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Special events and recognition are planned for each home game of the 2019 Andalusia High School football season, as the community celebrates the 100^th year of high school football and marks the 1,000^th game.

Andalusia City Schools, the Andalusia Booster Club and the City of Andalusia are planning the special events for home games, which include:

• August 23 – Andalusia vs.  Saraland, Senior Night for football
• September 20 – Andalusia vs. Hillcrest, Andalusia Youth Football League players and cheerleaders who are accompanied by an adult will receive free admission to the game, and will be recognized on the field between quarter.
• Oct. 4 – Andalusia vs. Williamson, AHS will celebrate its 1,000^thgame. Members of the state championship teams will be honored at a pre-game reception and recognized on the field. Official rededication ceremonies celebrating the stadium renovation also are planned.
• Oct. 18 – Andalusia vs. W.S. Neal, Band night featuring an alumni band.
• Oct. 25 – Andalusia vs. Clarke County, Homecoming, and recognition for the newest inductees in the school’s football hall of fame.

A special logo has been developed for the commemorative season. The Bulldogs will have a special decal on their helmets, and the Andalusia Booster Club has merchandise available with the logo that will be sold beginning at Thursday night’s Meet the Bulldogs event, and at each home game.

“We are excited to be a part of such a special time in AHS Bulldog history, AHS Booster Club President Merrill Davis. “We invite the entire community to join us in celebrating our 100^th year of playing football at Andalusia High School. What a time to be a Bulldog.”

Looking back at the past 99 seasons, here are some highlights:

• AHS fielded its first football team in 1920. The inaugural Bulldogs were led by Coach R.C. “Red” Brown and had a record of 6-2. Opponents that year included Luverne, Evergreen, Highland Home, Dothan, and the only two losses came against Monroe County, whom the team played twice. Interestingly, the Bulldogs ended their first regular season with a game against Palmer College.
• Since the inception of football at Andalusia High School, the Bulldogs have compiled an overall record of 564 wins, 390 losses, and 39 tie games. Andalusia has been Region/Area Champions 11 times and holds three State Championships. The longest winning streak was 21 games from August 26, 1977, until October 20, 1978. The Bulldogs also recorded 58-straight regular-season games without a loss – a streak which began November 3, 1972, and did not end until October 27, 1978. The only non-win during that period was a tie game with Carroll of Ozark in 1973.
• The Bulldogs were state champions in 1958, tied for the championship in 1976, and won it again in 1977.

            AHS ranks third in the State according to the Alabama High School Athletic Association records with 121 players selected to All-State. The first recorded was Hal Jernigan, the quarterback of the 1921 team, and the most recent was offensive lineman Andrew Holmes from the 2018 team. Other notable selections include: running back Charles Little who was selected in 1948 and 1949; George Gantt in 1962 and 1963; running back Bobby Johnson in 1974, 1975, and 1976; Steve Posey in 1981; Mike Patton and Grady Smith in 1988; Nico Johnson in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 (the only AHS player to be selected all four years of his high school career); Montel Lee in 2013; Jamal Hourel in 2015; Ethan Wilson in 2016 and 2017; Allan George in 2016; and BJ Anderson in 2017. The most All-State selections from one team was in 1977 with eight.

•  Current head coach Trent Taylor, who played for the Bulldogs in 1975, 1976 and 1977, has combined a record of 44-11 since taking the helm of Bulldog football in 2015. Those teams have played in the semifinals once, quarter-finals three times, and have won three Region Championships in those four seasons.
• The longest-running rivalry for AHS is the Opp Bobcats. The two teams have met 90 times with Andalusia holding a 50-36-4 record over Opp. Last season, the Bulldogs beat Opp 55-7 in the sixth week of the season.

“Andalusia has a storied history on the football field and that tradition will continue into our 100^th season,” Superintendent Ted Watson said. “We look forward to celebrating this season with all of our players, coaches and fans.”