"The 1980 A.L. Brown Wonders"
Central Piedmont AAAA Conference Champions
People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society. -Vincent Lombardi
The Gold Standard
Since the opening kickoff of the first controlled scrimmage game of the 1980 season the Wonders spelled trouble for their opponents, and life was not going to be easy for any visiting team coming into Memorial Stadium. Those opponents had come to respect our Wonders through defeat after defeat in 1979, and now the same lightening quick offense led by senior quarterback Ethan Horton was back along with a bone crushing defense led by Lance Smith and Steve Litaker.
Featuring a star studded collection of supporting cast members, and standouts such as Ethan Horton, Brent Holbrook, Lance Smith, and Terry Baxter the 1980 Wonders began the new decade of the eighties still bitter about their last outing in 1979 in Icard against the Cavaliers of East Burke. This team of stars had swept through the regular season schedule unblemished taking a unanimous number one ranking in the AAAA classification into the playoffs. They then demolished the Tigers of Chapel Hill in the first round of the state playoffs before going down 7-6 to an upstart group of Cavaliers. Needless to say this group was ready to get back to work and achieve redemption for their stumble in 1979.
Facing them was a schedule no less brutal with several teams having improved from the 1979 campaign. All the components were in place for victory and now it was up to the players to perform, execute, and dominate. A steady progression in success had begun in 1978, now it was up to this stellar class of athletes to take the program that one last step into history. Practice began on August 1st with coach Boswell having the dubious task of picking from a huge list of hopefuls salivating at the chance to make the team. In just a few short weeks the picks had been made with coach Boswell fielding a team of forty four players. Of those forty four players there were twenty four juniors and twenty seniors fresh off an 11-1 campaign in 1979 looking to go that one step further. The model for success had already been built in 1979, and now it was up to the class of 1980 to establish the standard. Lets take a look at this landmark season.
Featuring a star studded collection of supporting cast members, and standouts such as Ethan Horton, Brent Holbrook, Lance Smith, and Terry Baxter the 1980 Wonders began the new decade of the eighties still bitter about their last outing in 1979 in Icard against the Cavaliers of East Burke. This team of stars had swept through the regular season schedule unblemished taking a unanimous number one ranking in the AAAA classification into the playoffs. They then demolished the Tigers of Chapel Hill in the first round of the state playoffs before going down 7-6 to an upstart group of Cavaliers. Needless to say this group was ready to get back to work and achieve redemption for their stumble in 1979.
Facing them was a schedule no less brutal with several teams having improved from the 1979 campaign. All the components were in place for victory and now it was up to the players to perform, execute, and dominate. A steady progression in success had begun in 1978, now it was up to this stellar class of athletes to take the program that one last step into history. Practice began on August 1st with coach Boswell having the dubious task of picking from a huge list of hopefuls salivating at the chance to make the team. In just a few short weeks the picks had been made with coach Boswell fielding a team of forty four players. Of those forty four players there were twenty four juniors and twenty seniors fresh off an 11-1 campaign in 1979 looking to go that one step further. The model for success had already been built in 1979, and now it was up to the class of 1980 to establish the standard. Lets take a look at this landmark season.
The 1980 Wonders
24th Annual Football Preview
Kannapolis-39 Northwest Cabarrus-0
Kannapolis-35 South Rowan-0
"Unanimous #1 Again"
Kannapolis-24 High Point Central-7
Kannapolis-28 T.W. Andrews-0
Kannapolis-6 R.J. Reynolds-6
Kannapolis-28 Parkland-9
Kannapolis-21 Greensboro Dudley-0
Kannapolis-47 West Forsyth-0
Kannapolis-38 Greensboro Grimsley-7
Kannapolis-41 Concord-0
Kannapolis-19 Greensboro Page-22
"The Accolades Roll In"
"Post Recruiting Wars"
Let the Signing Begin
And so the 1980 Wonder football season ended once again in disappointing fashion for the forty four who set out to achieve perfection at the beginning of the year. An incredible group of stars whose feet would never again trod upon the hallowed grounds of Memorial Stadium. It was proof again that talent alone could only take you so far, and that sometimes the intangibles are the only difference between victory and defeat. Say what you will, but this group of Wonders accomplished more in a three year span then some programs accomplish in a lifetime. They forever set the standard that is still used today to measure the success of future Wonder football teams.
This incredible collection of standout athletes are still today considered to be some of the best A.L. Brown High School has ever produced on one single football team. This group alone would boast four major blue chip division one talents who would go on to have very successful college careers with two of them becoming major NFL talents. That speaks volumes for a program that in reality was only three years removed from residing in the gutter of high school school football programs. This success was not by coincidence or happenstance, but rather by design. A blue print for success that coach Bob Boswell brought with him from T Wingate Andrews to Kannapolis. A blue print for programs all over the state of North carolina to follow, and one for which there is plenty of envy. This standard is now referred to as "Tradition" in K-Town. Tradition that is as alive today as it was back in 1980, and we owe a big debt to the ones who laid the foundation. For here is where it all began.
This incredible collection of standout athletes are still today considered to be some of the best A.L. Brown High School has ever produced on one single football team. This group alone would boast four major blue chip division one talents who would go on to have very successful college careers with two of them becoming major NFL talents. That speaks volumes for a program that in reality was only three years removed from residing in the gutter of high school school football programs. This success was not by coincidence or happenstance, but rather by design. A blue print for success that coach Bob Boswell brought with him from T Wingate Andrews to Kannapolis. A blue print for programs all over the state of North carolina to follow, and one for which there is plenty of envy. This standard is now referred to as "Tradition" in K-Town. Tradition that is as alive today as it was back in 1980, and we owe a big debt to the ones who laid the foundation. For here is where it all began.
"The 1980 A.L Brown Wonders"
The Gold Standard in Kannapolis Football
Kannapolis 39 Northwest Cab 0
Kannapolis 35 South Rowan 0
Kannapolis 24 H.P. Central 7
Kannapolis 28 T.W. Andrews 0
Kannapolis 6 WS Reynolds 6
Kannapolis 29 Parkland 9
Kannapolis 21 Dudley 0
Kannapolis 47 West Forsyth 0
Kannapolis 38 Grimsley 0
Kannapolis 41 Concord 0
1st Rnd Kannapolis 19 Greensboro Page 21
9-1-1
Kannapolis 35 South Rowan 0
Kannapolis 24 H.P. Central 7
Kannapolis 28 T.W. Andrews 0
Kannapolis 6 WS Reynolds 6
Kannapolis 29 Parkland 9
Kannapolis 21 Dudley 0
Kannapolis 47 West Forsyth 0
Kannapolis 38 Grimsley 0
Kannapolis 41 Concord 0
1st Rnd Kannapolis 19 Greensboro Page 21
9-1-1
"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor" -Vincent Lombardi-