Last Saturday, the Trojans welcomed back the 1984 National Championship-winning team.
40 years ago, freshman kicker Ted Clem booted a 50-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired to secure the 18-17 victory over North Dakota State.
Troy State was the No. 3 team in the country heading into the National Championship game after dominating throughout the regular season en route to an 11-1 record. The Trojans only loss came when North Alabama pulled off a 13-10 upset win.
The Trojans played and beat four top-10 opponents in 1984 including No. 10 Mississippi College, No. 3 Central State (OH), No. 8 Towson State, and finally, No. 1 North Dakota State in the championship game.
Some other familiar opponents include Florida A&M, which the Trojans also played this past Saturday and then-rival Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks battled with Troy State until the very end but ultimately lost this Battle for the Ol’ School Bell 42-39.
Troy State ran the “wishbone” offense in 1984, and the Trojans had two quarterbacks vital to their offensive success. Carey Christensen, a senior transfer, only played three games that season because of a broken foot but became a school hero after leading a last-minute drive to set up the game-winning kick. Mike Turk started most of the season as a true freshman and finished the season with 989 passing yards and five touchdowns on just 108 attempts.
Ted Horstead was a key piece in Troy State’s rushing attack. The fullback from Elba, Alabama finished the season with 1,123 rushing yards and five touchdowns. In the national championship game, Horstead had 113 yards on 23 attempts.
Robert Bradley led the Trojan defense for multiple years. In 1984, Bradley recorded 135 total tackles. In 1985, Bradley recorded 149 total tackles, the fourth most in school history, to become an All-American selection at linebacker.
The Trojans represented the national championship-winning team well with a dominant 34-12 win over Florida A&M. Goose Crowder finished the game with 291 passing yards and four touchdowns, Devonte Ross led Troy with a single-game program record 229 receiving yards and finished the game with 11 receptions and three touchdowns, and Damien Taylor finished the game with 109 rushing yards and two total touchdowns.
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