Escambia County High School is calling all members of the 1974 state championship team back for a ceremony similar to last season’s that featured the 1983 team.

The team will be brought in for Escambia County’s region game against Thomasville on Friday, Sept. 30.

The 1974 Blue Devils defeated Sheffield 7-6 in the 1974 championship game. The season started off slow for the Blue Devils who began 1-3 before rattling off 10 straight wins to bring the title to Atmore.

Bringing back members of the team is a chance for the 2011 squad and the community to celebrate the ECHS program’s history, Blue Devils head football coach Mark Heaton said.

“We are trying to get as many members of the 1974 team back, so we can honor them,” he said. “We want to bring them onto the field at halftime to recognize their achievements in front of the community and show them how much we appreciate them.”

In last season’s ceremony, the 1983 Blue Devils were brought back during the Escambia County-W.S. Neal game and were treated to a 60-0 win over the Eagles.

Bringing back that team was a great way to bridge two different generations, Heaton said.

“It was tremendous to bring back the spirit of excellence they had so long ago,” he said. “It was great for our kids to see those guys because several of our players are related them. It was just an honor and a privilege to be a part of that.”

Honoring former championship teams is a way to motivate today’s Blue Devils squad.

A goal is set in front of the Blue Devils to create expectations, Heaton said.

“It creates a challenge for our team,” he said. “It puts a goal in front of our guys because we want to be expected to win. Our guys get the motivation that they can win like that and bring a championship back to this community.”

For more information about the event honoring the 1974 ECHS team contact Murray Johnson at 368-4644 or 251-294-1128 or by email at murrayjohnson@frontier.net or contact Lynn McCorvey at lynnmccorvey @yahoo.com. They may also be contacted by Facebook as well.