The 1993 boys state track and field meet is forever bookmarked in the life of Brad Epperson.
Not only was the Franklin junior the rare thrower athletic enough to partake in a sprint relay for the Grizzly Cubs, the two experiences lasted approximately the same length of time.
Seeded fourth in the discus, Epperson scratched on all three of his preliminary throws and was out. And while it might not have been the time for bold predictions, Epperson chose to pipe up anyway.
“I said that night that I’m going to come back and win it the next year,” remembers Epperson, 45, a firefighter in his hometown since 2007. “I focused on that, and it was my expectation. I believed that wholeheartedly.”
Eventually, so did everyone else.
Epperson, who at 6-foot, 195 pounds, wasn’t close to being one of the largest, most-imposing throwers at the 1994 meet, proved to be the best. His toss of 176 feet, 3 inches, won him the first-place medal at the IUPUI track and field stadium.
Epperson remains the second Franklin boy to win state in track and field, with the other being miler Gerald McQuilling 51 years before him. He said his willingness to improve his throwing technique prior to and during his senior campaign was the difference between the hastiest of exits and the top perch of the awards podium.
An outstanding offensive lineman and linebacker for then-Grizzly Cubs football coach Roger Dodson’s squads, Epperson put in the work necessary to be among the state’s best once the spring sports season arrived.
If this meant staying an hour after track practice, he did it. If it meant asking Franklin coaches for advice regarding technique, he did it.
“I did work out and improved my strength,” Epperson said. “But my main thing was perfecting the art of not making bad throws.”
At the 1994 finals, Epperson uncorked his winning toss during the same preliminary round that doomed him a year earlier.
“In the back of my mind, I’m thinking, ‘Please don’t let this happen again,’” said longtime Franklin boys track coach Mike Hall, who retired at the completion of this past season. “I remember all of us sort of holding our breath on what Aaron Gibson would do. We kind of let out a collective sigh of relief when we saw what was going to happen.”
The mammoth Gibson out of Decatur Central, an eventual All-Big Ten offensive lineman at the University of Wisconsin who was second by an inch (176-2) in the discus finals, scratched on his final attempt, assuring Epperson the championship.
After high school, Epperson attended Indiana State University for a semester before deciding to pursue a stint in the military. He was in the U.S. Naval Academy for 4 1/2 years, advancing to the rank of petty officer third class.
The experience allowed Epperson to travel to destinations such as Japan, Australia, Guam, Korea and Hawaii.
“At that point in time, I don’t think I was quite ready for college with maturity and things like that,” Epperson said. “In the Navy, you grow up pretty fast. It was a great growing experience that gave me a newfound respect for my country and the military itself.”
Epperson eventually returned his focus to academics by attending Franklin College after the Navy and graduating in 2003. Now living in Franklin with his wife, Christy, and their son, Tauran, 11, Epperson occasionally thinks back to that magical day and night at IUPUI.
“When Aaron threw his last throw and he scratched, it was one of those things where I knew I had won,” Epperson said. “It was kind of that ‘cloud nine’ feeling where it’s hard to wrap your mind around it. It was almost like it was a dream.”
