1981 Northview Cougars (Dothan, AL) Season Tribute.

Just in its fourth year as a school, the Northview football program sought to establish itself in the Wiregrass amongst very tough rival schools. Coach Harry Wayne Parrish and his young coaching staff knew they had a lot of talent on the team, but weren’t sure how well they would respond to the challenges ahead.
Coming off a 7-3 season in 1980, the pre-season 8th ranked Cougars were looking to break into the playoffs in 1981. Senior leadership was led by Brent Gilbert, Larry Roberts, Tim Whaley, Kerchal Byrd, Scot Patterson, Bud Young, Brad Kennington, Phillip Braswell, David Alford and others.
The season started strong with wins over Carroll and Prattville. However, a close loss to Sidney Lanier followed by a costly win over Crisp County, GA turned the season on its head. During the Crisp County game senior star quarterback David Alford was lost for the season with a knee injury. In stepped untested Junior QB Dickey Lillard who led the Cougars to victory that evening.
What transpired next was truly historic for the Northview program. The Cougars finished the regular season with wins over rivals Enterprise and Dothan, which were followed by playoff wins over Murphy, Foley, and Jeff Davis. Who among you remember that thrilling Jeff Davis game?
To finish this most memorable season, the Cougars then defeated Carver-Birmingham, 7-6, at Birmingham’s historic Legion Field to capture the 1981 4A State crown.
During the state championship game, after a scoreless half, the Cougars scored early in the third quarter on an 8-yard pass from Lillard to Larry Roberts, who would later star as a defensive end with the San Francisco 49ers. Alan Lopez converted the extra point to make it 7-0. Carver scored in the third quarter’s final minute, returning a block punt 23 yards for a touchdown. However, the point after kick was missed, and this turned out to be the difference in the game. This was the first high school football state title for the City of Dothan.
The 1981 Cougars team is largely considered the most dominant team in the 41-year history of the Northview program. The team was led by its defense behind coordinator Randy Hicks and coaches Bubba Johnson and Floyd Griffin. The Cougars allowed only 9.9 points per game. The offense averaged 20.6 a game.
Several Seniors from the 1981 team furthered their football careers in college and Larry Roberts with the 49ers. 18 members from this team played collegiate football.
Prompted by Principal James Smith’s pep rally chant, “Don’t Meet Me There - Beat Me There!”, Friday nights at Rip Hewes Stadium were always special. This team will always be remembered as the one that set the highest standard for all future Cougar teams.
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