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Post by DOOMS on Dec 7, 2005 13:25:14 GMT -5
We've tossed this one around before on the MEAC board. But I'm interested to know more folks' opinions.
My entries into the ring of fire are:
1993 Quarterbacked by a young Maceo Bolin, this wing-t powerhouse finished with a mere 8-3 record. But this team embarassed a preseason number one Western Carolina team 34-7, physically beat a ranked Liberty team so bad they didn't wanna play us ever again (seriously) and smacked around a bad App State team 22-10. These monsters had a senior dominated offensive line that pounded opponents for over 280 yards per game on the ground and were good for another 160 in the air. The team featured two 1,000 yard rushers, both of whom were on the field at the same time. If you stopped one, guess what? The other one was the one that actually had the ball. Touchdown Aggies!!!
Defensively, uhhhh...
1999 This team was so good Prince wrote a song about it 15 years before it existed.
Defense wins championships and this team won one with defense. Not blessed by any offensive talent other than a couple of linemen and a bull of a runner named Maurice Smith, this team stands as the winningest Aggie team ever. 11-2. Unlike the 1993 team that beat all the pwcs it played, this team lost to both pwcs it played, and pretty damn badly too. But hbcus were at a loss in how to move the ball on this evil locust swarming-like defense. This team held two of the top scoring I-AA offenses in the nation to 15 and 3 points, respectively.
Offensively, it was Mo, Mo, Mo, screen pass. This team ran for over 200 yards (barely) and passed for over 100 yards (barely) per game. What you saw was what you got. What you saw was three different qbs throughout the season, a big ole fullback sized tailback that could break you back or outrun you to the end zone, receivers that could actually catch the ball, a return game that scares you even today, and two fullbacks that got over six yards a carry and got about 10 carries a game between the two of them.
Do we have any other candidates (like I don't expect somebody to pull '03 out of their a$$). Please include the candidate's year, key players, guesstimation of stats, key games, and something sexy about them.
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Post by aggielove on Dec 7, 2005 13:56:07 GMT -5
is there anywhere you could find historical info on A&T football, even if you could only go a few years back?
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Post by DOOMS on Dec 7, 2005 14:09:22 GMT -5
Besides my brain?
The media guide. They put them out every year and it has a lot of superlatives and what-not. A great piece of information. Sometimes you can buy them online.
What's with the rolling eyes?
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Post by SHB2K on Dec 7, 2005 14:15:58 GMT -5
Not only did you expect someone to pull 03' out... you knew EXACTLY who it'd be... So not to dissappoint... I shall proceed...
My candidate for Best Aggie TEAM ever would be none other than the 2003 edition of the NC A&T Aggies. The great thing about this team was that they weren't good at any one thing, but they weren't bad at any one thing either. They were the New Englad Patriots/San Antonio Spurs of Aggie football because they FOUND WAYS TO WIN!!
QB's: Rico Watkins, Marshall Glenn RB's: Frank Patterson, Michaux Hollingsworth
They started the season with a 25-0 win over a Central team that had come into the classic and beat them the year before. Everyone had already christened Patterson as the next Hicks after rushing for 170 yds against Central. After that, the brotha never got to 100 yds again.
We started out the year with Marshall at the helm, but for obvious reasons we went to Randall Rankins. Rankins provided an instant spark in the Elon game and won that one for us. However, he suffered from injury and (in the words of mike tyson) faded to "Bolivian" after the game. Thus, we turned to Rico "the gunslinger" Watkins and watched him heave us to victory week after week. We all agree that Rico is prolly one of the worst I-AA qb's ever, but he also had to be one of the most fun to watch because every play that he made looked like it had NO CHANCE to be made.
The defense was STINGY that year, led by Curtis Deloatch. They had leadership and swagger that pumped fear in the heart of the opposition every time they stepped onto the field. Save for Southern and SC State, EVERY game showed a level of excitement that was the highest I've ever witnessed at A&T.
This season has to go down as one of the greatest simply because we didn't expect to win, and we prolly shouldnt have won all those games, but we DID. We found a way. Say what you wish about Small, but it obviously wasnt about him that year. That team EPITOMIZED AGGIE PRIDE! They walked it, talked it, lived it.
On top of all that, they dealt with the tragedy of losing Herb Dixon, and used that as a rallying cry. If I am correct, this is also the year they founded the famed "Football choir" that you truly had to see to believe! Those brothers could SANG! They got beat by a Wofford squad with a boring, but sick wishbone offense. But these brothers weren't all that talented, they were brought in hastily by a former coach or by a coach that was hired just months prior to the season, and they GOT IT DONE! That team is what A&T is all about.
