A True Life Qwest for Greatness Story
_FROM 0-10 TO CHAMPS A True Life Quest For Greatness Story “I'm Not Too Smart, But Psychologists Say That When You're Obsessed With Something You Get Good At It. I Think About Football All The Time.”
Coach Don Nelson Dallas County High School August 15,1990 was the first ofÏcial day of practice for allowed to leave the practice field until the job was done.
High School football in the State of Alabama. Every high No one was allowed to use profanity including the school football coach and player shares the same dream, coaching staff. Practice opened and closed with prayer. the dream of playing football on December 14, 1990 for One change that is often unheard of in rural Alabama the State Championship. This is a story of a team that was the fact that no smokeless tobacco was to be used by fulfills that dream by going up against unbelievable odds, anyone.
the Dallas County Hornets of Platersville, Alabama Not long after accepting the job at Dallas County, Dallas County High School, the oldest county school in Coach Nelson found out he had lip cancer caused by the State of Alabama, is located in rural Plantersville. dipping smokeless tobacco. Thirty percent of his bottom Donald Nelson was starting his 3rd year as head lip had to be removed. Enough said. coach at Dallas County. When he accepted the job, he Another change that the players were unaccustomed inherited an 0-10 team and being in a rural area, this job to, was a mandatory weight workout through the did not attract many coaches. He was also the 4th Head summer.
The weight room was opened twice a week and Coach in four semesters. a set number of days for attendance was given.
Morale was down and school spirit wasn’t very high. Coach Nelson was told by several people that the players could not be motivated, would not show up for practice because of the distance they lived from school (some living as far as 26 miles away) and that their work habits were not good.
Coach Nelsons first spring training with the Hornets not meeting those requirements were given extra running and drills when practice began in the fall. Because of these changes, Coach Nelson saw his squad drop to 22 including seven freshmen. The first season the Hornets were expected to win only one game but managed to come out victorious in the first three games. However, injuries took their toll due to saw 65 to 70 players but it was apparent changes had to lack of a weight program. We lost four starters in one be made. First on the priority list was practice attendance. game and the Hornets ended the season 4-6.
If a player missed two practices without notifying the Now it was time to go to work. The off-season weight coach, they were suspended from the team. No one was training program had to be kicked into high gear. Coach Nelson had been told upon taking the job he would have it was Dallas County that was going to have the last athletes who could Squat 500-550 pounds. After viewing laugh. their Squats, he discovered the players were not even coming down 3/4 of the way much less to a full Parallel convincing wins but midway through the season the Squat position. After changing their procedure, it cut their Hornets found themselves 3-3 with a disappointing loss to total weight in half.
arch-rival, Maplesville! On Monday after the game, Coach Much of the same was true on Bench Presses. In the Nelson called a team meeting. Several things were past, players were allowed to lift their buttocks up from discussed but when the dust settled, the players had the bench. committed themselves to two things: winning the rest of Power Cleans and Auxiliary lifts had not been done, so this was added to the program. Dead Lifts came later. In previous years, the running program had consisted of playing checkers, cards, touch football, etc. the regular season games and making it through 5 playoff games to claim the state championship.
Momentum was kicked into high gear when Dallas County knocked off powerhouse “Southside-Selma” (20- It was time for a change! Box jumps, pulling weighted 19), which harbored the states #1 running back who had sleds, running bleachers, running ropes, jumping heavy averaged 200 yards per game. During this game Dallas ropes, timing on the 40, running various types of County held him to 43 yards. Dallas County was quickness drills, including the BFS Dot Drill, wrestling, outweighed as much as 70-80 pounds per man. The and viewing and implementing the stretching and quickness and speed of the defense and the game plan for Southside kept them off balance.
The quickness of the elements in Dallas County’s becoming stronger and faster. noseguard Rodney Sharp (150 pounds) played a notable The second year the Hornets went 5-5 in regular part in this game. Rodney box jumps 46- inches with a 15 making it into the first round of the state playoffs. pound weight in each hand. The passing of Andre Jones to Anthony Gutheridge and Sylvester Atkinson (named to Then last year, during the off season, we added the Trap Bar to use for Dead Lifts. This was not well received the 3A All-State team and holds a 3.5 grade point average) also played a key role in the upset.
at first, but after several weeks it became a favorite in the This was the tone set for the playoffs. After winning weight room because of the amount of weight that could the 1st round 40-0, the Hornets biggest test of the playoffs be lifted and the motivation factor. would come against 44 year coaching veteran Glenn It seemed like Dallas County High School’s football team had achieved a goal of becoming faster and stronger, winningest record in high school football in Alabama. The but the bigger didn’t seem to come. Our offensive line score was 12-7 with the ball on the three-inch line and averaged only 165 pounds and the defensive line only seconds to go.
