Players return for 50th anniversary of Raytown South undefeated season

RAYTOWN, Mo. — The 1974 Raytown South Cardinals went undefeated for the first time in school history.

Fifty years after making history, the team came back to their alma mater to be recognized ahead of the school’s game against Lincoln College Prep. Teammates came from as far away as Nevada and Texas to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their incredible season.

“Nobody knew about us, because it was always Rockhurst and Jefferson City,” said head coach of the 1974 team, Bruce Johnson.

“We just ran around like crazy and made plays and they always played hard.”

The players remember that the atmosphere around town was like nothing they’d ever experienced.

“It was a moment in our lives that we’ll never forget,” said Mark McIntosh, who played quarterback on the team.

The anniversary was a reunion for the players, many of whom had not seen each other since high school.

“You know, we’re just hugging each other and don’t recognize each other at first,” said running back Dennis Bullard.

“But then we figure out who it is, it’s like, ‘Yeah now I see you! You were that pulling guard that saved my rear end a few times!’”

McIntosh said he remembered one of their first games against Jefferson City.

“We waxed them 46 to 12 and that kind of woke us up. ‘Woah! Ray South’s got something going on here!’”

The team would win their final game of the regular season and qualify for the state semifinals. The team would lose to fall short of the state finals, but the incredible season won’t be forgotten by the players.

“Everything you talk about in sports, you know, hard work, perseverance, working as a team, that was the Raytown South Cardinals that year,” McIntosh said.

“We were just proud to be Cardinals,” Bullard added. “And proud to be the first undefeated team they ever had.”

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