Mildren still doesn't know if he scored in 1967

By TED DUNNAM / Sports Editor

Twenty-nine years later, Jack Mildren still isn't sure if he scored.

When he was an 18-year-old quarterback at Cooper, you would have never convinced him that he didn't.

Mildren has had plenty of time to reflect on the Cougars' 1967 state championship game against Austin Reagan - the last time Cooper reached the state final until the 1996 version achieved the feat this past Friday.

Austin Reagan won the 1967 title game, 20-19.

That, however, just begins to tell the story.

Did he or didn't he?

Jack Mildren would play many memorable football games in his storied high school and collegiate career.

The two most notable among them, a 35-31 University of Oklahoma loss to Nebraska. And prior to that, one which hurt even more - Cooper's defeat at the hands of Reagan in the Class 4A state championship game.

"I wish I knew how we lost that game," Mildren said Tuesday from his Oklahoma City home. "I still haven't figured it out."

Cooper led 19-7 at halftime and was seemingly in control of the contest.

"Austin Reagan was a fine, fine team," Mildren said. "We obviously lost the momentum in the second half. I think they ran a kickoff back to start the second half and that really established the momentum for them.

"They moved the ball better against us than any team had that season. Except for a game against San Angelo, we had pretty good leads at halftime on most of the teams we played. That was the first game in which we really lost control."

Reagan held a 20-19 lead in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter when Cooper began putting together a drive that appeared would end in storybook fashion.

It would. From Reagan's standpoint.

The Cougars marched all the way to the Raiders' 1-yard line. Cooper had no timeouts and was nearly out of time. Mildren sneaked on fourth down on what would be the game's final play.

From the standpoint of the officials - the only ones that counted - Mildren didn't score.

Many have said Mildren scored. Some said they saw chalk on Mildren's No. 14 jersey as he emerged from the pile near the goalline. All to no avail.

The final seconds ticked off the clock and the game officials sprinted off the field, leaving Cooper in shock and Reagan in ecstasy.

"Did we score? I don't know and it doesn't matter now, anyway. It was very painful as you might imagine. You're 18 years old and the sun seemingly rises and sets on that game.

"We didn't have any timeouts and maybe we could have done a better job of clock maintenance. All I know is that we had the ball inside the 1-yard line and we got a questionable call - which is a nice way of putting it.

"It was a great drive. We had a couple of fourth-down conversions. Larry Hofer, who played tight end, made a couple of big catches. The bottom line is that we didn't score and we lost. Somewhere there's a good lesson in there, but I'm not sure I've discovered it."

Four years later, Mildren would be involved in another memorable heartbreaking loss, the 35-31 loss to Nebraska in which he engineered the Sooners' steamrolling wishbone attack.

"In the state championship game, I felt like we were the better team. They were both tough losses, but you come out of the games with a little different emotion. In one, I was 21 and a little more mature. In the other, I was 18.

"If I could capsulize the two games, in the one in Fort Worth I don't think we played as well as we could. In Norman, we played lights out.

"It's kind of bizarre that Cooper's playing another Austin team this year."

A team of leaders

When Mildren and his Cooper teammates advanced to the title game undefeated, there was no shortage of reasons for it happening.

Two of the players on the '67 team - Randy Allen and Jon Harrison - serve as Cooper's head coach and wide receivers coach, respectively, for the 1996 team that takes on Austin Westlake Saturday.

"There's not one specific memory I have of that team," Mildren said. "So many of us had played together for so long. One thing that does stick out in my mind is that I don't think people realized how good of a football player Jon Harrison was.

"The first game out of the box against Wichita Falls, Jonny was the star. After that, he was a much-recognized player. We also had a better defense than people gave us credit for.

"I was proud of my brother, Richard, and guys like Mike Shelton and Richard Richburg. There were a lot of good players on that team. I just talked to Kenny Stephens last night."

With Allen and Harrison providing their insight to the Cougars, it doesn't surprise Mildren that Cooper is playing for a state championship.

"Both of them were great players and top-flight leaders," Mildren added. "They're good people, good men and solid citizens. They're the kinds of coaches you want your children to play for.

"Irrespective of what happens Saturday, the kids on the Cooper team will have had a first-class experience with those coaches because they're quality people.

"Merrill Green (1967 Cooper head coach) was a top-flight guy, too. There were a lot of jokes and kidding, but the same qualities he used with me, I'm using with my children and Kenny (Stephens) is using with his daughters."

Staying busy

Today, Mildren is president of Prepaid Legal Services. He's been with the company for two years and the firm has 300,000 members nationwide.

One of Jack and Janice Mildren's children attends Wake Forest. Two others are in high school.

Mildren's son, Drew, is a junior in high school and is drawing rave reviews for his talents at Cassidy High School.

"He threw 22 touchdown passes in 10 games this year. He's about 6-2 and 180, so he's a little taller than I was. I get much more nervous watching him than I ever did in any game that I played in.

"I talked to Steve Owens recently and he said watching his kid play is better than winning the Heisman Trophy. I know exactly what he's talking about."

An ironic twist to the Mildren-Cooper connection is that Jack has a brother who makes his home in Richardson.

"He lives in the Lake Highlands area and they were stunned that the Wildcats lost to Cooper."

Unable to attend game

Mildren said he'd like to see Cooper in person Saturday, but that it would be impossible.

"My father had a stroke recently and he's due to get out of the hospital Saturday. Basketball season also opens this weekend. I could probably work around the basketball part of it, but I think I better get my dad home before anything else.

"Richard, though, said he's got some way of getting the game on radio or TV. I'm not sure how he's done it, but I'll either be able to listen to it or watch it."

Mildren said he keeps up with classmates and monitors the progress of the Cooper football team as well as he can.

"I'll never lose my Cooper moniker, and proudly so I say. It seems like I run into Cooperites all the time. I saw Jane Hall, who works for the L.A. Times, not too long ago on a CNN debate show. It seems like they pop up in some form or fashion somewhere."

Mildren said he never had a strong desire to get into the coaching profession.

"My dad was a coach, but I went to college to get a degree. I never really wanted to be a coach. I let people like Randy Allen do that.

"I just hope they finish the job that we didn't."