Remembering. 50 years ago. The Richard Gill Memorial Game. February 11, 1971. Fouts Field.

[Eagle71]

Remembering.  50 years ago. February 11, 1971.

 #75 Joe Green. #33 Ray Renfro. #28 Abner Haynes. #55 Richard Gill.

At every home game, we see those names on the Apogee Stadium wall. The names of our titans of the gridiron. The best of the best, on and off the field. Some of us have been around long enough to have seen all four of them play. Whether it was for North Texas or in the Pros, they gave it their all.

And now we have a fabulous statue of Joe and talk of one for Abner. I hope that Ray gets one, too. And Coach Mitchell.

We still get to see Joe and Abner on game days and special occasions. Ray lives on in surviving Cleveland Browns game film.

Five years ago, someone started a forum post about the fourth player on the wall, #55 Richard Gill. I was glad to see him remembered. #55…the first jersey number retired by North Texas and I guess the least known of the four. So, I thought I’d share a few remembrances from an event at Fouts Field that occurred on this date 50 years ago.

The entire North Texas campus was shocked when we learned of the sudden passing of Richard on September 27, 1970. A young man in peak physical condition. A husband, a father. A blood clot caused by knee surgery. It was very hard to make any sense of it all. But there was a family, Richard’s wife, Marva, son Richard, Jr., and a daughter on the way, to be taken care of and the whole of the North Texas student body pitched in to do what they could.
 

“The Last Time We Donned the Pads”
 

One of the fund-raising ideas a few months later was to have a game at Fouts Field. “The Richard Gill Memorial Football Game.” To be played on Thursday, February 11, 1971. A game pitting the best of the fraternity men, the “North Texas Greeks” against the “Ex-Marines”. One small problem became evident immediately. There weren’t enough Ex-Marines on campus to field an entire team, so the call for volunteers went out. Anyone who had ever played and was willing was welcome. After practice started and the injuries began piling up the squad became ever smaller. Guys who hadn’t had on the pads for three or four years and whose weight was up 20 or 30 pounds from their “glory” days were finding that their body wasn’t like it had been in high school. Knees of the linemen were the biggest problem. I was one of those volunteers, my wife very reluctantly agreeing to let me have one more game on the gridiron with the boys.

We all did what we could in the week or two that we had to practice. As game day approached, our coaches, 1970 North Texas football players, Jimmy Franklin and Wilmer Levels, saw that they had to back off of full-contact practices to save enough guys for the game. Let’s face it, how much better were we going to get in that period of time. Heck, it had taken us several years to get out of shape, two weeks wasn’t going to miraculously return us to our former selves.

I was a DB so I don’t really know how many plays Coach Franklin was able to teach my teammates on the other side of the ball. On the defensive side, we had three or four coverages, all of which proved insufficient to stop the passing attach combo of Jerry Atherton to Jerry Colella. We certainly hadn’t made any defensive plans for a player like Colella who was the best player on the field and the fastest. Well, at least it appeared so from my safety position. All too late we finally had to double cover him.

We did have “The Play of the Game” when, in the 4th quarter, we completed a screen pass to our FB, Jack Crowther, who lumbered 55 yards for our only score. I don’t remember Jack returning to the game after his “dash” to the end zone. I think his gas tank was empty. Hey, it put us back in the game.

I think that every player on the field that day was glad for one last chance to don the pads and to remember our friend and classmate, #55 Richard Gill. The combined efforts of the North Texas family raised over $8,000 (over $50,000 equivalent) for the Gill Family, with our tussle at Fouts Field bringing in $600 of that total.
 

#55 – Richard Gill. We were blessed to have known him.
 

On September 30, 1970, three days after Richard died, his freshman coach at North Texas, Gary Ness, wrote a long and moving letter to Richard’s son, one-year-old Richard Earl Gill, Jr., telling him about his father. Here are the last two paragraphs:

“Those students and faculty members at North Texas State University who never knew Richard are the unlucky ones. At a time when everyone, to some degree, is bought and sold, it is unique to meet someone totally unpretentious, dedicated to principles and purely sincere. Your dad was a winner. He was and is an inspiration to his teammates, coaches, and fellow students. If you and your yet unborn brother or sister can approach his wisdom and stature, this world will be so much richer…so very much richer. You can be sure your father watches from a lofty perch.

When you get ready to attend college, I hope you consider North Texas State University. Your father struggled for admission in 1967. If you need help in any capacity there, any of us who knew your father will be grateful for the opportunity to be of service. Begin with me.”

Sincerely,

R. Gary Ness

Asst. Football Coach
 

It was a letter that Richard, Jr. never got to read. Just one year later, on September 5, 1971, in Spurger, Texas, a small East Texas town outside of Woodville, a car accident claimed the life of two-year-old Richard, Jr. and two aunts. Both Richard, Sr. and Richard, Jr. are buried in the Town Bluff Cemetery in Woodville, Texas.

 

[Eagle71]

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[Eagle71]

[drex]

Thanks for that trip down memory lane.

[SilverEagle]

1 hour ago, Eagle71 said:

1. Just idle curiosity. Is 71 the year you graduated, or your number on the team?

2. I finally see where Cedric Hardman was from originally. I knew that he transferred from a small college in Oklahoma, but I never knew where his home town was.

