Aggie Hall of Fame Spotlight: 1981 Football Team
Rounding out the 2014 Aggie Hall of Fame class is the 1981 Football team led by Coach Rich Lawrence.
The Aggies owned a 9-0 record for the regular season in 1981; the first nine-win season in twenty years and the first undefeated team since 1925, back when the football team played against mostly high school and junior college teams.
For the first time in the history of the university, Panhandle Football earned a post-season appearance in the NAIA Division II Quarterfinal Playoffs, serving as host for the first round. The team was ranked fifth in the nation at the close of the season and suffered their first loss of the year in the playoff game against Austin College, the eventual Co-Champions.
Lawrence’s team boasted four First Team All-District IX players, two First Team NAIA All-Americans, one Second Team NAIA All-American, two Second Team All-District players, three Honorable Mention Associated Press All-Americans and seven Honorable Mention All-District players. Coach Lawrence was named the District IX coach of the Year for his team’s success that season.
When asked what made that team so special, Coach Lawrence was quick to respond saying, “An attitude that started with Dr. [Thomas] Palmer, then PSU President. After going 7-3 the previous year, we knew we were on the edge of something great.” He emphasized that it was the winning attitudes of everyone involved that helped the team fight through adversity and rise to the top.
“We’ll Get It Done” was the team motto that drove Coach Lawrence, the players, coaches and fans throughout the whole exciting experience. That motto was of particular relevance in the game against Chadron State where the Aggies came from behind with a kickoff return to the end zone to clinch their eighth-straight win in front of a home crowd. Linebacker Mario Mendoza also recalled the Chadron State game as a stand-out moment and commented that, as a whole, that group of young men was “committed to win.”
With two members of the 1981 team being inducted individually this year (Mike Lee, Joe Piccininni), it is clear to see that Coach Lawrence had something truly special with this group of guys. Piccininni transferred to OPSU that same year and said, “It was quite an experience working with guys from different places and backgrounds and coming together as a team; believing and giving everything we had.”
Coach Lawrence maintains his pride in this group years later as he has watched them grow off the field. “We’ve got a lot of successful kids in that class. I believe combined they hold 17 state championships as coaches, and others have gone on to be successful as lawyers and business professionals.” The group remains tight-knit to this day and many will be present at the induction ceremony and banquet Friday evening.
The 2014 Aggie Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet will take place Friday, January 16 at 7 p.m. in the OPSU Ballroom.
