A HISTORY OF THE ALLEN COUNTY ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Adams Central was one of eight schools which formed the first Allen County Athletic Conference (ACAC) football conference, starting in 1969, according to Blake Sebring in his book, Fort Wayne Sports History.
Sebring, former longtime sports writer for the News-Sentinel and currently a contributor to the Journal Gazette, has been posting excerpts from the book on the Fort Wayne Sports History Facebook page. Of the ACAC, he wrote:
“In 1969, Woodlan beats Eastside 48-6 in the first ACAC football game.
“Heritage, Leo, Carroll, Adams Central, Churubusco, Norwell and Eastside joined the Warriors in forming the first ACAC football conference. One of the star players that season was an Adams Central running back named Rick Minnich.
“The winners that first week were Woodlan over Eastside and Carroll over Norwell in conference games. Leo lost to Prairie Heights, Heritage fell to Manchester, Adams Central beat Parkway, Ohio, and Churubusco lost to Lakeland.
“Everyone seemed to be trying to catch up to the Warriors. The Woodlan program started in 1962, and one of the assistant coaches that year was Leland Etzler, who became head coach in 1965. His first team finished 8-0-1, starting an amazing run until 1975 where the Warriors went 90-9-4
“Adams Central finally broke the Warriors' run with an 8-0 win at Woodlan in 1969, giving the Jets their first ACAC title. Adams Central allowed only 37 points that season with four shutouts.
“Woodlan and Heritage tied for the title the next season after tying 6-6 on the field in the last game of the season.
“Things got more interesting in 1971. Norwell finished 4-0 in the South Division, but Woodlan, Leo and Churubusco all tied 3-1 in the North Division. The coaches voted Churubusco to represent the South Division in the championship game, and Norwell won 34-6. “There have been many great runs during the ACAC's history, including Woodlan in the 1980s, South Adams in the early-1990s, Heritage in the late 2000s and most recently Leo.
“Woodlan played for the state title in 1981, followed by Churubusco's runner-up performance in 1983. Adams Central won the ACAC's first state title in 2000 in Class 1A, followed by Southern Wells in the same division in 2001.
“Other long-time and great coaches in the conference included Minnich at Adams Central (236 wins), Kirk Sorg at South Adams (115 wins) and Bob Yager at Heritage (179 wins).”
(Sebring's book is available online in both paperback and Kindle.)