‘86: Clinton ends 14-year losing streak to in-county rival
Caged Wildcats: Oak Ridge running back Drew Parrett finds yardage hard to come by as Brian Pride (64), Scott Evans (7) and John Warfield (60) converge to make the stop. (photo:J.Laurie Byrne )
Clinton ended a 14-year losing streak to Oak Ridge that season, and the Dragons became the first team in school history to advance to the second round of the state playoffs.
Ronnie Miller played for the Dragons in 1984, ’85, and ’86, graduating from Clinton in 1987. He recalls well his playing days.
“I remember lots of stuff. I remember the teammates, the coaches, the friendships, just all the things,” he said. “I’m still friends today with coaches I had and friends today 35 years later with players I played with. I remember the wins, the losses.
“I remember our Little League days. We played baseball, basketball, and football together and built great friendships. I loved the bond we built as much as anything we did over those years. I think that’s what made us special, playing ball with friends you had all your life. I think that was something special about Clinton in those days.”
The 1986 Dragons went 7-5 and defeated Oak Ridge 18-7 at Clinton.
“I remember the celebration after the game as much as anything and how excited we were and the community was,” Miller said. “I have a friend who said recently as a fan she remembered 35 years ago the celebration. She said, ‘You were the first person I hugged.’ The community was as excited as we were as football players. And still, 35 years later, we’re one of the few teams that gets to brag about beating Oak Ridge.”
Clinton followed the Oak Ridge game with wins over Anderson County 28-20 and Campbell County 61-20. Two weeks later, the Dragons knocked off host Carter 19-0 in the first round of the playoffs before falling at Jefferson County 35-0.
“I remember as much as anything we played in the first round a Top 10 team in Carter,” Miller said. “They were undefeated, and we weren’t, and we were expected to lose that game. We were underdogs and went over to Carter High School and upset them to be able to go to the second round. Then we went to Jefferson County. That was a hard-fought game. We had a chance, but toward the end of the game it went their way. They were a good football team. It was just a great honor to get that far.”
Miller was among four brothers who played for the Dragons. Randy Miller graduated in 1977, Roger Miller in ’80 and Ricky Miller in ’82.
Ronnie Miller, a Dragon center and outside linebacker, remembered the positions his brothers played on the team.
“Randy was a wide receiver. The rest of us were offensive linemen and linebackers,” he said.
The 1984 Dragons posted a 9-2 record with wins over William Blount 32-2, Campbell County 28-6, Karns 16-0, Morristown West 27-6, Fulton 27-26, Heritage 27-14, Knoxville Central 28-13, and Halls 26-23 in double overtime.
Clinton capped the season with a 21-14 overtime win over Springfield in the Tobacco Bowl in Hartsville.
“I do remember that,” Miller said. “It was really, really cold. That was a fun trip for us. That was something we were excited about, to go play an additional game.”
The 1985 Dragons went 5-5, defeating Central 14-13 in overtime, Karns 27-13, Chattanooga Baylor 14-0, and Campbell County 20-12. Clinton’s last road game of the season was a 36-29 overtime win over Murfreesboro Riverdale.
“We went down there and played at MTSU Stadium,” Miller said. “One of the guys who didn’t play a lot of running back for us had the game of his life. Ray Duncan—that night, he had the game of his life and played a great game. They had a turf field, and MTSU provided some turf cleats that we could use.”
Miller remembers his head coach, Ron Brown, very well.
“I loved Coach Brown,” he said. “He was just a no-nonsense, laid-back kind of guy until he didn’t need to be . He could get on you when he needed to.
“He remembers me just like he did 35 years ago. He may not have seen me for 20 years, but he still knew my name. He coached a lot of people, and that was pretty special that he could remember his players. I saw him about two or three years ago at a ballgame.”
Miller, 53, now runs Miller’s Cafe in Clinton, a business that opened in January.
He still follows the team and even coached for the Dragons in 2020 in head coach Darell Keith’s first year with the team.
“I coached there the year before last in Coach Keith’s first year, and then I coached Clinton Middle School last year,” he said.