Edited from original publication in 2011
This fall marks the 25th anniversary of Gonzaga Prep’s last state football championship in 1986. Having played in the state championship game in 1985, and returning half of its starters from the previous season, the Bullpups started the 1986 season as the consensus number one ranked team in the state poll. Many of the players on the team had grown up watching older brothers, friends and relatives competing in the state football playoffs and in state championship games, then played in the King Dome in Seattle and known as the King Bowl. They knew they would play the 1986 season with targets on their chest, but they also knew that nobody’s expectations for them were higher than their own. Coach Don Anderson and his assistants, Bob Pederson, Clarence Hough and H.T. Higgins preached preparation and execution to kids who knew they were good, but knew they had to prove it.
“We were fortunate to have a very highly-motivated, mature group of kids, said Coach H.T. Higgins, G-Prep’s Defensive Coordinator who also handled the same responsibility for the 1986 team. “In addition to being talented, the kids were smart, practiced hard and really enjoyed each other. They all knew the goal and weren’t going to let anything get in the way of achieving it.”
The team started the season strong, with high-scoring shutouts of University and Central Valley. That set the table for an early season rumble with Mead, which had also shut out its first two opponents and had played a tight game with Prep in the 1985 season. Over ten thousand people attended the late game on a Friday night in anticipation of a classic Greater Spokane League matchup. Half were sorely disappointed. The Bullpups used the occasion to make a statement, leading by 35 at halftime on its way to a 45-0 rout of the Panthers.
The G-Prep team continued its strong play in the Greater Spokane League, winning every game and averaging almost 37 points per game while at the same time shutting out five opponents, including perennial rival Lewis and Clark. Many reserves were able to gain valuable experience, usually getting into games as early as the third quarter.
One of those reserves was a junior quarterback named David McKenna who would one day be only the fourth head football coach at Gonzaga Prep since 1939. Coach McKenna now leads the Bullpups in pursuit of their next state championship, and is uniquely qualified to convey to the current roster of players what it takes to get there.
“I learned as a player that success breeds more success,” said Coach McKenna. “When we sophomores and juniors got into games early in the second half, the starters expected us to move the ball on offense and preserve shutouts on defense, and they celebrated with us when we did. That tradition of leadership and high expectations has been passed down from year to year and from generation to generation.” Coach McKenna continued, “It takes a special community spirit for a school Gonzaga Prep’s size to consistently achieve success in football at the highest level, and our coaches and our players draw energy from that spirit every day.”
After winning the 1986 Greater Spokane League Championship, Prep moved on to the playoffs, hosting Pasco High School, led by future NFL linebacker Anthony Davis. The team served notice of its intention to go the distance with a 44-0 trouncing of the Bulldogs.
Next loomed the undefeated Kennewick Lions, still bitter from a 41-0 loss to the Bullpups in the snow at Lion’s Stadium in the 1985 playoffs. The entire Gonzaga Prep community and a large part of the population of Kennewick descended on Albi Stadium on a Friday night in November to watch what is still considered to be one of the best high school football games to ever be played in the State of Washington. A defensive battle lit up the night with bone-jarring hits from both teams. Kennewick brought two 1,000 yard rushers to the game who left Spokane with less than 70 yards gained between them. G-Prep’s usually potent offense also struggled uncharacteristically against the rugged Kennewick defenders. At the end of regulation time, the score stood at 14-14 and the Bullpups dream of winning the state championship hung in the balance. The first overtime saw Prep’s offense drive from the 25 yard line for a touchdown that put the Pups in the driver’s seat for the win. But Kennewick took advantage of a broken play on its subsequent first play of the first overtime, and the Lions’ quarterback scampered into the end zone from 25 yards out to again tie the game. In the second overtime, Kennewick was on offense first, and the Prep defense jumped all over the Lions, pushing them back on the possession. This left the Bullpups with a chance to win on their offensive possession in the second overtime, and they methodically drove the ball. As they got closer to the goal line, and with everyone anticipating that the Bullpups would win the game with a chip shot field goal from kicker Thayne Doyle, Ron Hawkins suddenly ended the game on a quarterback keeper around the right side, a run that resulted in bedlam on the field and in the stands. The game was widely reported as an instant classic and is still considered by many to be the de facto state championship game of the 1986 season.
1986 team quarterback Ron Hawkins’ memories of that game reflect both the thrill of winning and the seriousness of the larger mission: “We knew Kennewick would provide us with our stiffest challenge of the season. Like our own team, they were led by a tremendous coaching staff and the roster was filled with really fine football players. The game did not disappoint. With a game of that magnitude extended to double overtime, the win was certainly worthy of celebration, and the students and fans storming the field is a memory that will last forever. As I walked up the ramp of the stadium, I was exhausted, relieved and full of respect for both teams, but what really struck me was just how quickly our coaches and team leaders were focused back on the reality that we had much more work to do over the next two weeks.”
