Coaches, cell-tower techs, pharmacists, fathers, friends. Where are the 1997 McKinley Bulldogs now?

What's a national championship worth a quarter century later?

What? It has been THAT long?

It hit Thom McDaniels like a lightning bolt one morning. He was doing his "retirement job," operating a tractor/mower at Elms golf course.

"There's ample opportunity to think about a lot of things when you mow for six hours," said McDaniels, head coach of the title team. "It occurred to me … holy crap, it's been 25 years. You've got to be kidding me."

In the 9,000-plus days since they won Ohio's Division I playoff championship and finished No. 1 in USA Today's national rankings, the Bulldogs have scattered, but not so much as one might suppose.

No. 72, Les Thompson, was a senior offensive tackle and defensive end in '97. He played college football at Wittenberg, came home, and has worked for the Stark County Engineers the last 21 years.He rattles off the names of '97 teammates.

"I stay in touch with Matt Leisure, Isaiah Robinson, Rashan Hall, DeMarlo Rozier, Ken Cherry, Jamar Martin, Ivan Allen, Rick Fox, James Gamble … Antonio Hall is family … I can keep throwing out names.

"When we see each other, it's almost like time never passes."

1997 McKinley Football - Part 1:'The greatest accumulation of talent': Voices of McKinley's grand football champs, 25 years later

1997 McKinley Football - Part 2:'An unbelievable noise every time we made a play': McKinley football crashes Ignatius dynasty

No. 73, Hall, was a 6-foot-4, 275-pound left guard in 1997, lining up next to the left tackle, Thompson. He also rotated in behind No. 61, Cherry, a 6-2, 270-pound senior, at defensive tackle.

The lone sophomore to start on McKinley's '97 squad, Hall returned in 1998 on a team that repeated as state champs. He was a senior on the 1999 Bulldogs who lost to Perry in the second round of the playoffs. At Kentucky, he made first-team All-SEC two times, prior to a pro playing career.

Now he is McKinley's head coach.

"Those were the best days," Hall says. "That's my foundation. Every bit of success I've had in my life is because of the foundation this program has given me."

1997 McKinley Football - Part 3:No national title for McKinley? 'I think the Ignatius Wildcats think they have won this thing.'

1997 McKinley Football - Part 4:One shoe on, DeMarlo Rozier disappears into night in McKinley football's grand finale vs. Moeller

No. 51, Leisure, was a 6-2, 240-pound senior right tackle for the '97 Bulldogs. Now he is on Hall's McKinley coaching staff.

No. 57, Aaron Lemmo, was a 5-9, 200-pound nose guard for the '97 Pups. He works as an inspector for Ohio Pools.

"The first thing that always comes back is how close everybody was," Lemmo said. "There would be 15 guys over at somebody's house playing the college football video game. We'd go to Ponderosa with 25 or 30 of us.

"We were really blessed. We played for each other. That's what we really cared about.

"When we do bump into each other now, it's as if time hasn't passed all that much."

McKinley beat Cincinnati Moeller in the state championship game on Nov. 29, 1997. Michael Munoz, who played offensive tackle for Moeller, is based in Canton now, as an executive for Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company.

"I was a sophomore, in my first year on the varsity," Munoz said. "Kenny Peterson from McKinley was the state defensive player of the year.

"I'm working closely with Kenny on some projects in town now. I'm glad I'm working with him and not against him."

Peterson wore No. 81 at McKinley before playing for Ohio State, the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos. He retains vivid memories of rugged games against Cleveland St. Ignatius left tackle LeCharles Bentley.

"It gives me chills to look back," Peterson said. "The selflessness we had on that team ... the great coaching."

In 2018, Peterson expanded his business interests by opening a Nothing Bundt Cake franchise at Belden Village.

No. 27, Mike Doss, was a junior strong safety and tailback with the '97 Bulldogs. He and Peterson made plays that helped Ohio State win a national championship in 2022.

"Kenny, Ben … Matt Curry, Fred Wilcox, Les Thompson … I grew up with all these guys," said Doss, who works for the Robert Weiler Company (commercial real estate) in Columbus and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame this year.

"When we were kids we promised ourselves that when we made it to the next level we would give ourselves a chance to be state champions," Doss said. "When we got to play the state championship game and it was on Massillon's field, do you understand the feeling I had in my stomach?"

