Max Runager mastered the art of punting, left legacy beyond football

They call that game “The Mississippi Miracle,” a mostly lackluster scrum highlighted by two extraordinary punters for more than 59 minutes that a too-unbelievable-for-Hollywood finish turned into a one of the South Carolina Gamecocks’ most magical football victories.

The date is Oct. 21, 1978, and many of the 50,226 at Williams-Brice Stadium had given up hope and flooded to the parking lots late in the fourth quarter. But the Gamecocks got the ball with a few seconds remaining and ... well, “The Mississippi Miracle” occurred.

Garry Harper hooked up with Horace Smith on an 80-yard bomb and a 2-point conversion pass to Zion McKinney that produced an 18-17 triumph over Ole Miss.

Long-time fans remember that game with relish, and of course Harper and Smith and McKinney are foremost in the conversations. But don’t ever, ever forget the sideshow that, until the “Miracle,” had become the main event.

Max Runager represented the Gamecocks and Jim Miller wore the Rebels’ uniform, and they staged a punting duel for the ages. Miller averaged 45.5 yards, with a long of 56 for his 10 punts, and Runager countered with a 47.0 average on 10 kicks that included a 66-yard missile.

That Saturday afternoon almost 39 years ago comes to mind today with the news that one of the stars of the show, Max Runager, had died at age 61.

Runager will be remembered for his ability to kick a football, of course, but there’s far more to the man who played at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High, at USC and in the National Football League.

“A real leader,” Harper, the player who threw the pass, recalled Monday. “It’s not often the punter leads; the kickers are usually over there by themselves. But Max led. He could be vocal. He would get in your face. A great guy. A great teammate.”

From QB to punter

Runager learned the game from his dad Geb, a prominent high school coach, and played quarterback in high school. But, he said in a 1978 interview, he did not have the speed to succeed “at any position” in college.

“But I could kick,” he said one day with just a couple of games remaining in his senior season. “I wanted to keep playing and I walked on (at Carolina).”

He mastered the art. He could deliver with positioning, hang time and accuracy.

Need a bomb? Max is your guy. Need to pin the opponent inside the 20? Yeah, call on Max. Keep the ball away from a dangerous returner? Same answer.

“You don’t think about how a punter can control a game, and a lot of them don’t,” Harper said. “But Max could dictate.”

Harper, who recently moved from Spartanburg to Greenville, roomed with Runager, Quay Farr and Rick Sanford one summer, and “They taught me everything,” the quarterback said. “I was the young guy in the bunch and they taught me how to cook and clean.”

Along the way, Harper and Runager dated sisters.

But memories of football – and Runager’s extraordinary ability – dominated thoughts Monday.

“Max’s punting like he did in that Ole Miss game ... well, he did that all the time,” Harper said. He recalled Jay Feltz’ 79-yard punt against Clemson in 1979 and said, “But that was one game; Max did it every game.”

Case in point: the Gamecocks faced Ohio University a week before “The Mississippi Miracle” and the record book shows Carolina won 24-7. But the win did not come as easily as the final score might indicate.

Runager unloaded a 66-yard boomer than the Ohio returner juggled and the Gamecocks recovered the fumble. A quick score changed the game.

“A complete turn-around,” Ohio coach Bob Kappes said afterward.

Said then-Carolina coach Jim Carlen: “If there’s any doubt in anybody’s mind about his ability to kick a football, they don’t know anything.”

How good was he? Answer that question with a question: How many punters are in a college’s and a state’s athletic halls of fame? Max Runager is.

‘Timing is everything’

Runager, who would spend 11 years in the NFL and play in two Super Bowls, reduced his specialty into an art form. Yes, a “strong leg” matters, but that’s only the start to the road for successful punting.

“So many things go into it,” he said that November afternoon in 1978. “You have to get everything coordinated, need flexibility and need a real smooth motion. Timing is everything. You must catch the ball, take steps and adjust the ball at the same time and drop the ball just right. Getting the drop just right creates the hang time.”

He had distance in high school, he said, but he did not understand the nuances required until he outdueled a posse of punting candidates to get the job at Carolina.

“If the drop is too low, the punt will be low, and that’s not going to allow time for proper coverage. It’s easier to aim a low kick, but that can be bad if you miss the target.”

He could talk about 11 punts of more than 50 yards his senior year, but he preferred to salute his coverage teams. And the two blocked punts he experienced at USC – one against Wake Forest and the other against Hawaii – lingered in his mind.

“You don’t forget those,” he said,

Nor do you forget players such as Max Runager, an amazing performer and leader so good that he could almost overshadow “The Mississippi Miracle.”