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Pirates live and die with Spin-T By Greg Stiles The run-and-shoot might be the only offensive formation to generate more ink in Oregon prep football circles than the Spin-T. That�s in part because the Phoenix Pirates more or less perfected the latter decades ago. And when times got tough, no matter what else they tried � be it the aforementioned run-and-shoot or a pro set � the Pirates could always shift into the ol� Spin-T. When Phoenix High began playing 11-man football in 1949, Jack Woodward was hired to coach. Although the Pirates posted a winning season in Woodward�s second year, the Spin-T wasn�t part of the patriarch�s early arsenal. Woodward employed the single wing much of Ron Williams� playing days. "The quarterback lined up between the guard and tackle," says Williams, who played quarterback. "In the single wing, there is a spin series. We�d hike the ball to the fullback and he�d spin plays." In the early 1960s, Stan Smith helped Woodward install a belly series out of the T-formation. "Then Jack came up with the idea," Williams recalls. "What if you ran a T-formation and hiked the ball through the quarterback�s legs and have the fullback spin from there." Even though Woodward used the Spin-T from the early 60s forward, he wasn�t afraid to run other offenses when his material dictated. Joe Hagler was a senior on the 1971 team that was 9-0 entering the state playoffs. As Hagler remembers his playing days, the Pirates didn�t employ the Spin-T until that memorable season. "We never snapped the ball through the quarterback�s legs until my senior year," Hagler says. "We ran a T or pro set." When Woodward hung up his whistle following the 1974 season, the Spin-T almost went away. Mike White, a one-time Medford High assistant who had apparently rubbed elbows with Mouse Davis, brought the run-and-shoot to Phoenix in 1975. The season proved an unmitigated disaster. But it did lead to the hiring of Williams. "Mike really thought the run-and-shoot would work at Phoenix," Williams recalls. "It might have. But the problem he faced was that his quarterback had never played high school football. You can throw the football, but you have to have common sense and savvy. It was a long year." The Pirates beat Illinois Valley, 6-0, for their only win. Williams was the freshman coach in 1975, but being one of Woodward�s former players made him a natural selection. Williams obligingly used the run-and-shoot with his freshman team. But there was a difference. "We actually ran the ball a lot more than throwing out of it," Williams said. It didn�t take long for Williams to see the future was in Phoenix�s past. "I wanted to run something where we could control the ball and not have to play defense all the time," Williams says. "With the Spin-T, if you needed three or four yards, you could generally get it." He also had the good fortune of Woodward willing to call plays from the press box. The Pirates were once more on a roll. It was at the end of Williams� 10 years that Phoenix welcomed one of its few impact transfers. Jim Breeze�s arrival from Ashland was also illustrative of the philosophical differences in two styles of offense. "Jim was a wide receiver at Ashland, but he was one of the toughest, fastest kids I�ve ever coached," Williams says. "Why (pass) the ball to him six times a game when you could put him at fullback and give it to him 25 or 30 times. Odds are the more you give a kid like that the ball, you�re going to make something happen." After Phoenix won its fourth state championship in 1985, Williams became defensive coordinator at South Medford. Former Phoenix principal Jerry Stinnet noted privately at the time Phoenix had to decide whether it would continue with the Spin-T or go a different direction. When longtime assistant coach Harry Mondale was named head coach, the decision was obvious. Mondale had been hired to coach the offensive line at Southern Oregon, but backtracked quickly when offered the Phoenix job. "We proceeded to run the Spin-T," Mondale said. "If we had the personnel to do other things, we did. Jack and Ron did that." Mondale�s 1989 team was the last one to earn a playoff win, beating Elmira, 47-28, before losing in the quarterfinals. But after back-to-back losing seasons, Mondale was fired after the 1991 campaign. Hagler, accustomed to the Spin-T as much as anyone, went a different direction in 1992. "Joe felt the reason they fired me was because they didn�t want the Spin-T any more," Mondale says. "It was kind of like a side order after that." Even though Hagler employed a variety of different offensive sets, the Spin-T was still on the menu. More than likely, the spinners will be shelved for good when the Pirates name a new coach this spring. When superintendent Dave Willard and his staff begin interviews for a new coach, chances are the candidates won�t know much more about the Spin-T than Willard did before coming to town. "When my best friend found out I was coming here, he said �Phoenix, Spin-T,�" says Willard, who was at Mill City, east of Salem, at the time. "I didn�t know what he was talking about, but I�ve learned since then." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.