No. 41, Jamar Martin, No. 20, Rashan Hall, and No. 44, DeMarlo Rozier, joined Peterson as captains of the 1997 Bulldogs.

Martin was a 6-foot, 240-pound fullback and linebacker who went to Ohio State and got drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2001. He has spent recent years teaching and coaching in the Columbus area, most recently at Westland High School.

"Even after all these years, the principles and the ideas of success I learned in Canton still apply," Martin said. "I remember the brotherhood and the camaraderie that was shared among the players. We had the closest unit I was ever a part of."

Hall and Rozier were among six 1997 Bulldogs who wound up with football scholarships at Kent State, joining Matt Curry, James Gamble, Ben McDaniels and Steve Smith.

"Those 25 years have flown by," Hall said. "After college, I played eight years of arena football with six different teams, and I had a blast doing it.

"I came back here to raise my daughter and I got into social service work. I found a niche, something I love and enjoy.

"Looking back, it's still amazing. It's hard for a public school to do what we did. It means as much as it did 25 years ago."

Rozier, who ran for 1,549 yards and scored 32 touchdowns in '97, was a volunteer assistant on the 2022 McKinley staff.

"I tell the guys now, take it all in, because it goes quick," Rozier said. "Play for your team. With our '97 team, if someone in red and black did it, we all celebrated."

The six Bulldogs who landed at Kent State didn't celebrate many wins in college. The Golden Flashes went 0-11 in 1998, 2-9 in '99, 1-10 in 2000 and 6-5 in 2001 under head coach Dean Pees, now the defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons.

"It was humbling," said Curry, who led Kent State in receiving yards in 2000. "It wasn't until our senior year that we had a winning season. At the same time, it was a good experience. I was there with my Bulldog teammates. We gained new teammates and friends. I played with Josh Cribbs and James Harrison.

"I got a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. I've made a career in social work, law enforcement and the criminal justice field. I have two daughters, 11 and 9. I'm just living a regular life."

Receivers from the 1997 team − No. 7, Rick Fox; No. 8, Fred Wilcox; No. 9, Curry; No. 10, James Gamble − all live in Stark County.

That fellow you see up in the sky might be Fox, a cell-tower technician. His son Owen was a senior lineman for the Hoover Vikings in 2022 this past season. Wilcox's son, Brailon, was a junior cornerback and receiver at GlenOak.

"We won as brothers," said Gamble, who is a chef at Samantha's restaurant. "We still have that bond to this day."

Ben McDaniels followed his dad into coaching. In 2016 and '17, Ben and former St. Ignatius QB Dave Ragone, coached together with the Chicago Bears.

Ben currently is passing game coordinator for the Houston Texans. In a recent game against the Raiders in Las Vegas, the Texans took a 20-17 lead into the fourth quarter. The Raiders, whose head coach is Ben's older brother Josh, rallied to win.

Thom McDaniels follows his sons around the country. He gave up the McKinley head coaching job after the 1997 season. The season never left him.

"One thing in the midst of a thousand good thoughts and feelings about that season was how well we managed a preseason," he said. "We learned of the No. 1 national ranking in May and had the weekly success to essentially 'run the table.'

"The people least prepared to manage notoriety and continued success were 16-, 17- and 18-year-old adolescents. That was my contribution to the cause. The kids played and won all those games."

The kids grew up. They are all in their 40s now.

Their 25th anniversary story − the saga of the 1997 Bulldogs − runs much deeper than three stars who went to Ohio State.

Some of the '97 backups wound up on the field at crucial times.

Others, including Travis Pellegrino, now a shift commander with the Canton Police Department, and Rob Thompson, a well-known local brass musician who goes by "Saxy Rob," did not.

Stewart Lytle's son, Jonah, played for McKinley and is a redshirt freshman cornerback with the Cincinnati Bearcats. After his McKinley run, Stewart played for Ohio Northern and earned a pharmaceutical degree. He has spent years as a Canton-area pharmacist, most recently working for Veterans Affairs.

"The friendships have lasted," Lytle said. "We still see Coach McD as Coach McD. We root for Ben wherever he is coaching. I enjoy seeing Officer Pellegrino and all of the other guys.

"We were a close-knit family then. I feel like we still are."

Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: 1997 McKinley Bulldogs won state national football championships