|
Hornets in the Pros
 |
|
Justin Bland - OT - A
three sport All-State athlete for Chillicothe High School,
Justin Bland
was a starting Offensive Lineman, Defensive Lineman, Kicker and
Punter, earning First Team All-State honors at Offensive Tackle
in 1996 and 1997. He guided the Hornets Basketball team to final
four appearances his Sophomore, Junior and Senior years, taking
Second Place his Junior and Senior years. Bland earned First Team All-State honors as a Center in basketball and was a McDonald's All
American candidate his Senior year. He also was a State Track Medalist
in the Shot Put and Discus.
In college, Bland was a four year letterman at the
University of Missouri. The 6' 6" 345 pound Offensive Tackle
lettered for the Tigers in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. He
started 33 straight games for the Tigers as a Sophomore, Junior
and Senior, earning all Big-12 Conference Honorable Mention in
2000 and 2001.
Bland went un-drafted in the 2002 NFL Draft and signed
as a rookie free agent with Cincinnati in April 2002 but was cut
in August near the end of training camp. In January
2003, the Oakland Raiders signed him and sent him to NFL Europe
where he played for |
|
the Scottish
Claymores. Bland left football at the end of the NFL Europe
season.
|
|
 |
|
Jeff Marriott - DT - 6'
5" Jeff Marriott was a three sport athlete for Chillicothe, earning
All-State First Team honors at Defensive Lineman in Football, a
State Medalist in Wrestling and a State Track Medalist in the Discus
his Senior year. Marriott earned his first start as a
Defensive End midway through his Sophomore year and started at
Offensive Tackle and Defensive End his Junior and Senior years,
including the Hornets controversial Show-Me Bowl loss to St
Francis Borgia in 1993.
Marriott was a four year letterman at the University of
Missouri in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. A force in the weight
room, Marriott bench pressed a team best 515lbs as a Senior. He was a Big-12
Conference Third Team selection as a Junior and an
Honorable Mention selection as a Senior at Defensive Tackle.
Marriott's fame rose in the 1998 Insight.com bowl when he
blocked a West Virginia Field Goal that was picked up by a
teammate and |
returned 70 yards
for a score. His defensive effort helped Missouri beat the Marc Bulger led West Virginia 34-31 to earn
him Defensive MVP honors for the game.
Marriot was drafted by New England in the 5th round of
the 2000 NFL Draft as
the 161st overall pick. After being cut, Marriott spent time
with Jacksonville, St Louis and Carolina. |
|
 |
Ardell Johnson - DB - Ardell
Johnson helped guide the Hornets to their first Football State
Championship in 1970 as an All-State Defensive Back and All-State
Honorable Mention Running Back. Johnson was a starter at both
positions his Junior and Senior years plus a starter on the Hornets
Basketball team and was the first Hornet Track star to run a 10.0 100-yard
dash.
When it was time for college, Johnson chose the
University of Nebraska for academics, not athletics. Johnson was a
walk-on for Bob Devaney's Cornhuskers and won a scholarship after
catching the attention of coaches while playing on the N.U. Freshman
team. Johnson went on to letter for Nebraska for Devaney
in 1972 and for Tom Osborne in 1973 and 1974. Johnson was listed as
the fasted player on the Nebraska team his Senior year with a 4.3
time in the 40 yard dash. In the final three games of his
Senior |
|
regular season, he had two interceptions and three fumble
recoveries, earning Defensive Player of the Week honors once,
then capped his College career with an interception at the end
of Nebraska's Sugar Bowl victory over Florida. He also led the
team in pass breakups his Senior year. The teams in which
Johnson played on from Junior High School through College
combined for a record of 69-7-3.
Johnson was drafted by Coach George Allen and the
Washington Redskins in the 11th round of the 1975 NFL Draft, however
he did not make the final roster. Johnson returned to academics and
graduated from the University of Santa Clara Law School in 1980. He is a
partner in a San Jose, California Law Firm.
<Listen
to a 2010 interview with Ardell Johnson> (Interview
courtesy KCHI Radio, Chillicothe MO)
|
 |
John "Butch" Davis - DB -
Arguably the best football player in Chillicothe history, Butch
Davis was a first team All-State Running Back in 1964 and 1965, when
teams failed to recognize defensive players. Davis became a starting
running back in the seventh game of the 1963 season and went on to be a force for
the next two and a half seasons. Davis was known as a threat to
score on either side of the ball with 5 interceptions returned for
touchdowns and a total of 46 touchdowns in his career. In his All-American Senior
season, Davis led the state in scoring with 192 points.