Back-up cornerback and starting averaged 155 pounds. Most people laughed when the tailback, Derek Montgomery read the checkoff by the Hornets were warming up and some thought it was a Jr. quarterback. It was quick pitch right and Derek met him High team. We did not have a man over 200 pounds, but causing the fumble and Dallas County secured the win in 1990 ALABAMA 3-A STATE CHAMPS the final seconds. It was Montgomery who ran wild in the next three ball games, averaging 165 yards per game. The 6ft., 170 pound senior has committed to Samford University in Birmingham. He Deadlifts 600 pounds with a Trap Bar, runs a 4.6 40 and maneuvers in trafÏc as well as any back in the state.
In the third round of the playoffs, the Hornets were matched up against Elba High School, the defending 1989 champs, who defeated the Hornets soundly the previous season in the first round of the playoffs. Once again the underdogs, outmanned. The Hornets shut out Elba 12-0 holding them to 52 yards total offense never allowing Elba inside Dallas County’s twenty yard line. In playoff game number four, the Hornets faced Lineville and once again there was a big size difference. Lineville was tabbed to have the best defense in Alabama’s 3A classification.
Hornets out in he 2nd half, it was not before Dallas County scored 21 points in the 1st half. The Hornets held Lineville from several scoring attempts to hold on to a 2110 victory. The only thing in the way of Dallas County and the state championship was Plainview, who had a 14-0. They had a anchored by the 3A player-of-the-year, the number three college prospect in the state of Alabama and an All-State Derek Montgomery 28 TD’s 1556 Yards Rushing Will Go On Scholarship To Samford University quarterback. They had averaged 35 points per game. In the backfield was the runner-up player-of-the-year and defense allowed Plainview into the end zone only once two backs with over 1400 yards each.
People everywhere and held both backs to under 100 yards combined. The were preparing us for a loss, “You've had a final score was Dallas County 40, Plainview 7. you've been lucky to make it this far,” were some of the Many sacrifices were made by both players and things the Hornets heard but the Hornets had something coaches during the season but nothing could surpass the else in mind. sacrifice of Assistant Coach, Glover Towner. On During the first day of practice each year, Coach November 30, 1990, he was told he had 75-90% blockage Nelson always quoted a verse from the Bible dealing with in the arteries around his heart and that he needed faith, Matthew 17:20.
To reassure his players of this type immediate surgery. He pleaded with his doctors to of faith, a copy of Matthew 17:20 was given to each player postpone his surgery until after the season. He believed to be posted in their locker and read each day leading up our team could move a mountain and he was committed to the “big” game. The stage was set and everyone throughout the state had picked the Hornets to lose big. Over 4000 people were expected to be in attendance, the largest crowd to ever watch a high school event in West Central Alabama. When the game started both teams were emotionally to being there.
On Monday following the championship game, Coach Towner underwent open heart surgery requiring five bypasses.
One of the key reasons for the Hornets success was the support of the administration especially principal, Earl Grifin, who himself had coached the Hornets 18 years. charged. Plainview kicked off and Dallas County ran 5 Along with secretary, Ruth Walker, they handled all plays before it had to punt. Plainview had stopped Dallas administrative duties leaving Coach Nelson to coach County for the last time that evening. Plainview started its football along with assistants David Miller, Roy Brown, first drive and Dallas County gained its first victory. In Glover Towner, Allen Shelton, and volunteer, Coach fourteen games, Plainview had scored on its first drive Kenny Benton.
twelve times, but a fumble recovery by Dallas County ended their first drive. From then on it was all Dallas county, the offense scored on 6 consecutive drives for a total of 40 points. The The team and its coaching staff had faith and commitment in God, in themselves and in a goal that led a team of small scrappy underdogs to win the Alabama State 3A Championship. Continued on next page STATE 3-A CHAMPS DALLAS COUNTY Bar Dead Lift with 600 Ibs “When You Have Faith, You Can Move A Mountain, And Tonight We Moved A Derek Montgomery Derek’s profound quote after the final game demonstrating the powerful influence of the Lord’s parable in Matthew 17:20 :
State Championship Game.
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From BFS Magazine — Spring 1991. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
