Museum Corner March 2022

Superbowl connection at the museum

Football honors MHS player and his Super Bowl Miami Dolphins team

By Becky Buher
(Printed in the Times-Mail newspaper on March 2022)

Lots of little boys like to play football, some dream of playing professionally, some might even dream of playing in a Super Bowl. Last month, Super Bowl LVI champions became the Los Angeles Rams when they conquered the Cincinnati Bengals.

But fifty-three years ago, beginning in 1969, one Lawrence County athlete’s Super Bowl dream came true not once, but three times. This outstanding athlete’s high school career took place in the 1960s at Mitchell, Ind.

Would this teenager from a small Southern Indiana town have hoped that he would someday be able to attend a Super Bowl game, or could his wildest dream have been to play in a Super Bowl game?

He was Lawrence County’s own Terry Cole, who was known to his family and friends as “T-Bear.”

What might “T-Bear” have been thinking as he walked the halls of Mitchell High School (MHS)? Could he have been thinking about his schoolwork, an upcoming test, a girl he wanted to date, getting a cheeseburger and fries, talking to a carhop at Ted’s drive-in restaurant, seeing a movie at the Holiday Drive-in Theatre; or might he have been focused on his next MHS football game.

By the time he graduated high school in 1964, he had become high school Scholastic All-State and All American. He was All State two years. His senior year, he scored 186 points in 8 games with a high school career 411 total points scored with 3000 yards run.

After high school, he had an outstanding football career at Indiana University, scoring the winning touchdown against Purdue University during the Oaken Bucket game in 1967, which made it possible for the IU team to play in the Rose Bowl that season.

For him, “Super Bowl someday” first came in 1969, as a running back for the Baltimore Colts 1969 Super Bowl team. He had been Rookie of the Year for the Baltimore Colts and NFL Runner-up Rookie of the Year in 1968.

His second Super Bowl appearance was with the undefeated Super Bowl Championship Miami Dolphins team. The 1972 Dolphins were the only National Football League team to have a perfect season of 14–0-0 in the regular season, and three post-season games, including Super Bowl VII against the Washington Redskins to complete the season with a 17-0-0 record.

His third Super Bowl game was in 1973, again with the Dolphins Super Bowl team.

In 1992, he was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.

When he was in high school, could he have thought it possible that the Mitchell High School football field might one day be named in his honor? The MHS football field was renamed Terry Cole Field in 2000.

Sports fans will enjoy seeing the autographed football that fellow MHS teammate, Larry Kidwell donated to the museum in 2012. When Kidwell was a senior at MHS, Cole was a freshman. Kidwell was a defensive halfback on the football team. He and Cole remained friends until Cole’s death in 2005. At the time, Kidwell said, “We had a lot of good times together. I miss him dearly. He was one heck of a guy.”

Kidwell generously donated an autographed football signed by many of the team members from the 1972 Miami Dolphins undefeated season. The football was signed in 2002 at the 30th reunion of the Dolphins 1972 undefeated season. Cole had the football signed by as many of the players as he could and later gave it to Kidwell.

The football is signed by: Dick Anderson, Charles Babb, Marlin Briscoe, Terry Cole, Doug Crusan, James Del Gaizo, Jim Dunaway, Norm Evans, Manny Fernandez, Marv Fleming, Hubert Ginn, Bob Heinz, Mike Howell, Ed Jenkins, Curtis Johnson, Jim Kiick, Howard Kindig, Mike Kolen, Bob Kuechenberg, Charles Leigh, Larry Little, Bob Matheson, Maulty Moore, Earl Morrall, Mercury Morris, Lloyd Mumphord, Karl Noonan, Jesse Powell, Jim Riley, Larry Seiple, Bill Stanfill, Doug Swift and Howard Twilley 

In addition to the football, the museum display includes sports memorabilia and information about the illustrious career of Lawrence County’s football hero, Terry Cole.

Donations such as this football, make historical items available for the enjoyment of people throughout the community and visitors from around the world.

Click to read Museum Corner articles from past years.