“I don’t know if we could’ve beaten Moeller or Princeton, but it would’ve been nice to have the opportunity,” said Lonnie Norris, who retired from coaching after that 9-0-1 season.
Playoffs or not, the ’79 Pirates are remembered as one of the program’s all-time great teams. They were selected as the first team to be honored in conjunction with a new fundraising event staged by the West Carrollton Football Alumni Club. More than 100 golfers, including several from the ’79 football squad, turned out recently at PipeStone Golf Course in Miamisburg.
A previously scheduled family reunion in Michigan prevented Norris from reconnecting with many of his former players at the outing, but he was happy to reflect on how that group reached such great heights more than three decades ago.
Norris didn’t inherit a juggernaut in 1972 with the program coming off back-to-back 1-9 seasons. A third straight 1-9 campaign followed in his first season, but Norris saw the seeds of growth with the roster expanding considerably to 69 players. He was willing to take a few steps back to establish some new expectations for work ethic and discipline.
“That first year we lost a co-captain because he wouldn’t cut his hair,” said Norris. “That first year was really rough, but we just kept building and kept building. Every year we improved.”
The program’s rise culminated with the unbeaten team in ’79 that started off with a stiff test in the season opener. The Pirates visited Miami Trace, which had sent quarterback Art Schlichter to Ohio State University in ’78 and was riding a 44-game winning streak.
After the Pirates dominated for a 37-8 win, “we knew we’d be pretty good,” said the coach.
The biggest test in the Miami Central Conference was provided by Northmont, which entered with a 27-game winning streak. The Pirates trailed with less than two minutes to go, but a touchdown and two-point conversion by Gary LeGate earned a 14-14 tie.
The playoffs weren’t in the cards, but the Pirates claimed a conference title and ranked as high as No. 8 in the state. Five players, including Notre Dame recruit Doug Compton, earned first-team All-Greater Dayton honors.
The new alumni club, sparked by several members of the 1984 team, wants to help West Carrollton achieve similar exploits.
In addition to honoring past contributions to the program, the alumni club seeks to provide financial support and opportunities for former coaches and players to reconnect.
The formation of the new club comes at a time that West Carrollton steps into the Greater Western Ohio Conference.
“Without question there’s no better time to bring football alumni together to help current and future generations of Pirate teams,” club president Jeff Giles said. “The GWOC presents a terrific opportunity, as well as a big challenge, to West Carrollton.”
Giles points to the tremendous facilities and financial support that many of the GWOC football programs enjoy.
“The consistent, long-term success of the program is dependent upon a number of groups — local businesses and citizens, coaches, the administration, players and their parents, and the alumni. Our hope is that the Football Alumni Club can help fill that role.”
Additional information on the club, membership and events can be found on the Alumni Club link at www.wcpiratefootball.com.
Contact this writer with story ideas at (937) 847-8435 or d_lamb@msn.com.
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