The 5' 11" 180lbs Davis signed to play Defensive Back
for Missouri Coach Dan Devine. In Davis' first college start against S.M.U. the first game of his Sophomore year, he returned an
interception 53 yards for a touchdown. He went on to start for three
years and played alongside future NFL Hall of Fame Defensive Back
Roger Wehrle his Sophomore and Junior years. Davis was an All
Conference Second Team selection his Senior year and was selected to
play in the College All-Star Senior Bowl. A talented all around
athlete, Davis also played Baseball for the Tigers as a Sophomore
and Junior. |
| Davis was selected in the 12th of 17 rounds of the 1970
NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears as the 287th overall selection. Davis
sustained a foot injury in a preseason game against the St Louis Cardinals
and was placed in the injured list. Once healthy, the Bears sent him
to the "taxi squad". Davis' big chance came on October 16th, 1970
when he was called up to fill in for an injured player. Davis
started against San Diego two days later and played
in 11 games. His only interception came in the final game of the
season against the New Orleans Saints. In 1972, Davis was reunited
with his college coach Dan Devine and the Green Bay Packers but was again
relegated to the taxi squad before an injury ended his playing days. |
 |
Vince Turner - DB - Turner was
another three sport star for Chillicothe in the late 1950s, earning
All-State Honorable Mention honors at Running Back in 1959. (There were no
defensive All-State players at this time). Turner was a leader in
the Defensive Secondary plus started at right
halfback his Junior and Senior years. He was a starter on Chillicothe's1959-1960
State
Quarterfinal basketball team plus a premier hurdler in Track.
Turner headed to the University of Missouri and Coach
Dan Devine as a 5' 10" 178lbs defensive back. Turner's first
opportunity came on October 28th, 1961 when the Sophomore was
selected to play Safety for an injured Norman Beal, who had pulled a
muscle two days earlier in practice. Turner had a key fumble recovery on defense
deep in the Tigers territory plus had 9 carries for 66 yards at
running back to help secure a 10-0 Tiger win. When Beal healed,
Devine sent the former starter to the offense and kept Turner in the
Tiger secondary for the next two and a half years where he lettered
in 1961, 1962 and 1963. Turner led the team in punt returns in 1961
and 1962 and Devine had plans to put Turner in the offensive
|
backfield his Senior year but an ankle injury kept him out for
the first three games. Once healthy, Turner returned to his
defensive spot. In the annual rivalry game with Kansas that
season, Turner picked up a fumble and returned it 103 yards
for a touchdown, a Missouri school record that stands to this
day.
Turner was selected in the 9th round of the 1964 NFL
Draft as the 120th overall pick by the Baltimore Colts. After being
released in training camp, Coach Weeb Ewbank picked him up for his
New York Jets team. Turner played in six games in 1964 at
Defensive Right safety, making one interception and returned
two punts and one kick off for the 5-8-1 New York team. Turner
was dropped by the team in August 1965 and returned to
graduate studies at the University of Missouri. |
 |
James "Junior" Darr - Offensive
Back - Junior Darr was a star for the Hornets in the late 1930s,
playing Quarterback for one game as a Freshman in 1936, then
starting running back in 1937, 1938 and 1939 when he was selected to
play in a North-South high school All-Star game his Senior year. He
was also a member of the basketball team and a member of the 1939
Hornets State Champion Track team as a Junior and on the State
Champion 880-yard relay team his Senior year. Darr was also known as
a deadly softball pitcher with a lightening fastball that led three
teams to summer state championships.
Darr headed to the University of Missouri to play
football for Coach Don Faurot. He played at Running Back and
Quarterback on the Tigers Conference Champion teams of 1941 and
1942, lettering in 1942. While in college, Darr joined the Marine
Reserves and was called up and sent to Purdue University for
training. While there, Darr made the most of the opportunity,
playing Quarterback for Purdue's 1943 Big
Ten Championship team. Darr served his country during World War Two
and after two years out of the sport, he elected to return to
the Missouri Football Team instead of Purdue for his senior year in 1946.
|
|
Darr went un-drafted but in April 1947 signed to play for the
Baltimore Colts of the All American League. He suffered an
injury in the preseason and by the fall of 1947 had taken a
teaching and assistant coaching position at Sedalia
Smith-Cotton High School.
|
|
|
