One of the most famous football games in the history of Russellville High School was "The Mud Game", played on Thanksgiving morning, November 28, 1957 at Rhea Stadium. It had been raining nonstop all night and the stadium was a sloppy quagmire. We were playing the Bowling Green Purples at home. Despite a driving rain that lasted most of the game, the stadium included enthusiastic Russellville and Bowling Green supporters only partly sheltered by a patchwork canopy of black umbrellas.

The Panthers vs. the Purples was an intense old rivalry that capped the 1957 season. Going into the game, the Panthers had won 5 and lost 5. This season would be decided by this game, in some ways the only game. Beating Bowling Green meant a winning season.

Senior Panther veterans included Backs: Cookie Monroe, Ikey Duncan, Bumps Todd, and Berks Brown; Guard, Jerry Estes; Ends: James Earl Miller and Bertram Gass; Center: Glenn Baldwin. The Bowling Green Daily News reported that 'Junior Tackle Howard "Tank" Taylor was a one-man powerhouse for the Panthers, and that the unsung hero of the game was Senior Center Glenn Baldwin, who snapped that slick ball accurately on every play.'

From the very first play, the 1957 Panthers were determined to win this game and by a margin that wouldn't easily be forgotten by Bowling Green. The final score: Russellville 33, Bowling Green 0. It was a great victory and winning season for the Panthers.

An after-the-game photo of the football seniors is included below, along with the Daily News summary of the game.