By Doug Kennedy

I was talking to Murray Johnson the last few weeks about his football-nine-man rugby playing days at the Kincardine high school when he was a teenager. He was really excited to tell me about the good teams they had between 1956-1958.

Murray said they had about 21 players on the team so everyone got to play a lot. He said they had a lot of big farm boys on those teams.

In 1956 they won the BIA- Bruce Interscholastic Association championship. That year they lost in the semi-final in Mount Forest, but there would be better years to follow.

In 1957, they won the BIA in Palmerston against Clinton. After that, they defeated Milton at CWOSSA. That game was played at the University of Guelph. Kincardine put it to them 28-0. That season they won their three league game by scores of 65-15, 50-0 and 35-0. Walkerton and Hanover had teams.

In 1958, they won the BIA then defeated Clinton in Palmerston, to win CWOSSA. Milton decided they did not want to play them so they conceded the game.

Ayrton Kipp was the coach and Mike Palmer was the trainer.

“The Milton coach told Ayrton that he had a really good player and he replied that he had 21 really good players,” said Johnson.“

Murray said he was a tough coach and made sure every player was in good shape.

Team members include Ted Petter, who played quarterback, Dick Bennett, Clark Pollock, Dick Goodwin, Mervyn Campbell, Harvey Ritchie, Bruce MacKay, Dean Mc Keen, Ivan Emmerton, John Bushell, Bruce McLean, Glen Emmerton, Kerry Buckingham, Bob – Bone-Clark, Alex Walton, Earl Bleur, John Miller, Lionel Hamilton, Bill Cobean, Bert Campbell, Dee Dee Scott, Ken Shewfelt, Jack -Wrangler- Nelson and Johnson.