Annapolis High to honor 1978 state championship team

Annapolis High will conduct a special recognition during Friday night's home football game against South River, being held at Ensor Stadium.

Members of the 1978 Annapolis High football team that captured the Class AA state championship will be honored during a halftime ceremony.

Captains Randy Pittman and Lenny Riek will lead the team onto the field in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the championship. They will be joined by the widow of Tommy Parker, the other captain from 1978.

Legendary head coach “Big” Al Laramore led Annapolis to an unblemished 12-0 record in 1978. The Panthers claimed the Region III championship by going unbeaten during the regular season then defeated Crossland from Prince George's County in the state semifinals and Walt Whitman of Montgomery County in the championship.

Current head coach Nick Good-Malloy is looking forward to recognizing one of the great teams in Annapolis High football history to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1978 state title.

“Annapolis football has a rich history and many great traditions. I got to visit with some of the 1978 Fighting Panthers recently,” Good-Malloy said. “As we talked we found it special that so many of the unique routines they had back when they played are the same ones I did when I played here in the late 1990's and early 2000's for Roy Brown and many are still being done today.”

Good-Malloy's mother, Jane Good, authored a book about the history of Annapolis High football and an entire chapter is dedicated to the 1978 state championship squad.

“Big Al created a special culture and we do our best to teach the current players about who came before them and how Annapolis High is like nowhere else,” Good-Malloy said. “It takes a certain type of person to play here. It's not for everyone, because the expectations are so high. The 1978 team set the bar high and we've all been reaching for it ever since.”