
Members of the greatest football team in Point Loma High School history and one of the recognized top teams in San Diego prep history reunited Sept. 28 during halftime of the Pointers game against Scripps Ranch. That 1987 team is celebrating 25 years since the small group of 33 players soared to an undefeated season (13-0) and won the CIF Championship in what was then known as Jack Murphy Stadium, now Qualcomm Stadium. Current Pointer assistant football coach Dave Aros, who began his career at PLHS in 1978, was the only surviving member of the coaching staff present for the event. Team members presented him with a commemorative game ball for his contributions. Of the 33 players, 18 were, or became, All-Eastern League players. Of those 18, eight were named to the All-CIF Team and three to the All-State Team. Eleven went on to play at four-year universities, nine of those in Division I. Six of them played for Pac Ten Conference schools, with one being named a Parade magazine All-American and two who had NFL careers. “What I thought really made that team special,” Aros said later, “was our first team played against our first team all the time. Nobody played first string both ways. We had 22 starters, even though everyone had an offensive and defensive position.” Aros recalls beating Morse High 13-12 for the CIF title in Jack Murphy Stadium, the same score as the teams’ earlier Eastern League championship game. In both cases, the Pointers were behind 7-0 at halftime before coming back for the wins. Deceased coaches honored were head coach Bennie Edens and assistants Eddie Johns, Ben Cipranic, Steve Harrow, Jeff Hill, Bud DeLong and retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Jimmie Howard, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
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