Undefeated: 1970 West Nottingham Academy Rams

When I showed up at West Nottingham Academy in the fall of 1970, our nation was at war with Vietnam, and we were still healing from the aftermath of the shooting of Dr. Martin Luther King where all of the large inner cities had exploded with anger, hatred and riots. My choice to attend a primarily white school was a bit ambitious so I was feeling a bit ambivalent, and a little worried about this new adventure that I was embarking on at this countryside campus in rural Maryland. I had a few nasty racial encounters while in Florida that had left me wondering about my reach out and be friends with everyone attitude. As it turned out, it was a decision that would define my future, and growth into a man . . . . and not just a black man. What I experienced in that rural prep school and in particular what I learned during that wonderful season of comradeship and accomplishment taught me a lot about community that I have carried through the years with me and has kept bringing me back.

While attending the 2008 Homecoming at West Nottingham Academy, I discovered that football had been dropped from the schools athletic program. This was my motivation for writing this journal of sorts. I hope it will bring enough attention to the alumni and the administrators at the school to put a competitive football team back on campus. Football has a way of bringing together people who otherwise have very little in common. It brings together student and faculty as well as creates a common goal for all of the campus to reach for in addition to an exhilarating educational experience.