3. Glynn Hachtel (who, along with his twin brother Lynn, was often called "Hatchet" by game announcers...at away games) once described Richard Gill to me with great awe in his voice. He had never seen, or played with, an athlete of his speed and size. And this was coming from a pretty exceptional athlete in his own right. He was a great RB and LB in High School until his senior year when he was asked to switch to QB, because the guy who inherited the job was not getting it done. Glynn had never played QB in his whole life......but his twin brother had when they were in Jr. High. By the end of the year, he was either second team all-district at QB, or honorable mention...I can't remember. He still played LB (most of the team played both ways), where he was at least all-district if not all-region.  He was also an all-conference, or at least honorable mention, LB in the MVC. 

[PlummMeanGreen]

Thanks, Eagle71.  I love these kind of posts.

We have to keep our UNT history alive for the younger fans & alums.  Many of us have stories from our respective eras at UNT to share;  otherwise they go to the grave with us. 
🦅❇️🦅GMG!

[UNTLifer]

Great story.  Gary Ness was one of the nicest men you could ever know.  He worked for my Dad at then NTSU and was over at our house a time or two.  There are some great names on that team with Gill, Hardeman, Shanklin, Ramsey, Gill, Dunlap, Mills, Holloway, etc...

[greenb.o.g.]

@Eagle71

Thanks so much for that great tribute to Richard Gill. 

To go along with @PlummMeanGreen these are my favorite kind of posts. I love hearing the history of North Texas football!

Very few people know the great history and stories associated with our institution.

With that being said, I'm curious to know more about you. You were on the ex-Marines squad. When and where did you serve? And did you play football in the Corps?

[Eagle71]

1 hour ago, SilverEagle said:

1. Just idle curiosity. Is 71 the year you graduated, or your number on the team?

2. I finally see where Cedric Hardman was from originally. I knew that he transferred from a small college in Oklahoma, but I never knew where his home town was.

3. Glynn Hachtel (who, along with his twin brother Lynn, was often called "Hatchet" by game announcers...at away games) once described Richard Gill to me with great awe in his voice. He had never seen, or played with, an athlete of his speed and size. And this was coming from a pretty exceptional athlete in his own right. He was a great RB and LB in High School until his senior year when he was asked to switch to QB, because the guy who inherited the job was not getting it done. Glynn had never played QB in his whole life......but his twin brother had when they were in Jr. High. By the end of the year, he was either second team all-district at QB, or honorable mention...I can't remember. He still played LB (most of the team played both ways), where he was at least all-district if not all-region.  He was also an all-conference, or at least honorable mention, LB in the MVC. 

71 is the year I graduated.  My only hope was that NT would start a baseball program.  I'm still waiting.

 

[Eagle71]

5 minutes ago, greenb.o.g. said:

@Eagle71

Thanks so much for that great tribute to Richard Gill. 

To go along with @PlummMeanGreen these are my favorite kind of posts. I love hearing the history of North Texas football!

Very few people know the great history and stories associated with our institution.

With that being said, I'm curious to know more about you. You were on the ex-Marines squad. When and where did you serve? And did you play football in the Corps?

No sir,  I did not serve.  Draft number was 131, so I missed being called by just a few numbers.  No, there just weren't enough Ex-Marines on campus at that time so I, and several others, was asked to play by the Ex-Marines.  Lots and lots of injuries.  We were pretty thin (in numbers only) by game day.  I graduated in '71 and after my wife finished up her five-year BFA I took a job teaching and coaching under Eddie Joseph in Wharton, Texas.  And if you follow HS football I would just add that Gary "Bear" Joseph, the HC at Katy, was Eddie's son and played at Wharton while I was there.

[Eagle71]

1 hour ago, UNTLifer said:

Great story.  Gary Ness was one of the nicest men you could ever know.  He worked for my Dad at then NTSU and was over at our house a time or two.  There are some great names on that team with Gill, Hardeman, Shanklin, Ramsey, Gill, Dunlap, Mills, Holloway, etc...

Completely agree with you about Coach Ness!  We had a bunch of great coaches at NT at that time.  Chuck Mills was a friend as was Cedric.  I gave Joe Greene more than one ride to class so he wouldn't be late.  Always fun watching him load his 275 lb. frame into my Mustang.  Shoot Joe even threw the shot for my intramural track team.  Oh, he made one throw and won by over 10 feet.  Great memories.

[greenminer]

Thank you for this

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

3 hours ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

Thanks, Eagle71.  I love these kind of posts.

We have to keep our UNT history alive for the younger fans & alums.  Many of us have stories from our respective eras at UNT to share;  otherwise they go to the grave with us. 
🦅❇️🦅GMG!

I totally agree. Love hearing about the rich history that UNT holds

[Marty]

What a great post! I've followed NT since 1974 and have never heard that story.

[Eagle71]

On 2/11/2021 at 3:42 PM, Marty said:

What a great post! I've followed NT since 1974 and have never heard that story.

Thanks!  Glad you enjoyed it.  It was a great time to be a student at NTSU.  Lots happening on campus and, of course, some of the greatest teams to ever play for the Mean Green.

[Eagle71]

On 2/11/2021 at 7:23 AM, Eagle71 said:

Be sure to checkout the ad showing the cost for the "Student Health Insurance Plan".