which teams would you say were the worst state champions?

[BradlyPitt]

steel- you are spot-on

BP- you are off base, sorry

Many WPIAL teams, either considered, or did say no thanks to PIAA tourney in 88, 89 , 90, 91- and again, its more than "just about gordon." WPIAL school Boards, parents, etc did not want to "extend their season" cuz it cost money, kids were tired, etc. And, again, in the 70s and 80s, going "east" was like going to play "worse teams" compared to WPIAL- this is esp true in the lowest levels, 1, 2 and 3A. Now, yea 4A was different.

what other teams said no?

go to Iowa and tell them you are a wpial champ? they will ask what a wpial is

tell them you are a state champ, they will know what that is and be impressed

silly yinzers haha

 

[2020sports]

what other teams said no?

go to Iowa and tell them you are a wpial champ? they will ask what a wpial is

tell them you are a state champ, they will know what that is and be impressed

silly yinzers haha

Funny thing is, if you "went to Iowa" and asked the Coaching Staff at the University of Iowa, what the WPIAL is, i guarantee someone there, would know.

But to your point- my point and steel's point, is the PA football world was different in the 1980s and 90s. Now, yes different, but we are talking about "history" and frankly that is what this thread is all about "history."

So, yes, you are correct, a state championship in PA, means more now- but things were different 30 years ago. And, currently, most people view State Champ as a "much bigger deal" than a WPIAL Football Champ- but that was not ALWAYS TRUE. So it is difficult to compare "different eras."

 

[steelcurtain55.]

I don't care what anybody claims what the perception was, it was absolute insanity to think a wpial title was better than a state title, I guess with some people truly think the world begins and ends with Pittsburgh

At that time it did. Look at District 7 was producing from the 50's through the 90's compared to the rest of the state.

maybe Penn Hills wasn't as good as advertised in 95, wouldn't be the first time somebody claimed to be "flat" or some other excuse because they didn't quite dominate an opponent they thought was much inferior

Penn Hills was as good as advertised.

yes ask Jim, or you could just find the Post Gazette article that quoted him saying that

dinner with him? where at? how is that happenening with you living so far away? Are you back in Churchill?

I'll ask him. You might be right. I live about 30 minutes away from where he does.

the WPIAL and Palko didn't win a 3A title until 2001, which is 13 years after the tournament began so what caused that?

Population shift and the fact that Curry was basically done at Berwick. Many of those AAA schools in the eastern half of the state have grown tremendously. Those AAAA teams in the WPIAL at that time were losing enrollment #'s.

 

[steelcurtain55.]

what other teams said no?

go to Iowa and tell them you are a wpial champ? they will ask what a wpial is

tell them you are a state champ, they will know what that is and be impressed

silly yinzers haha

Kirk Ferentz might know what the WPIAL is lol..

When I'm out of state - I often get the question "how close is that to Aliquippa?"

The WPIAL might not ring bells like it did 25-30 years ago from a national perspective, but I'd be willing to bet that conference alone would beat 50-75% of the state champs nationwide. Obviously, I'm not talking about California, Texas, or Florida. But, the brand of football played out here is still better than the vast majority of football you see nationwide.

When it comes to wrestling - google Dapper Dan Wrestling classic. Football used to have that same prestige.

 

[BradlyPitt]

Funny thing is, if you "went to Iowa" and asked the Coaching Staff at the University of Iowa, what the WPIAL is, i guarantee someone there, would know.

But to your point- my point and steel's point, is the PA football world was different in the 1980s and 90s. Now, yes different, but we are talking about "history" and frankly that is what this thread is all about "history."

So, yes, you are correct, a state championship in PA, means more now- but things were different 30 years ago. And, currently, most people view State Champ as a "much bigger deal" than a WPIAL Football Champ- but that was not ALWAYS TRUE. So it is difficult to compare "different eras."

haha I forgot about Kirk Ferentz, how about New Mexico do they know the WPIAL? LOL

 

[BradlyPitt]

At that time it did. Look at District 7 was producing from the 50's through the 90's compared to the rest of the state.


Penn Hills was as good as advertised.


I'll ask him. You might be right. I live about 30 minutes away from where he does.


Population shift and the fact that Curry was basically done at Berwick. Many of those AAA schools in the eastern half of the state have grown tremendously. Those AAAA teams in the WPIAL at that time were losing enrollment #'s.

he's in Peters which is where I live

yeah the numbers at a lot of schools have changed a ton since then...but you could say teams like Archbishop Wood, Imhotep, ECP, and Bishop Mcdevit playing down in lower classifications didn't make it easier

I think you could argue they made it harder