Charlie and his Angels didn’t win the Boothbay Charity Golf Classic on September 28.

Neither did the scrambling five-person golf teams headed by former Miami Dolphins kicker Garo Yepiemian and former hometown golf pro Scott Price, although they were listed on the scoreboard as being in first place in the low gross and low net categories.

“The real winners were the Maine Special Olympics kids,” said Brenda Blackman, the event’s co-chairman. Blackman presented the charity with a check for $37,000.

There were 165 players on 33 teams in the 23rd edition of this event held at the Boothbay Harbor Country Club.

Dozens of unpaid volunteers work much of the year, rounding up prizes for the auction, convincing folks and hotel managers to provide lodging for dozens of the former pro athletes, including former New York Yankee manager Carl “Stump” Merrill and former Baltimore Colts/Oakland Raider Ted “The Mad Stork” Hendricks.

Unlike other “celebrity” events, the former athletes are not paid to attend the Boothbay event, although they receive travel expenses.

“They tell us they love the event and the Maine Special Olympics is a cause near and dear to the hearts of these former pro athletes,” Blackman said. Many of them have come up here for years. They say they love the town and the people, she said.

For Charley Johnson, 75, who played for three NFL teams over a 15-year career with St. Louis, Houston and Denver, it was a chance to exercise his old bones and to try to sort out his somewhat limited golf swing.

“I used to have a 9 handicap and now I am a 29,” he said. His career earned him all-pro status, nine knee operations and a hip replacement, all while throwing 170 touchdowns in 165 games, he said.

While his golf swing is limited, his putting stroke is still solid. He read the greens for his team and helped them to sink a few long puts. But he declined to claim credit for his team’s success.

“It was my team, Charley’s Angels, that made our team respectable,” he said.

A trio of fine golfers, Kathy Heaton, Gail Blanchard and Pat Heiges were the “angels” on Johnson’s team. Their long hitting skills put the group in position to score pars and birdies. The fourth member of the team, Josh Taylor, played a more supporting role, much as did Detective John Bosley in the 1970s TV series, “Charlie’s Angels.”

In addition to his football skills, which earned him a slot in the Pro Bowl and in the Denver Bronco’s Ring of Honor, Johnson earned a master’s and a doctorate in chemical engineering during his time in St. Louis.

After he retired from the sport, he was hired by his alma mater, New Mexico State, as a professor and department head. He still lives near the college in Las Cruces, N.M.

It is the sixth time he has attended the event. He is quick to explain how much he loves Boothbay and the golf event. He has special memories for his association and friendship with the late Boothbay Harbor waterman Charlie Begin.

“He was a good guy,” Johnson said. “A real, good guy. I miss him.”