A half century after they reached the pinnacle for Kentucky high school football teams, the 1968 Lynch Bulldogs will return to Lexington to be honored on the 50th anniversary of their Class A state championship. Members of the 1968 Lynch squad, the fourth and final state champion at the school, will be honored on Nov. 30 at halftime of this year’s Class A state championship game at Kroger Field in Lexington.

“I am so excited about the Bulldog reunion in Lexington. Taking a walk down memory lane with my teammates will be so healthy,” said former all-state running back Joe Washington. “I’m looking forward to walking out on that football field hearing our name and believing that I have at least one more touchdown left in me.”

“Even though we were young, we realized what it meant to the Lynch community,” said Roger Wilhoit, a former linemen who is helping organize the reunion. “We already had three state titles, and the seniors knew this was their time.”

Ed Miracle led Lynch to four state championships and four runner-up finishes from 1959 to 1971, a remarkable run for.a coal mining town built in 1917 by U.S. Steel. The program slowly declined in the 1970s as the population dropped, eventually leading to the school closing in 1981, but in the summer of 1968 the Bulldogs were loaded and ready for another run to the state finals after losing in the regional finals in 1967.

The Bulldogs opened the season with a win in the prestigious Recreation Bowl, which often drew the state’s best teams during that era.

“I think beating Old Kentucky Home in the Recreation Bowl set the tone,” Wilhoit said. “The momentum just kept rolling and it was a week by week thing.”

Lynch had to overcome some setbacks during the season, including a loss to Evarts in the regular season. The Bulldogs squeezed into the playoffs through the Dickenson System tie-breaker system after tying Harlan 12-12 in an epic battle at Huff Park that the Harlan Daily Enterprise reported featured over 5,000 fans. The star-studded game featured Lynch running back Joe Washington and Harlan receiver Larry Kirksey, both all-staters that season.

“Looking back now, there was no doubt (Harlan) could have won it. They were powerful,” Wilhoit said. “The county was very good then. I think the loss to Evarts was a midseason wakeup call.“

The Bulldogs opened the playoffs with a 28-13 win over McKell in the regional finals, avenging a 24-0 loss the previous year.

Mickey Roscoe scored three touchdowns with Washington slowed by an ankle injury. The Lynch backfield also featured Washington’s younger brother, Darryl. Maceo Peeples and Bobby Joe Golden alternated at quarterback.

“We had a lot of weapons,” Wilhoit said.

Mike Kirby was a standout offensive guard. Defensive leaders, according to a Courier-Journal story, were Ronnie Hampton and Tom Johnson as the inside linebackers. David Hollingsworth, David Sizemore, Reggie Stevens and Tom Sheback were also standouts on the Lynch squad. McKell was led by future Cincinnati Reds pitcher Don Gullett, who had set a state record that still stands by scoring all of his team’s points in a 72-7 win over Wurtland.

Joe Washington suffered an injury against McKell and was unable to play in the state semifinals at Dayton, in far northern Kentucky. Peeples threw two touchdown passes to Ronnie Hampton and one to Charles Russell in a 33-6 win. Roscoe ran 24 yards for a touchdown and Gary Standridge returned an interception 43 yards for a score.

Lynch stayed entirely on the ground in the championship game at old Stoll Field in Lexington in front of 6,000 fans, overcoming five fumbles. Washington ran for 166 yards on 23 carries and Roscoe added 121 yards on 22 carries and each scored a touchdown in the first quarter as Lynch built a 14-0 lead.

Wilhoit said all six Lynch cheerleaders from the 1968 squad will also attend, including Sue Standridge Douglas, Belinda Brumett Riley, Donna Owens Vicini, Sharon Wagers Betsill, Esther Houser Whittlesey and Kathleen Price Vicini.

Miracle, who moved on to Madison Central after leaving Lynch in the mid 1970s, died several years ago, but several members of his family will attend, including his wife, Donna; son, Glen Miracle; and daughter, Michele Miracle Feld.

Memories of that golden era of football in Lynch are still special for those who were part of the program.

“Nothing was more exciting than putting on that Lynch Bulldog uniform and playing with a band of determined brothers who were dedicated, hardworking and stayed focused on a job on the field,” Washington said. “I have played and coached many teams but there is no dog like a Lynch Bulldog.”

“Back in the 1960s, coal was the thing that held Lynch together financially, but sports (football in particular) was what held the people together,” said Hampton, a pastor and community leader in the Tri-Cities for many years. “Successful football teams with four state championships was something that taught the people of Lynch how to work together. It gave the people the confidence to be successful in life. This provided a great heritage and was a model that taught the younger kids who came up each year.”