Former Cleveland football coach Benny Monroe holds a plaque detailing the 54-game winning streak, including three straight state titles. This year is the 20th anniversary of the beginning of that historic run for the school.Area’s longest prep football winning streaksCleveland 54 straight, Sept. 1993-Nov. 1996Marion County 30 straight, Sept. 1994-Aug. 1996Marion County 26 straight, Sept. 1992-Nov. 1993South Pittsburg 26 straight, Aug. 2007-Nov. 2008Baylor 25 straight, 1943-45Howard 24 straight, Sept. 1960-Oct. 1962
CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Some have added a few extra pounds and wrinkles. For others there’s noticeably more salt than pepper dotting their hairline, or less hair at all. But time has done nothing to lessen the memory of what they accomplished as a group.
And as memorable dates go, many of the players from Cleveland’s 1993 football team admit this 20-year anniversary of the start of the program’s 54-game win streak ranks up there with weddings and children’s birthdays.
“It was a special time and there aren’t many days, especially during the football season, where somebody doesn’t mention it still,” said Heath Ware, a senior left tackle on that team and now Cleveland’s offensive line coach. “I have guys in my own family who had better careers than me, but when we start talking about who was the best, I can always end every argument just by reminding them I was on the team that started the streak.
“Coach [Benny] Monroe told us before that season started to go make some memories. None of us knew at the time just how big a memory we were making.”