TD44 aims to revive PCHS football booster club tradition

Kenny Myers, Tony Powell and Brad Smith are forming TD44, a new booster club for the Pulaski County High School Football team.The first informational meeting about TD44 will take place 6:30 p.m. Monday March 10 at Valley Harvest Ministries in Dublin. From left: Kenny Myers and Tony Powell. (William Paine/Patriot Publishing)

Informational Meeting to be held 6:30 March 10 at Valley Harvest Ministries

By WILLIAM PAINE

Patriot Publishing

Three former Pulaski County High School football players recently got together and decided to form a booster club to support and help grow the PCHS football program.

Kenny Myers, Tony Powell and Brad Smith decided to form the TD44 Club to revive the booster tradition established by the former Touchdown Club, which provided financial support to PCHS football teams for many years before disbanding.

“We wanted to pay homage to Dan Callahan, Jay Vest, Bob Hudson, H.W. Huff, Bob Ingraham and all the guys that really made the Touchdown Club what it was back then,” said Myers.

“The number 44 was added to honor PCHS Coach Joel Hicks. He wore the number 44 when he was a player at West Virginia.”

Myers (Class of ‘86) played defensive tackle on the PCHS football team.

“We went 10 and 0 my sophomore year and then 9 and 1 and 9 and 1 again,” said Myers. “When I was in school, we got jackets and stuff at the end of the year banquet. Of course, we were winning district and regional championships, but even if you didn’t win, you still got a sweatshirt or something … especially the seniors and they haven’t been getting anything.”

Powell and Smith graduated from PCHS in 1990.

“I was the kicker,” said Powell. “We went 10 and 0 my senior year, but lost in the first round of the playoffs. The Cougars should have a winning season pretty much every year. We just need to get more interest back into the sport with fans and players alike.”

“Every kid in Pulaski County, whether they play basketball, soccer or whatever, should have a booster club supporting them and that’s what we’re about, supporting the kids in the county who want to play football,” Myers emphasized. “I’m sure there’s some kids in the community now who might not be able to afford a pair of cleats and maybe they don’t come out for football because of that. We could help with that. We also want to award achievement. In the past, the bigger the achievement the bigger the reward.”

It’s been five long years since the PCHS Cougar football team has had a winning season. The Cougars finished 4-6 in 2022 and 4-7 in 2023. Despite the losing record, the team actually made the playoffs that season.  This past season they finished 3-7 – rebounding from an 0-6 start to win three of their final four games.

Equally concerning for football fans, the number of students trying out for the team has dwindled in comparison to years past. Meyers, Powell and Smith hope that the TD44 club will help change that.

“I know enrollment’s down, but not that bad,” said Myers. “We should have 40 or 50 kids out there. When I played, there were nearly 3,000 students. Now, I think it’s 1,100 or something like that. We know it’s different now, but the kids should be supported. Hopefully, kids will see what the football players are getting and think, ‘Hey, I want to be a part of that.’ Ones that decide not to play for some reason or another might decide to come out and play.”

The TD44 booster club will hold its first Informational Meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 10 at Valley Harvest Ministries in Dublin.

“Family Market and Corner Deli is supplying us with food for this meeting,” said Powell. “We’ll have food and drinks so come in. Get you something to eat and just listen to us.”

“Membership costs $100,” said Myers. “That buys a hat and a collared golf shirt and access to everything we’re doing. We’ll be meeting at the high school during the season. Hopefully some coaches up there can show us some film and give us a little insight about what’s going on with the season. We’re shooting for 20 to 25 people for this first meeting and hopefully it will grow from there. Cougar alumni from all over the country contacted me and have donated so that we can get our articles of incorporation done.”

Smith, Powell’s former teammate, is helping the TD44 team to incorporate as a non-profit. Powell and Myers have also known each other for quite a while.

“I’ve known Kenny forever,” said Powell. “He was in the Touchdown Club when I was playing.”

All three founding members of TD44 played under Coach Hicks, who’s legacy looms large in Pulaski County’s high school football heritage. Under Hicks’ leadership spanning 24 seasons, the Cougars won the State Championship, along with15 district titles and six regional crowns.

“When they won the District Title, the Regional Title and even the State Championship, Coach Hicks was always quick to say that the Touchdown Club was a huge help,” added Mason Clark, who recently published “The Days of Gold,” a book documenting Pulaski County High School football.

“Before Joel ever had a practice, he said, ‘We’re going to win championships,’” said Myers. “There’ll be a time when we get on the bus on I-81 towards Roanoke and they’re going to fear what’s coming.  That’s his words.”

“I think that’s a big part of why Hicks was successful early, because he came into a very well-funded, very well-supported program,” Clark (Class of 2018) added. “When Hicks came in, we had been in PCHS for five years. The team had struggled mightily up to that point, but they had a lot of people ready to do whatever was needed to win. The Cougars won 14 games in the first five years. We were probably the worst triple A team in the state. Dublin and Pulaski high schools were both very good in football, but there was a strong rivalry between students of each school even after consolidation. They hadn’t been good yet as the Cougars, but they tasted a lot of success in the years before that. Dublin and Pulaski high schools won eight or nine district titles in the last 15 years before consolidation.”

The first order of business for TD44 will be to purchase hats and shirts for the members. Myers and Powell then plan to set up fundraising events including a golf tournament, a car show and Bingo games.

“We want to get the bingo game back going that we had for a number of years,” said Myers. “That made quite an impact to the club.”

“Everybody loves Bingo,” added Powell.

“Everybody’s hoping we can turn the Cougars around,” said Myers. “Through the 80s, 90s and early 2000s there was a sense of pride in the community. When you went down to Salem or when you went up to Wytheville or Bluefield, everybody was wearing their Cougar stuff. They knew where you were from and what you were about, but now we’re just starting from the ground level. You’ve got to crawl before you walk and you’ve got to walk before you run. We’re looking for some people in the community who love football and love helping the kids in the community. If you have those two criteria, we want you.”

Contact Myers or Powell via email at TD44club@gmail. Otherwise, TD44 Club signup sheets will be available at Monday’s March 10 meeting at Valley Harvest Ministries at One Harvest Way in Dublin.