.

Sprinkle in the unsung heroes like offensive guards Willie Lattimore and Johnny Sharp and offensive tackles Zackery Hudson and Eugene Jivens, and the product was one few could match.

The Greenwave’s sprint toward something special didn’t slow down come playoff time. After beating Central-Newnan 25-14, Spencer prepped to play Risley, a 6-3 team from Brunswick.

“Everybody was anxious but couldn’t wait to get started,” said Steve Reese, then a sophomore offensive guard. “We had the opportunity, and we just knew we had to perform.”

The Greenwave toppled Risley 25-0, giving the school its fourth state championship.

Still Spencer Strong

Several standouts from that Spencer team played collegiately, including White at Minnesota, Reese at Louisville, Monk Johnson at Tennessee State and Ogletree at Fort Valley State. After rooming with future ESPN commentator Tom Jackson and playing linebacker for Lee Corso, Reese spent time with the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns. Monk Johnson, meanwhile, was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers.

The title season was the Greenwave’s last in GIA, as the team moved to the GHSA in 1968. Three years later, Spencer stepped aside after 24 seasons as Greenwave head coach.

Today, Monk Johnson estimates about 14 teammates from the title team have passed away. He maintains a strong friendship with those still around, including Reese, who has been his best friend since they were 12 years old.

Those connections have proved helpful in Johnson’s booster club role, as his major emphasis has been bringing alumni back into the fold.

“When I was coming through, I looked up to (Spencer alum and former Oakland Raider Otis Sistrunk),” Monk Johnson said. “He was my hometown hero. We want the young players to have that. During the football awards banquet this year, we had all the older players come and present the awards to the younger players.”

Undoubtedly, many of these Greenwave players will gather back as part of the Heritage Bowl festivities, which certainly will include tales of 1967. Above all else, it’s a good reason for the group to become one again, if only for just a day or two.

“When I see those guys, you go back to when we were playing,” Ogletree said. “We’ve still got that energy. There’s a lot of joking and talking, but now it’s, ‘Can you bend over and pick that up?’ ”

Though nearly 50 years have passed since the Greenwave called themselves champions, the memories remain. As a result of the Spencer players forming a family on the field in search of a title, those same men still boast that strong bond today.

“It’s something I can never forget,” Reese said.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 3:19 PM with the headline "1967-1968 Spencer state champions reflect on 50th anniversary."