If you only know Connellsville football from the last 20 years, you probably have no idea what that Falcon helmet once represented in Western Pennsylvania.

That’s what makes the story so fascinating to me. I love going back through the history of WPIAL sports, and few programs leave me with more questions than Connellsville.

Go back to 2000 and before, and Connellsville wasn’t some program people overlooked. The Falcons had a rich football tradition and, during the old Quad-A era, they were a program you had to respect.

There was talent in Connellsville. Real talent. College talent. Division I talent. NFL talent. And then, somehow, it seemingly disappeared.

 

A Tradition That Deserves to Be Remembered

Ten Connellsville players went on to reach the NFL, with the great Jim Braxton leading the way. Braxton became a first-team All-American at West Virginia before playing professionally with the Buffalo Bills, where he was the powerful fullback who helped clear the way for O.J. Simpson during some of the greatest rushing seasons in NFL history.

Think about that history. A kid from Connellsville went from wearing a Falcons helmet to becoming an All-American at WVU and blocking in an NFL backfield.

And Braxton wasn’t the only evidence of how much athletic talent once came through the area. Since the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Fabulous 22 began in 1980, Connellsville has placed nine different players on the prestigious team, with Marcus Furman earning the honor twice.

 

Connellsville’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 Selections

1982 — Charlie Swink

1982 — West Turner

1983 — John Rugg

1985 — Arnold Walker

1991 — Jeff Craig

1991 — Luther Wormack

1994 — Bronson Mickens

1997 — Phil Braxton

1999 — Marcus Furman

2000 — Marcus Furman

 

That list tells a story by itself. During an 18-year stretch from 1982 through 2000, Connellsville consistently produced players capable of being recognized among the best football players in Western Pennsylvania.

But here’s the number that jumps off the page: 2000. Marcus Furman was the last Connellsville player to make the Fabulous 22.

More than 25 years have passed. For a program with that type of history, that’s almost unbelievable.

 

So What Happened?

That’s the question I’ve always had. How does a school that once produced NFL players, major-college talent and some of the best high school football players in Western Pennsylvania fall that far off the map? I used to wonder whether the school district boundaries changed dramatically. Did part of the population move elsewhere? Did the best athletes start leaving? Was it economics? Population decline? Youth football participation? Coaching turnover? A combination of everything?

I don’t know if there is one simple answer.

And that’s what makes Connellsville so interesting. High school sports are cyclical. Every program has down years. Sometimes you have a great senior class, followed by a few rebuilding seasons, and eventually another talented group comes along.

But this isn’t a normal cycle. We’re talking about more than two decades. At some point, a slump becomes something bigger.

 

It Wasn’t Just Football

Connellsville’s athletic history goes beyond the football field. James Hairston was one of the best WPIAL basketball players of his era and made the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 5 twice.

That’s another reminder of the level of athletes that once routinely came out of Connellsville. When you study Western Pennsylvania sports history, you realize certain communities used to consistently produce athletes. Connellsville belongs in that conversation. That’s why seeing what happened to the football program hits differently.

The Falcons eventually left the WPIAL football schedule, choosing to play an independent schedule instead. For somebody who respects the history of Western Pennsylvania high school football, that was sad to see. Not because anyone should make fun of the kids playing today. Those kids deserve respect for continuing to put that helmet on and represent their school.

It’s sad because of what that helmet represents.

 

Can a Sleeping Giant Ever Wake Up Again?

One thing I’ve noticed about high school football is that when a once-proud program falls this far, coming all the way back is extremely difficult.

Winning creates participation. Participation creates competition. Competition creates better players. Better players create winning.

But losing can create the opposite cycle. Kids stop playing. Families look elsewhere. The best athletes specialize in other sports. Numbers decline. Younger kids stop growing up dreaming about playing underneath those Friday night lights.

Eventually, an entire generation grows up without remembering when the program was great. That’s the danger.

A kid entering Connellsville High School today wasn’t alive the last time a Falcon made the Fabulous 22. His parents might have been kids themselves.

But history doesn’t disappear just because enough time passes.

Jim Braxton wore that Falcon helmet. Charlie Swink wore it. West Turner wore it. John Rugg wore it. Arnold Walker wore it. Jeff Craig wore it. Luther Wormack wore it. Bronson Mickens wore it. Phil Braxton wore it. Marcus Furman wore it.

Those names are part of Western Pennsylvania football history.

Maybe Connellsville football never becomes what it once was. Or maybe somewhere in that community is a generation of kids capable of bringing it back. Either way, I think the history deserves to be remembered. Because long before the losing seasons and long before Connellsville stepped away from WPIAL football, the Falcons were producing some serious football players.

And if you know the history, seeing where the program is today leaves you asking one question: What happened to Connellsville football?