MJC routs West Hills on night the 1980 championship team is honored
Halftimes are usually reserved for trips to the concession stands and performances by the cheerleaders.
While those normal activities happened, at the intermission of Modesto Junior College’s 65-14 blowout of West Hills Coalinga, they were stalled by a very special ceremony for the 40th anniversary of the 1980 MJC National Championship football team.
Like many MJC teams, that one was made mostly of Stanislaus County talent and the former players, coaches and cheerleaders in attendance all spoke glowingly of their time as Pirates.
Among them were Atlanta Falcons’ 10-year veteran John Rade, who wore No. 65 and played defensive line for the team that won it all.
“Out of all the teams I played for, and with the NFL, this team is amazing,” he said. “We were the underdogs every game we went into ... there wasn’t a lot of huge athletic ability relative to other teams but we came in and jelled as a team.”
Like any championship team, the 1980 Pirates made its impact on defense. Led by Rade, Davis High graduates Tom Tyler and Arthur Berry and Bret Martin of Oakdale, the defensive line was an immovable force. If opposing running backs were lucky enough to get by them, the talented crew of linebackers would finish the job.
“We fought over tackles,” said Oakdale high alum, former MJC linebacker and coordinator of the event honoring the team, Manuel Vierra. “Those guys were unbelievable. They dominated every game.”
Remnants from 1980 can be seen on the sidelines of this year’s team. Tyler serves as MJC’s offensive line coach and head coach Rusty Stivers played for the team in 1990, head coach Dick Loyd’s final season.
“When I first took over I said that we would always be chasing 1980,” said Stivers, whose team improves to 4-2, 1-0 with Saturday’s win. “It’s fun to honor them because they’re basically the best team in MJC history.”
Pirates dominate West Hills on Saturday
Stivers’ Pirates got back on track Saturday night.
After playing the top two teams in state as part of its tough preseason, MJC used last week’s bye to regroup before Valley Conference began.
“We needed a recovery because the first five teams that we played are usually in the postseason,” said Stivers, whose team travels to Reedley (4-2, 0-1) next week. “You learn a lot, and you have an opportunity to get better and maybe get a chance to play them again.”
The Pirates used the week off to implement elements of a no-huddle offense Stivers used in the past but went away from in recent years.
“It was already in our system, and we made the decision to simplify the playbook and play a little bit faster,” he said. “It suits our players and we needed a change of pace.”
The concept worked. The Pirates scored touchdowns on eight of its 12 possessions, jumping out to a 36-7 halftime lead. Gino Campiotti connected on 12 of 19 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and four running backs finished with at least 50 yards and one touchdown.
Titus Rhiney led the way with 156 yards and two touchdowns.
This story was originally published October 17, 2021 at 5:34 AM.
