From The Portsmouth Daily Times, Friday 3 Nov 2000, pg. B1-B2
"1953 Team Pays Respects to 2000
Trojans' Season
"By Adam VanKirk, Times Sports Writer
"Not often is a team happy to turn over its school record - especially when that record has lasted 47 years. But as for the 1953 Portsmouth Trojans, they were more than happy to.
"This year's Trojans team finished the season 10-0, giving the school its first unbeaten season since 1953. And while typically a team which had had its record stripped would be at least a little disappointed, the 1953 Trojans, which went 9-0 47 years ago, were not.
"In fact, the '53 team was ready to turn its record over. So ready that members of the team visited the 2000 Trojans during a practice at Spartan Stadium before the last game of the season against Wheelersburg.
"'I had tears in my eyes and hairs standing up on my neck,' Portsmouth coach Curt Clifford said before practice Thursday. 'It was absolutely one of the most phenomenal things I've experienced in coaching. To see those guys come back and tell our kids, hey, it was our turn 47 years ago and now it's your turn. And go get a piece of history.'
"While this year's Trojans team, like the '53 team, finished the season unbeaten, it also won ten games and an AP state championship.
"This year's was the first AP state title for Portsmouth and the last time a Trojans football team won 10 games was 1938.
"When asked about his feelings on the matter, Clifford quickly responded with a three-aspect answer.
"First: 'I'm very proud that I could be a part of it,'
"Second: 'I'm very humbled. Very humble that people throughout the state of Ohio have given this program credit that we believe it deserves,'
"Third: 'I also think back to the past three years when we've been awfully close to being [where] we are now. When I think back to how close these previous three teams have been, it makes me feel like we've got things going in the right direction.'
"Portsmouth's AP championship comes just five years after the Trojans finished with a 1-9 record.
"From 1993-to-1996 the Trojans compiled a 16-24 record, but Clifford and the rest of the coaching staff at Portsmouth have turned things around, as the Trojans have a 33-7 record from 1997-to-2000.
"The turn around has gained respect from many of Clifford's peers, including Wheelersburg coach Mike Schmidt, who said, 'This is the best Portsmouth team, without a doubt, that I've ever seen,' and Minford coach Fred Brisker, who said, 'We respect all phases of Portsmouth. We respect their defense. We respect their offense. We respect their coaching.'
"While Clifford said he appreciates all the positive comments from his peers, he also said he understands the flip side of winning and had a very simplistic statement on his approach to coaching after 24 years with the whistle.
"'I think when you go through the things I've experienced as a coach for 24 years, you just take it one year at a time and one game at a time and just go from there,' he said."
Please Note:
I have no intention of claiming the above article(s) as my own work and have
attempted to sufficiently cite the source of the above information. Nor do I
have any intention of making any type of monetary profit from the presence of
this article on my personal, noncommercial website. If for any reason there
is a problem with this page, something which may have legal repercussions, I
would appreciate simply being contacted, and I will gladly comply in removing
the material ASAP. Thank You.
Return
to the Main Page
Return
to the 2000 Playoffs Menu