Who Is This FL HS Team? Pensacola Woodham

[OldSchoolLion]

Only a handful of FL hs teams have ever finished the season ranked in the final USA Today poll.  The first year of that poll was 1982.

One of these few teams no longer exists.  Who is it and who was their coach during those glory years?    

   

[DisabledAccount]

Team:  Woodham

Coach:  Don Sharpe

[Joshua Wilson]

40 minutes ago, OldSchoolLion said:

Only a handful of FL hs teams have ever finished the season ranked in the final USA Today poll.  The first year of that poll was 1982.

One of these few teams no longer exists.  Who is it and who was their coach during those glory years?    

   

 

21 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

Team:  Woodham

Coach:  Don Sharpe

Woodham, I believe it is... I heard West Florida was eventually supposed to move into the old Woodham campus, but they use the stadium now for football, soccer, etc.

[DisabledAccount]

15 minutes ago, Joshua Wilson said:

 

Woodham, I believe it is... I heard West Florida was eventually supposed to move into the old Woodham campus, but they use the stadium now for football, soccer, etc.

How recently did Woodham close?

[OldSchoolLion]

It is Pensacola Woodham, which was open from 1965-2007.  The school won state titles in football, basketball and soccer.

Don Sharpe was coach at Woodham from 1980-1986.  During that time, the Titans, whose uniforms were blue and white, went 60-11.  They won 5 district titles, 2 state titles(82 and 84) and were state runner-up in 1985.  His 1982 team finished 13-0 and beat Columbus in the 4A title game.  4A was the largest class at the time.  That team finished with a #3 ranking in the season-end USA Today poll. 

The 1984 team finished 13-0 and beat Southridge in the 4A final.  The also finished with a #4 ranking in the season-end USA Today poll.  Interestingly, in both 82 and 84, the Titans beat Columbia in the second round and Lakeland in the state semis...both times in Lakeland. Woodham's 1984 team was so dominant, it is said that Sharpe once called the same running play 16 times in a row to make the other team stop it.    

Between 1982-1984, Woodham went 35-1...their only loss to Choctawhatchee 7-6 in a controversial, first round playoff game in 1983.  Despite that loss, Woodham finished the 1983 season ranked #17 in the final USA Today poll.    

Prior to Woodham, Sharpe was a successful coach in Alabama, where he led Andalusia High to a 76-7-2 record in 7 seasons.  His teams won a state title and shared another.  Overall, Don Sharpe, in his 13 seasons as head coach at high schools in FL and AL,  led his teams to an amazing 136-18-2 record, an 88% winning percentage. 

 

[Joshua Wilson]

3 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

It is Pensacola Woodham, which was open from 1965-2007.  The school won state titles in football, basketball and soccer.

Don Sharpe was coach at Woodham from 1980-1986.  During that time, the Titans, whose uniforms were blue and white, went 60-11.  They won 5 district titles, 2 state titles(82 and 84) and were state runner-up in 1985.  His 1982 team finished 13-0 and beat Columbus in the 4A title game.  4A was the largest class at the time.  That team finished with a #3 ranking in the season-end USA Today poll. 

The 1984 team finished 13-0 and beat Southridge in the 4A final.  The also finished with a #4 ranking in the season-end USA Today poll.  Interestingly, in both 82 and 84, the Titans beat Columbia in the second round and Lakeland in the state semis...both times in Lakeland. Woodham's 1984 team was so dominant, it is said that Sharpe once called the same running play 16 times in a row to make the other team stop it.    

Between 1982-1984, Woodham went 35-1...their only loss to Choctawhatchee 7-6 in a controversial, first round playoff game in 1983.  Despite that loss, Woodham finished the 1983 season ranked #17 in the final USA Today poll.    

Prior to Woodham, Sharpe was a successful coach in Alabama, where he led Andalusia High to a 76-7-2 record in 7 seasons.  His teams won a state title and shared another.  Overall, Don Sharpe, in his 13 seasons as head coach at high schools in FL and AL,  led his teams to an amazing 136-18-2 record, an 88% winning percentage. 

