Is it possible to say that we could see an impossible occurrence coming from a mile away? Because that’s just what Prairie View A&M’s 30-24 SWAC football championship is; an impossible story with an outcome that was clear midway through the 2009 regular season.
We know they have the hottest young coach in black college football in Henry Frazier III. We know they had one of the best quarterbacks in black college football in K.J. Black. And we know they have a defense that stifled the powerful offenses of SWAC championship mainstays Grambling State and Southern.
But what they didn’t have, even in the face of an undefeated conference record and just one conference loss over the last two years, was the confidence of Panther alumni and the sporting world. This was, after all, a team that lost 80 consecutive games less than a generation ago. This was still a team that, for all of its success, had an almost improbable rise through the SWAC ranks. Too fast, some might have argued.
But the methodical program building at PVAMU, beginning with the hiring of Frazier, has served notice that the Panthers are the new standard bearers in SWAC football. But Panther football is not without its future obstacles. For every coaching job that becomes vacant, Frazier’s name will be among the first uttered to take it.
For every win they pile up, the Panthers will increased the faith of their fans in the program’s strength, and where they were once measured by season success, they are now on the verge of being measured from week to week.
But none of that takes away from this championship win or this season. No matter how impossible to believe, the reality can never be taken away.
MSU93 1:38 pm on December 13, 2009 Permalink
During my playing days at Morgan State was during the period PV had that 80 game losing streak. While it would be more than decade before we saw a winning season at Morgan , we were able to get 1, 2, or 3 wins most seasons.
I remember then thinking , how I would love to play these bums(PV). If you asked me then who would win a conference championship next, PV or Morgan State, my money would’ve been on the Bears… Here we are almost 20 years to the day I stepped foot on Campus at Morgan and we are still seeking that next MEAC title.
20 years ago I had no idea where the town of Prarie View, Texas was. This was a time before the internet ,and it really wasn’t worth my time to pickup a atlas or map to look it up, all i knew was it would be good to play these guys…lol…Ironically 20 years later , I now live approx 20 minutes from the campus of PV.
I had the pleasure of attending a few games this year on the campus of Prarie View. I never had to look it up on the internet or in a map to find out where it was, only the navigation system in my truck to lead me directly to the campus. One thing is for sure , The Panthers have finally charted their course and are finally on the map of success. Congrats to the Panthers and continued success in the future.
Another irony is Most of the Coaching Staff of the Panthers come from the Maryland area, and have several Maryland players in key positions on the squad.
REJ 8:45 pm on December 15, 2009 Permalink
Congrats PV A&M!! You’ve come a long way. I wish you could have showed your skills in the playoffs, though. I guess beating Southern, Grambling, and others is worth it. Wow! Let’s wake up and integrate the system. We have the talent to compete against Montana, App St, Richmond….we just have to play them consistently. I digress….Congrats Panthers!