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Learn more from the National Breast Cancer Foundation →Fifty years ago this November, Corbin won the state championship. Here is that season game by game, with every name on the roster.
The 1976 Redhounds left Commonwealth Stadium with a state championship and a score that Corbin would never forget. Against Mayfield, one touchdown made the difference. A shutout made it stand.
Under head coach Archie Powers, Corbin claimed the Class 2A crown with a 6-0 victory. Tom Horvath and Kenny Gilbert delivered the game’s only points, and the Redhound defense kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard from the opening quarter to the final whistle.
Class 2A State Champions
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12 games. 11 wins, 1 loss. Every one of them opens its own story.
The championship is remembered for one touchdown. That touchdown only mattered because the defense made it enough.
Eight teams. One champion.
Corbin's roadSwipe the bracket →
For two quarters in Lexington, neither team could find the end zone. Corbin and Mayfield went into halftime scoreless, with the Class 2A state championship still waiting for someone to break through.
The Redhounds found their opening in the third quarter. Tom Harvath connected with Kenny Gilbert on a 29 yard touchdown pass, giving Corbin the first points of the afternoon. The extra point failed, leaving the lead at six.
It was enough, but nothing was settled. A Mayfield touchdown could still change everything.
Corbin never allowed it. The defense that had held the Cardinals scoreless through the first half finished the job through the second. Mayfield scored nothing in the third quarter. Nothing in the fourth.
When it ended, the scoreboard told the story: Corbin 6, Mayfield 0. Harvath’s pass and Gilbert’s catch had broken the tie. A complete defensive effort had turned that touchdown into a state championship.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corbin | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Mayfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The only score that matteredThird quarter · Kenny Gilbert 29-yard touchdown pass from Tom Horvath, kick failed.
Before they were state champions, they were the players making the next block, chasing down the next ball carrier and finding a way to win another Friday night. Ronnie Watkins broke loose on the first play at Hazard. Tom Horvath delivered the winning kick at Middlesboro. Kenny Gilbert caught the touchdown that settled the October meeting with Somerset. Different nights, different hands, all carrying Corbin toward the same goal.
Steve Bird made plays on both sides of the ball. Rodger Jones helped power the Redhounds into the state final. Burley Foley recovered a late fumble to help preserve the one-point win at Middlesboro. John Francioni came up with two fumble recoveries that same night, giving Corbin opportunities when every possession mattered. Up front and across the defense, teammates created the openings, forced the turnovers and protected the leads that kept the season moving.
The championship belongs to the entire team. These are some of the men whose contributions bring that remarkable fall back into focus, fifty years later.
Archie Powers guided Corbin to the 1976 Class 2A state championship, securing his first state title with the Redhounds. Against Jack Morris and Mayfield, his team won a game with little room for error. One touchdown provided the lead, and a defense that delivered four scoreless quarters made it hold. The championship became a defining achievement of Powers’ tenure and a lasting part of Corbin football history.
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The 1976 Corbin Redhounds state championship ring features a bold red C outlined in silver and surrounded by clear stones. Deep red stones frame the centerpiece, with additional clear stones lining the outer edges. Raised silver lettering against black panels reads “CORBIN AA STATE” across the top and “1976 CHAMPIONS” along the bottom. Its silver, red, and black design commemorates Corbin’s 6-0 victory over Mayfield and the players and coaches who brought the championship home.
The case is waiting for its first objects. A program, a ticket stub, a letter jacket patch, a pennant from the game. A good photo of it is enough; the object stays with you.
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The season ended in the state final. This part of the story starts there. How did the team get back to Corbin, who was waiting, and what did the town feel like that Monday morning? We are still gathering it, and the people who remember it are the only ones who can tell it.
Something people may not realize is that the Mayfield team we beat was ranked No. 1 in Kentucky across all classes.
Their program had also beaten a nationally ranked East St. Louis team featuring future Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow. That tells you just how strong that Mayfield program was.
A player, a coach, a cheerleader, a band member, a parent, a kid in the stands, someone who listened on the radio. Short is fine. One sentence can say a lot.
Four championship-game appearances. Three state titles. Seven seasons.
It started here.
Remembered by their teammates, their coaches and by Corbin.
The uniforms changed. Commonwealth Stadium became Kroger Field. Generations of Redhounds came through Campbell Field. The boys in that team photograph became fathers and grandfathers, coaches, business owners and community leaders.
One thing never changed.
Corbin 6.Mayfield 0.
Fifty years later, they are still champions.
This archive is not finished. The record has the scores; the people who were there have everything else. Every memory, photograph and name you add stays here for the next fifty years.
An exhibit of the Redhound Archive
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