When Monongah football was the Lion
king
The Monongah High Lions were state football champs in 1952, 1955, 1968, 1969 and 1973.
The 1952 team was quarterbacked by Julie Angelucci, who threw the pass to Dennis Jones that Dennis lateraled to Larry Rankin for the game-winning touchdown.
The 1968 team had both Brother – Nick Saban, today’s Alabama coach with 4 national titles to his name – and Kerry Marbury.
Saban was gone but Marbury was back for the 1969 title.
Earl Keener, Jim Feltz’ assistant in 1952 and 1955, coached the 1968 and 1969 champs.
To complete the circle, Jay Feltz, son of Jim Feltz, quarterbacked the 1973 team.
The WBOY-TV story about Monongah’s Field of Dreams:
Fields of History: Monongah Football
By Andrew Clay, WBOY-TV
Monongalia and Preston County Reporter
MONONGAH -
Very few things
change the landscape
of high school
athletics like consolidation.
Marion County once
boasted nine high schools, now the county has three.
Monongah High
School was consolidated into North Marion in the 70's. But still today, the
Lions have more state football titles than North Marion, East Fairmont and
Fairmont Senior have combined.
"It was
tremendous to know you had such a great team here that would be fighting for a
state championship each year," said John Veasey, editor for the Times West
Virginian.
Where Monongah
Football once played their games, now stands an elementary school and
playground.
Veasey began
covering Marion County sports in 1959. He remembers an era dominated by the
Lions.
"They were
just better than all the other teams around," he said. "They opened
every year against East Fairmont. An AAA team versus a smaller team, and about
every year East Fairmont would lose."
Monongah won 5
state football titles. Its most notable alumni led two of them.
Kerry Marbury was a
WVU football star who played pro ball in Canada. His teammate Nick Saban
needs no introduction.
"I played
professional football, I played college football, Pop Warner,
and high school," said Marbury. "I played all levels, and the most
fun I had was in high school and Pop Warner."
"Kerry Marbury
was just a college player among high school kids," said Veasey. "And
Nick Saban, Earl Keener would always call him a coach on the field."
Marbury and Saban
are still friends. Their bond goes back for years.
"Nick Sr. told
us if we started winning he'd take us to the Dairy Queen
he had," said Marbury. "That motivated us and we started winning, so
much so, he almost went broke."
Monongah spent its
latter years playing at East-West Stadium. The field where Monongah Elementary
now stands became a practice field.
Today only the
rusted out backstop of the former dual-purpose field, and a torn-down
scoreboard tucked in the woods still remain.
"Some of the
most fond memories I have took place at that field," Marbury said.
"The comradery we had, the friendships that were developed there I will
never forget."
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