G-Prep’s players and coaches approached those next two weeks with a single-minded intensity. The Bullpups’ first foe was the Kelso Highlanders, who traveled to Spokane on Thanksgiving weekend for the semi-final game. Still feeling the effects of the hard-hitting game against Kennewick the previous week, including Ron Hawkins’ injured left wrist, Prep started slowly, scoring only seven points in the first half. But the defense would not budge an inch, making it clear early in the game that it had no intention of letting Kelso get any momentum. The offense got rolling in the second half, and the Bullpups capped their final game at Albi Stadium with a 35-0 win, their seventh shutout of the season that sent them to their second consecutive King Bowl. The Prep players were all business after the game, telling reporters and anyone else who asked that they were happy about the win but at the same time singularly focused on preparing to win the King Bowl the following week.
As luck would have it, the Juanita Rebels from Kirkland, Washington upset their opponent in the other semi-final, so the 1986 state championship would be a re-match of the 1985 King Bowl, a welcome turn of events for the coaches and many players on the G-Prep roster who played in and lost that matchup the year before. While they were confident that they could win the game, they also knew that many Juanita players had played in the state championship game in the two previous seasons, and that with veteran winning coach Chuck Tarbox leading them, the Rebels would be ready to play.
Many players still remember the experience of approaching Seattle on the team bus and seeing the King Dome looming in the distance. This was the second time playing in the state championship for most of them, and while they welcomed the experience of again playing in the Seahawks’ famous home stadium, the focus was on beating Juanita and bringing home the big gold trophy.
1986 team inside linebacker Nate Steilen recalls a special cohesiveness his team had: “We weren’t a bunch of ‘blue chippers,’ we were a group of guys who complemented each other. We were committed to winning the state championship. Our high degree of interdependence and shared authority resulted in a synergy that was much greater than the sum of each player’s individual talents. We were really like a family. So when we drove up to the Kingdome that day, it didn’t matter who we were playing, we were ready to go. Looking back, it would be hard to replicate the chemistry we had.”
At 14-7, the actual game ended up being closer than expected on the scoreboard, but Gonzaga Prep proved its dominance on the field. Its defense rocked Juanita’s offense early and often, pushing them around on the line of scrimmage and harrying their quarterback all night, forcing two interceptions. Its wishbone offense systematically ground out yards, using the clock and wearing down Juanita’s defense. The Bullpups blocked a field goal attempt in the first quarter, and then capped off a long drive in the second quarter with a thirty yard touchdown run around the right by running back Tom Corbett. Juanita evened it before half time on a long pass on a broken play to its star running back, Clayton Harley. But Prep came out firing in the second half. Linebacker Matt Murphy nearly returned an interception for a touchdown early in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Bullpup offense was not able to convert, fumbling the ball on the Juanita one yard line. But the Prep defense continued to swarm the Rebels, making it only a matter of time before the Pups would get the ball again. In the fourth quarter, G-Prep’s offense pounded out first downs, with Ron Hawkins delivering the go-ahead touchdown on a one yard keeper with 7:32 left in the game. The Rebels got nowhere with their next possession, and the Bullpups’ offense ran down the clock until only nine seconds remained in he game, when they found themselves in an awkward fourth down situation on their side of mid field. Not wanting to leave the Rebels with any time on the clock, they punted and the game ended with linebacker Tom McKeirnan tackling the punt returner as he caught the ball and immediately jumping to his feet with both index fingers pointed in the air. The team streamed onto the field, mobbing each other at mid-field. Coach Anderson was carried to the podium for the trophy presentation. Much of what happened after the game is still a blur to the players and fans who were there, and the huge party continued on into the night at the Red Lion Hotel SeaTac, which was clearly not prepared for the hundreds of people wanting to celebrate after the late Saturday night championship.
Al Falkner, President of Gonzaga Prep and a teacher and coach at Gonzaga Prep in 1986, talks about the Bullpups’ state football championship in a broader context: “Gonzaga Prep has a rich tradition of excellence, achievement, hard work, community, and faith. The 1986 football team brought all of these elements together in a special moment for our school, our alumni, and the Spokane community. Together they sought what the Jesuits call the magis, or ‘something greater or better’ – and accomplished it. This quest that happens every day at Gonzaga Prep is so important and adds meaning to our lives and the world. There is a special bond among our students that lasts a lifetime because of the many experiences like this happening at our school.”
Ten starters from Gonzaga Prep’s 1986 state championship team were named first team All Greater Spokane League, including Rob Bonneau, Steve Sloan, Pat Miller, John Johnston, Tom Corbett, Matt Miller, Ron Hawkins, Thayne Doyle, Tom McKeirnan and John Cowen. Ron Hawkins and Tom McKeirnan were named to the All State team, with Ron Hawkins being named the offensive player of the year in the State of Washington. Coach Anderson was named Greater Spokane League Coach of the Year, and the team was awarded Junior Male Team of the Year by the Spokane Writers and Broadcasters, which also awarded Ron Hawkins the Junior Male Athlete of the Year award. More than 20 players from the 1986 state championship team moved on to play football in college, with a majority of them receiving athletic scholarships. But if you ask any of those former players what football experience they most remember, it will be the unmatchable championship season that they shared with their lifelong friends and teammates at Gonzaga Prep.