Johnny Stone (center) was recognized last week for 50 years as clock/scoreboard operator for Caldwell County.
After 50 years, Caldwell County needs a new scoreboard operator for its home football games.
Johnny Stone has announced that he is stepping down from that position after an incredible run.
Stone and his family were honored at halftime of the Tigers’ home game last week against Trigg County.
Stone is a former Tiger football and baseball standout. He was a senior on Caldwell County’s 1970 gridiron squad and began running the game clock and scoreboard soon after graduating.
Caldwell still played its home games at Butler Stadium downtown at that time. The Tigers did move out to Tiger Stadium until midway through the 1975 season.
Stone was inducted into the Caldwell County Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
He is also a former Caldwell County softball head coach. His wife, Sue, started the Caldwell County High School volleyball program in 2001 and was the Lady Tiger head coach through the 2014 season.
The Stones had three daughters play for the Lady Tigers.
Sue and Johnny now call Caldwell County volleyball games for WPKY Radio in Princeton.
PHELPSES HIT 400
The last time Philip and Pam Phelps missed a Caldwell County football game, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Take On Me by a-ha was the No. 1 song on the radio, and the late Al Giordano was still Tiger head coach.
The Phelpses elected to skip the Tigers’ last game of the 1985 season — Caldwell’s 15-7 upset win at Mayfield in Giordano’s last game — to watch Crittenden County and head coach Pat Gates.
The Phelpses owned Druther’s Restaurants in Princeton and Marion at the time.
That Crittenden team would go on to win the Class A state championship in 1985. Gates, meanwhile, would take over from Giordano at Caldwell the following season.
The Phelpses never missed a Gates game at Caldwell. Last week’s game against Trigg County was their 400th straight Tiger football game.
The Phelpses’ streak would go even farther back if not for that one missed game in 1985.
In addition, Philip and Pam have not missed even a football scrimmage since at least 1986. Those preseason contests are not included among the 400 straight games.
There are two other lengthy Caldwell football streaks that continued last Friday.
Todd Griffin of YourSportEdge.com and WPKY Radio is nine games behind the Phelpses — 391 straight games.
Caldwell statistician Gary Goodaker has seen 277 Tiger football games in a row.
DOUBLE-DIGIT GAMES
With this week’s game at Christian County canceled, Caldwell County will apparently finish the regular season with a 3-3 record.
Only once in school history has a Tiger football team failed to play double-digit games in a season.
The 1964 Tigers got in just nine games, finishing the year with a 3-5-1 mark.
The 2020 Tigers will need a lengthy playoff run to reach 10 games this season.
