By TAYLOR D. BECK The Reporter
A special trophy case inside the Crossville field house commemorates the Lions’ legendary 1986 team, which roared to a perfect 15-0 record and the Class 3A State championship.Photo courtesy of Crossville Athletic Club
As kickoff of the 2024 season nears, our deep dive into the history of Sand Mountain’s greatest high school football teams continues — this time with the Crossville Lions.
Without question, the greatest team in the history of Lions Football is the Class 3A State championship squad of 1986.
Under the great Roger Hibbs, Crossville was perfect en route to the State title. The Lions ran the table to finish 15-0 for the first and only time in school history.
Hibbs was in his fourth season as head coach of the Lions in 1986. He went on to coach the Lions for a total of six seasons from 1983-88, compiling a 57-19 record. Aside from his first season, Hibbs’ teams won seven games or better each year.
From 1985-97, Hibbs only lost three games — two of those coming in the state playoffs. Hibbs went on to coach at Southside from 1989-95 and Pell City from 1996-97.
Back to 1986, Crossville was dominant on both sides of the football. The Lions offense set a record for most points scored in a season with 431 (an average of 28.7 points per game). Meanwhile, the defense stifled opponents, allowing just 9.7 points per game.
The Lions posted four shutout victories that season, including Madison County 27-0, Sylvania 35-0, Douglas 28-0 and Pisgah 16-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
Outside of the Lions’ 22-10 win over Elba to secure the State championship, perhaps the most enjoyable win for the Lions was a 41-7 drubbing of archrival Geraldine in the Battle of Skirum Creek. It is the second-largest margin of victory for Crossville (34 points) over the Bulldogs.
What might also be considered impressive was Crossville’s ability to not let the preseason hype get to their heads.
The Lions entered the 1986 season ranked No. 2 in the polls. The season before, in 1985, Crossville had finished 13-1 with a loss in the semifinal round of the state playoffs.
The best run for Crossville Football was in the ’80s and ’90s. The Lions were 84-34 with the program’s lone state championship in the ’80s, and 73-40 in the ’90s. Crossville captured 10 of the program’s 11 region championships over those two decades (1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997).
Crossville’s first region championship came in 1961 under head coach Charles “Buddy” Hearn. The Lions finished the season 10-0 for the first time in school history, outscoring opponents by an average of 31.5 to 5.1 points per game.
Crossville finished the ’61 season ranked No. 2 in the state by the Birmingham News, and Hearn was named Coach of the Year.
Unfortunately, since the turn of the century, Crossville has gone backwards — so much so that the program has temporarily stopped playing at the varsity level. The Lions opted out of varsity football competition for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
School officials have said they’re hopeful to see the Lions return by 2026, which will be the Lions’ 100th anniversary of high school football. The school first fielded a team in 1926.
Publisher’s note: Statistics and historical data is courtesy of the Alabama High School Football Historical Society (AHSFHS).