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Freeze
Official BDF member
Posts: 2,340
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Post by Freeze on Dec 7, 2005 14:25:42 GMT -5
If I'm not mistaken, Herb Dixon played on that squad did he not?
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Post by DOOMS on Dec 7, 2005 14:29:32 GMT -5
Yeah. Of course I agree '03 should be in the ring of fire!!!!
Herb not only played on that team, he and Deloatch really made that defense. Their speed and instincts neutralized whatever the opposing team was trying to do (except Southern, SC State, and Wofford. Southern was smart enough to throw dump off passes over Herb's head and away from Deloatch and Wofford just blocked them out of the play.)
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Post by 4XLAGGIE on Dec 7, 2005 14:54:25 GMT -5
1975 MEAC Co-Champs: A&T's First MEAC Football Championship. Quarterbacked by Ellsworth Turner, the best quarterback in Aggie history. George Ragsdale, the best runningback in Aggie history. Dexter Feaster, the best receiver in Aggie history. Ragsdale was named MBN Black College Offensive Player of the Year. Back in my day so naturally I am a little biased.
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Freeze
Official BDF member
Posts: 2,340
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Post by Freeze on Dec 7, 2005 14:59:11 GMT -5
Man...considering that I was born in 1975 I cant comment on any of those cats. I've heard about Turner and Feaster though and I heard they were the truth.
BUT BRUH, if you telling me there was somebody running the ball for A&T BETTER than Maurice Hicks then I may have to look at you a little sideways. Maurice is one of the best running backs I was ever privleged to see in person. I still get goosebumps seeing that brother run on the clips that Thrilla has available on the front page of this site. Hell in fact...I'm bout to go check them out right now.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Dec 7, 2005 15:00:31 GMT -5
I'd say the 2000 squad was the best A&T team I ever saw. We had Matkins, Shipp, and Hicks on offense and BJ Little, Ray Massey and that incredible linebacker corps on D.
Only Hayes and his lack of coaching kept us from advancing to at least the second round of the playoffs that year. Still can't believe we lost to Del State and Howard.
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Post by 4XLAGGIE on Dec 7, 2005 15:02:28 GMT -5
Well Freeze, I'll tell ya, you ain't seen a runner til you've seen Ragsdale.
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Post by DOOMS on Dec 7, 2005 15:02:30 GMT -5
Man, you must be high!!!!
Rags is the SECOND best A&T rb ever.
As a lil boy growing up in Georgia I got the privilege to see Herschel Walker play in Sanford Stadium. Poor Tennessee....
Anyway, I saw Herschel, but I'd never seen a Negro God in cleats til I saw Mo Hicks. That boy was Reggie Bush before Reggie Bush.
Now, Rags almost beat a drunken DOOMSDAY up in the stands one day for spilling some "liquid" on him, so I do know the brother is pretty strong.
But Mo Hicks....
What was '75's record?
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Post by DOOMS on Dec 7, 2005 15:05:45 GMT -5
Wait, answered my own question...
8-3, with 7-0 losses to FAMU and SC State in consecutive weeks, and a blowout 42-16 loss to Grambling. (was our new head coach an assistant on that team? It's funny how life takes you places.)
I guess if we can throw 2000 into the ring of fire, 75 deserves a shot too...
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Post by SHB2K on Dec 7, 2005 15:06:23 GMT -5
My bad on Herb... I thought that was another linebacker that year, got my dates mixed up, but that team was still nice!
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Post by DOOMS on Dec 7, 2005 15:11:36 GMT -5
Ok, once we have the ring of fire set up, I'd like to come up with some criteria the participants can use so that we can judge who the ultimate Aggie team was.
I figure stats such as the following should go in:
scoring offense scoring defense scoring margin records of competition key players coaches offensive set defensive set
One thing we might have to take into account is the era they played in. You might have some old geezer show up suggesting that '51 team would teach us young whippersnappers the meaning of football. Then you look and they only averaged 159 yards a game. But then everybody averaged 159 yards a game in the 50s. Shitt, gas was like 13 cents a gallon, you couldn't look a white man in the face, and porno consisted of 8mm tape garnered from your older brother's stag party and playboy magazines with Betty Boop in a bathing suit.
Other items up for vote include:
Uniform Catchy nickname Fan support Band Luck Ability to compete with Mr. Charlie
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Post by 4XLAGGIE on Dec 7, 2005 15:13:23 GMT -5
The '75 record was 8-3. Now once again, thats just my opinion from having seen both of them run firsthand. And if I'm not mistaken, that Grambling team had Doug Williams at quarterback and Sammie White at receiver.
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