In this edition of #ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵTBT, we look back to the 1980s when ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ football gained national recognition.
In the #ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵTBT series, the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ News Bureau, along with Archives & Special Collections, will flash back to the past to take a look at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ over the years. You will find videos, newspaper clippings, photos and more to celebrate ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ's past, while looking ahead to the future. Follow along on E-Net and the university's , and pages every Thursday to see what we dig up.
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ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ's football team is preparing for its home opener against The Citadel, and to help you get ready for the game, we want to celebrate one of the most successful teams in program history.
On Dec. 20, 1980, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ and head coach Jerry Tolley were 12-1 as they entered the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Champions Bowl against Northeastern State. ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ defeated Northeastern State 17-10 to win its first national championship. The game, hosted at Burlington Memorial Stadium, was the first football national championship ever played in the state of North Carolina.
​But ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ's era of dominance didn't end there. On Dec. 19, 1981, Coach Tolley, who won NAIA Division I National Football Coach of the Year the previous season, led ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ back to the Champions Bowl at Burlington Memorial Stadium. This time, the Fighting Christians defeated Pittsburg State of Kansas 3-0, thanks to a 23-yard Phil Renn field goal. The victory marked ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ's second consecutive NAIA national championship. ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ also became the first private school to win back-to-back championships in NAIA history.
The 1981 team would go on to be named North Carolina's "Team of the Year" by the Greensboro Daily News.
The video by the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Athletics Department recounts the historic run by the 1980 and 1981 teams.
Now the 2019 ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Phoenix hope to make their own headlines. ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ will host The Citadel in the team's home opener at Rhodes Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Phoenix, under first-year head coach Tony Trisciani, will try to punch their ticket to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for a third consecutive season.
Do you have any special pieces of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ history? Share your photos and videos with us via email or using the hashtag #ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵTBT on , and . ​