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All eyes in South Pittsburg on Pirates’ playoff

By: Adam Crisp
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Mike Killian

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. —  In South Pittsburg, football is big, and it’s been that way for longer than most people can remember.

Just ask 83-year-old Jo Collins. She’s been a Pirates fan since she was just 11 years old.

“There’s just something about it,” Ms. Collins said. “Being in the stands is just unbelievable.”The team’s record is what’s unbelievable. On a 27-game winning streak, the South Pittsburg Pirates face second-ranked Trousdale County in the quarterfinals tonight.

Three contests separate the team from a second straight Class 1A state championship. In its history, the team from tiny South Pittsburg has won four state championships: 1969, 1994, 1999 and 2007.

“In a small town like ours, it’s something to be proud of,” said Mayor Mike Killian, 51. “It’s a uniting factor that ties our city together, that pulls our people together.”

The winning team also drives business. The mayor said downtown restaurants are packed before and after games. Business marquee signs all over town cheer the Pirates to victory.

At the Pirate Drive-In, a South Pittsburg winning streak is good and bad.

“We get a good crowd in here,” said Harvey Allison, the owner. “But I feed the players for free if they win. Well, they’ve won every game this year, and I think we’re probably going to go all the way. We can beat Trousdale.”

During morning coffee, politics and football dominate the conversation. This year, with University of Tennessee football in the doldrums and the presidential election decided, the conversation is back to high school football full time.

“Politicians come and go, but Pirate football is a constant here,” said Bob Sherrill, who’s been the team’s announcer for 50 years.

“I get the best view in the house, I guess,” said Mr. Sherrill, 74. “There’s just a great deal of energy, and a whole lot of tension this time of year.”

It’s not always like that, though. People tend to forget the years when South Pittsburg’s record wasn’t so stellar, Mr. Sherrill said.

“It’s cyclical, and we have those fair-weather fans, too,” Mr. Sherrill said. “But there’s a core support that’s always going to be there.”

Town residents debate whether South Pittsburg’s power is related to its community support or if the support is because the team is so good.

“It’s hard to say, but right now the town really seems to be supporting them because they are so good,” said Jim Dunwoody, 66, who played for the Pirates from 1956 to 1958.

He’s also the team’s current video camera operator.

“There’s just a great tradition here that gets passed on from generation to generation,” he said.

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