OUR SECOND INDUCTEE IS FROM THE DECADE OF THE 60’S. WILL ROLAND MCCLANAHAN PLEASE COME FORWARD? IN THE 60’S, MARYVILLE COLLEGE STILL HAD ITS ATHLETIC TRADITIONS. A HOMECOMING BON-FIRE, A PACKED HOUSE FOR A SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOOTBALL GAME, AND A STABLE FULL OF LOCAL FOOTBALL STARS PRODUCING TOUCHDOWN AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND WIN AFTER WIN. IN THE FALL OF 1961, A PORTER HIGH SCHOOL FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL HERO ENROLLED AT MC. AT 5 FEET 9 INCHES AND 145 LBS, THE SMALL RUNNING BACK HAD A KNACK FOR BIG PLAYS. ROLAND STARTED AS A FRESHMAN ON THE ’61 TEAM AND ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING PLAYERS IN MC FOOTBALL HISTORY. HE WAS A BREAKAWAY THREAT EVERY TIME HE TOUCHED THE BALL. FROM HIS LEFT HALFBACK POSITION OR AS A PUNT RETURNER, OR EVEN AS THE DEEP BACK ON KICK-OFFS, ROLAND SEEMED TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE LONG DASH TO PAY DIRT EACH GAME. HIS FIRST SEASON AND A 6 AND 2 RECORD SET THE PACE FOR AN OUTSTANDING CAREER. WHEN FOOTBALL WAS OVER, HE WOULD TAKE OFF HIS CLEATS AND PUT ON THE SPIKES AS A CINDER MAN ON THE TRACK TEAM. ROLLIN’ ROLAND, AS HE WAS REFERRED TO IN THE HIGHLAND ECHO, WOULD OFTEN TIMES SCORE POINTS IN FOUR OR FIVE EVENTS. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HIS LIGHTNING QUICK SPEED, HE WOULD RUN IN THE 100 YD DASH, THE 220 YARD DASH, AND THE 220 YARD LOW HURDLES. AS IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH, HE WOULD OFTEN TIMES PARTICIPATE IN THE BROAD JUMP AND RUN A LEG IN THE MILE RELAY. IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL FOR ROLAND AND HIS TEAMMATE JOE MALLOY TO SCORE MOST OF THE POINTS IN MANY OF THEIR DUAL MEETS.
DURING THE 1962 FOOTBALL SEASON, ROLAND CONTINUED TO RACK UP THE YARDS WITH HIS BREAKAWAY JAUNTS UP THE SIDELINES OF HONAKER FIELD. WITH THE PASSING OF BENNY MONROE, THE POWER RUNNING OF KEN BERRY, THE SPIRITED PLAY OF CHARLIE THOMAS, AND THE NIFTY MOVES OF ROLAND MCLANAHAN, COACH MONK TOMLINSON’S FIGHTING SCOTS FINISHED THE ‘62 SEASON AT 4 AND 4. IN 1963, ROLAND CONTINUED HIS SUCCESS AVERAGING 6.0 YDS A CARRY. HE ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS A SURE HANDED RECEIVER OUT OF THE BACK FIELD AVERAGING OVER 10 YDS A RECEPTION. THE 1963 RECORD WAS 8 AND 1. WITH SUCH A GREAT SEASON BEHIND HIM AND HIS THIRD SUCCESSFUL TRACK SEASON CONCLUDING, ROLAND COULDN’T WAIT FOR HIS SENIOR YEAR.
THE 1964 FOOTBALL PROGRAM HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT NO. 40…“HAS EXCEPTIONAL SPEED AND DETERMINATION FOR A MAN HIS SIZE…TEAM LEADER ON OFFENSE AS A RUNNER…WAS THE NUMBER TWO RECEIVER LAST YEAR AND HAS MADE ADDITIONAL GAINS IN THIS DEPARTMENT THIS FALL …. WILL BE COUNTED ON AS THE TOP SCORING THREAT THIS SEASON…THE FIGHTING SCOTS STARTED THE SEASON WITH A BANG AND BOLTED OUT TO A 4 AND 0 SEASON. ROLAND MCCLANAHAN WAS SENSATIONAL. TWO TOUCHDOWNS AGAINST GEORGETOWN…FOR THE SECOND TIME HE WAS AWARDED THE AMOS ALONZO STAGG AWARD FOR HIS OUTSTANDING PLAY THIS GAME. SEVERAL GREAT RUNS IN THE WIN AGAINST EMORY AND HENRY. ANOTHER BIG GAME IN THE BLOWOUT AT LIVINGSTON STATE. ROLAND WAS HEADING FOR AN ALL-AMERICAN SEASON. IT ALL CAME TO AN ABRUPT HALT IN THE FOURTH GAME AT GUILFORD. DURING A KICK-OFF RETURN, HE FRACTURED HIS LEG AND WAS OUT FOR THE SEASON. AN ACCOUNT OF THE GAME IN THE HIGHLAND ECHO HAD THESE QUOTES ABOUT THE FIERY RUNNING BACK FROM ROCKFORD. TEAMMATE CLINT ABBOTT HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT HIS TEAMMATE: “HE WAS THE TOUGHEST, STRONGEST 150 LB BACK I’VE EVER PLAYED WITH OR AGAINST. YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON HIM FOR THE BIG PLAY,” HEAD COACH MONK TOMLINSON WAS QUOTED: “IT TAKES A LOT OF HEART TO PLAY AT 150 POUNDS. HIS STRENGTH IS AS A BROKEN FIELD RUNNER. HE’S ONE OF THE FINEST OFFENSIVE BACKS WE’VE EVER SEEN.” ROLAND HAD TO INSPIRE HIS TEAMMATES FROM HIS CRUTCHES ON THE SIDELINE, BUT THEY WENT ON TO A 7 AND 1 SEASON, LOSING ONLY TO CARSON-NEWMAN IN THE FINAL GAME. ROLAND GRADUATED IN 1964 - IN 3 ½ YEARS, I MIGHT ADD. AFTER COLLEGE, HE WENT TO WORK FOR STATE FARM INSURANCE AS A CLAIMS SPECIALIST. NOW RETIRED, HE AND HIS WIFE, PEGGY, ENJOY THEIR THREE DAUGHTERS AND THREE GRANDCHILDREN IN ROCKFORD. A THREE YEAR LETTERMAN IN TRACK – A FOUR YEAR LETTERMAN IN FOOTBALL, AND NO DOUBT, ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING RUNNING BACKS IN THE HISTORY OF MARYVILLE FOOTBALL – ROLAND MCCLANAHAN.