 

Love those details... man Lion love this stuff... this has me giddy about what we have talked about behind the scenes.

[FL_HS_football]

On 5/1/2019 at 11:04 AM, OldSchoolLion said:

It is Pensacola Woodham, which was open from 1965-2007.  The school won state titles in football, basketball and soccer.

Don Sharpe was coach at Woodham from 1980-1986.  During that time, the Titans, whose uniforms were blue and white, went 60-11.  They won 5 district titles, 2 state titles(82 and 84) and were state runner-up in 1985.  His 1982 team finished 13-0 and beat Columbus in the 4A title game.  4A was the largest class at the time.  That team finished with a #3 ranking in the season-end USA Today poll. 

The 1984 team finished 13-0 and beat Southridge in the 4A final.  The also finished with a #4 ranking in the season-end USA Today poll.  Interestingly, in both 82 and 84, the Titans beat Columbia in the second round and Lakeland in the state semis...both times in Lakeland. Woodham's 1984 team was so dominant, it is said that Sharpe once called the same running play 16 times in a row to make the other team stop it.    

Between 1982-1984, Woodham went 35-1...their only loss to Choctawhatchee 7-6 in a controversial, first round playoff game in 1983.  Despite that loss, Woodham finished the 1983 season ranked #17 in the final USA Today poll.    

Prior to Woodham, Sharpe was a successful coach in Alabama, where he led Andalusia High to a 76-7-2 record in 7 seasons.  His teams won a state title and shared another.  Overall, Don Sharpe, in his 13 seasons as head coach at high schools in FL and AL,  led his teams to an amazing 136-18-2 record, an 88% winning percentage. 

Watched them against Lakeland in 1984 and then drove up for the state title game against Southridge.......Woodham ran the opening kickoff back for a TD.....(he was an All-state DB but I cant remember his name that ran the KO back for the TD), and pretty much never looked back, I will say Southridge managed to still make a game of it......seems like I recall a running back for Southridge "Roman Nelson" was an extremely good back......but Southridge was just never able to solve Woodham's triple option and anytime Southridge pulled close, Woodham was able to score to keep a comfortable lead for its self. Woodham had a big center I want to say his last name was Brantley  and a FB I want to say his last name was Jones I was really impressed with! I will say Manatee wanted Woodham bad in 1984, but 2 turnovers inside the Lakeland 10 was the difference in a regional 19-14 loss to Lakeland and cost them any opportunity Manatee hoped to have to play Woodham. Manatee would get Woodham a year later in 1985 in where it absolutely annihilated Woodham 50-22 in the state title game......You should see the video after the game when they interviewed Sharpe...........he was destroyed in spirit and no answer for what happen to his Woodham team on the field at Hawkins Stadium against Manatee.....I believe it wasn't too long after that game he resigned from Woodham as its coach.

 

[NW Florida Fan]

The big center was Phil Bromley who was center on 84’ Gators “Great Wall of Florida”. Before Coach Sharpe’s run at Andalusia, he was assistant under Billy Livings at Jeff Davis (Montgomery) and track coach winning 3 state titles in track and field. Coach Livings became the first coach to win state titles in Alabama (Jeff Davis) and Florida (80 or 81) at Vero Beach soon followed by Coach Sharpe at Andalusia and Woodham.

[LakelandGator]

On 5/2/2019 at 6:48 PM, FL_HS_football said:

 

That DB was Kerry Watkins, aka K-Dog.

Me and a few UF Gator friends stood along the fence near the 10 yard as Watkins was jawing with the Lakeland fans in the south end zone area. He then pointed to the opposite end zone, ala Deion Sanders. The Naught fans mocked him.

K-Dog got the last laughed and took it to the house. Woodham would never trail that night.

Watkins entered UF that next fall with the size and skill of a future pro DB, but he was also a headcase and never made it.

 

[nolebull813]

I have their complete history at home as well.