Many had grown up playing football together, from peewee through junior high and into high school at Godby in the mid-1970s. They knew one another's strengths, personalities and weaknesses. More than anything, they trusted each other.
Decades later, as the team prepares to reunite and celebrate the Cougars' first state championship in football 50 years ago, that's what the players remember most. They were teammates, certainly. But they felt like brothers..
"We were a very close-knit group," star running back Chris Hobbs said.
"We didn't have a lot of numbers. We didn't have a lot of big guys. We were more like brothers. I am looking forward to seeing everyone. I am going to show up with a smile on my face."
Godby Cougars swept through 1976 football season undefeated
Godby’s journey to a perfect 14-0 season in 1976 culminated with a Class 4A state championship victory over favored and powerful Miami Carol City at Lakeland’s Bryant Stadium.
But the Cougars’ path to the title actually began three years earlier.
In 1973, Godby, a program that had never experienced a winning season, hired Gerald Culbreath from crosstown Leon High. From the beginning, Culbreath preached one goal to his incoming freshman class: win a state championship.
“For four years, that was our mantra,” Chris Hansard said.
Godby’s championship season was nothing short of magical.
Led by a talented core of future college players that included quarterback Sammy Knight (FAMU), tackle Floyd Jaggears (Naval Academy), end/linebacker Alan Davis (Wichita State) and Hobbs (Miami), the Cougars posted seven shutouts, beat Leon for the first time in school history and climbed to No. 9 in the national rankings.
An early test came in a 17-13 victory over Choctaw and star quarterback Mike Rodrique, a former Tallahassee resident who signed with Miami. Godby later routed Leon 46-7 in a game moved from Capital Stadium to Doak Campbell Stadium to accommodate the crowd.
By the playoffs, the Cougars were ready.
Godby beat Pensacola Tate 28-0 in the district final at Doak Campbell Stadium, then edged Jacksonville Jackson 17-14 in the Gator Bowl on Knight’s late field goal to claim the regional title.
Next came a trip to Merritt Island for the state semifinals, where Godby’s team bus was greeted by billboards and signs supporting the home team.
Merritt Island was bigger. Godby was faster.
Hobbs rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-0 victory that sent the Cougars to the state championship.
Against Carol City, Hansard and Hobbs recalled opposing players laughing during pregame warmups at “how small we were.”
Godby had the last laugh.
The Cougars won 21-15 to complete their perfect season and capture the Class 4A state championship.
Godby wasn’t alone in making 1976 a remarkable football season for the Big Bend and surrounding region. All four FHSAA classification championships were won by teams located within roughly 100 miles of one another: Godby in Class 4A, Panama City Bay in 3A, Blountstown in 2A and FAMU High in 1A.
Blountstown later hosted the four championship teams for a cookout and celebration in the school gymnasium. The Florida House of Representatives and Senate also issued proclamations honoring Godby’s undefeated championship season.
Godby's magical football season defined by friendships, faith
Hobbs not only remembers the close friendships that defined the team, but also the constant teasing. Nothing was off limits, from hair and shoes to clothes and anything else that provided an opening for a good laugh.
There was another bond holding the Cougars together, too: faith.
Before playoff games, Hobbs said the Cougars adapted the church song “This May Be the Last Time” into a pregame ritual led by Davis. For a group of teenagers facing elimination each week, the message took on special meaning. This might be the last time they prayed together. The last time they dressed for a game together. The last time they walked onto the field together.
“I get chills thinking about it now,” Hobbs said.
Hobbs also credited the coaching staff and the different personalities that helped motivate the players. One coach might challenge them and make them angry enough to respond. Another explained why something needed to be done. Another appealed to pride, family and doing the right thing. Still another took a more relaxed, just-do-it approach.
“The coaches don't get enough credit because they got us mentally where we believed we could do it," Hobbs said. “And they expected us to do it.”
Hobbs also points to the rugged Big Bend football landscape of that era. The Cougars entered the postseason expecting powerhouse opponents loaded with college prospects to overwhelm them physically. Instead, they discovered their regular-season schedule had already prepared them.
Hobbs specifically remembers the physical play of Leon and Quincy and the influence of legendary coach Gene Cox on the area's football culture.
"We were ready to play," Hobbs said. "Once you get that spirit in, that drive in, you're like a relentless dog who cannot be denied.”
Now the Cougars are ready to reunite, while also remembering those who have died over the years, including Culbreath and Knight in 2025. Knight accounted for more than 2,000 all-purpose yards passing, rushing and returning kicks. He also punted, kicked off, played defensive back and earned All-State honors.
Hansard has ordered state championship rings for players interested in purchasing one. Fifty years ago, the players received belt buckles and football charms for necklaces. Davis has ordered polo shirts featuring players’ names and numbers.
A tent will be set up near the field for players and their families to gather before Godby’s home game against Live Oak Suwannee at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23.
During that magical playoff run, the Cougars wondered whether each game might be their last time together.
Fifty years later, they get another chance to reunite and celebrate.
Here are the 1976 FHSAA football state champions
Class 4A: Godby beat Miami Carol City 21-15, Bryant Stadium, Lakeland
Class 3A: Panama City Bay beat Delray Beach Atlantic 11-10, Booster Stadium, Ocala
Class 2A: Blountstown beat Pahokee 12-0, Blountstown High School
Class 1A: FAMU beat St. Petersburg Shorecrest 38-0, Bragg Stadium, Tallahassee
The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) held its first state championship game in football in 1963. Six years later in 1969, Leon High was the first Tallahassee school to win state title under legendary coach Gene Cox.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: ‘More like brothers’: Godby football’s 1976 champs reunite after 50 years