1984 was a special year for the Northview Cougars (Dothan, AL) baseball team. The team finished the season at 27-7, with the highest finish in school history after losing to eventful two-time state champ Fairhope in the semifinals of the Alabama 4A playoffs.
Northview High School was founded in 1978, with Coach Bubba Johnson now in his sixth season as baseball head coach. Johnson previously led Dothan High School to the 1978 4A State baseball title.
Led by senior lefty flamethrower Barry Hightower, the team was heavy with seasoned ballplayers. Second baseman Mike Rookard, catcher Wes Whitfield, outfielders Blake Hall, Greg Hilliar, Leo Butler, and pitcher Richard Shaughnessy, were all seniors and main contributors that season. Several of the seniors were sophomores on the Cougars football team that won the 1981 4A state championship, that also included Coach Bubba Johnson as one of the defensive coaches. Most of the starting nine were seniors except for Rob Arnold (10th grade) at first base and Bernard Nomberg (10th grade) at shortstop.
1984 Northview Baseball Roster
Seniors Juniors
Wes Whitfield (C)* #6 Troy Jones (Util)
#12 Berry Hightower, dec. (P)* Jonathan Coe (P)
#30 Blake Hall (P, OF)* #33 Gary Oppert (3B)*
#15 Richard Shaughnessy (P) Scott Powell (Util)
#11 Leo Butler (P, OF)* Clifton Owen, dec. (P)
#39 Greg Hilliar (OF)*
#3 Mike Rookard (2B)*
#5 Eric Judy (Util)
#14 David Voellinger (1B, P)
#17 Eric Myers (C)
Graham Rhodes (IF)
Robert Lunceford (Util)
Sophomores Freshman
#23 Rob Arnold (1B)* Dale Warrington (P)
#10 Bernard Nomberg (SS)* #24 David Burnham (P)
#22 Brian Wilkinson, dec. (3B)* Rick Cazanave (Util)
#7 Tony Kirkland Scott Arnold (P)
Head Coach Team Manager
#34 Bubba Johnson Michael "Scabdula" Bradley
* indicates starting players, with Oppert and Wilkinson splitting time at 3B.
The team started the season with a blistering 9-2 record, and talk around the program was that this team had a chance at a special season. The winning ways continued as the Cougars blitzed through area play with big wins over rivals Carroll, Enterprise and Dothan. Bubba had a way of managing the team without any fractions within the troops. The starters and backups all contributed at various times during the season. Playing "Bubba Ball" was the team's trademark approach with timely hitting, solid defense and clutch pitching.
Who recalls the Burger King 100? Who else recalls the epic battles we had against Dothan High? So much talent from both schools. Numerous players from both schools later played in college.
During the regular season, the Cougars played against some soon to be notable atheltes from the around the state. Gary Hollingsworth (Hamilton HS) later started at QB for Bama. James Morrisette and Chris Johnson (both from Fairhope HS) later played football at Auburn. Doug Mims (Dothan HS) played football at Troy State and won a natty with them.
Based on an outstanding regular season, the Cougars were area champs and given a bye in the first round of the playoffs. After defeating Central - Phenix City in the second round, Northview was then squared off to meet defending 4A Champs Fairhope, a team that previously defeated Northview in the 1982 second round of the playoffs. 1982 was the only prior year in which Northview made the playoffs.
With the Northview prom set for that same weekend, the best of three series proved to be one not many Northview fans and families will ever forget. Fairhope was loaded with several future collegiate athletes, including Morrisette and Johnson. Their team batting averge entering the series was a robust .368. As the defending 4A State Champs with plenty of confident players, Fairhope would be a tall task for the hungry Cougars team.
Going into the Fairhope series, Northview was looking to advance to the State Finals for the first time. Playing at their home stadium in Dothan, Northcutt Field, the first game was a nail-biter as the Cougars pushed across a run in the bottom of the 7th inning to win 1-0. Hightower fanned 14 in the complete game win. The win pushed the Cougars needing one more victory to move on to the State Finals. Easier said than done!
Playing at home in front of a loud Cougars fanbase was the best! Momentum was high and the team could sense they were about to put away the #10 ranked team in the country. Nervous parents and proud grandparents. (Who can forget Charlotte Arnold (Rob's mother) standing at the top of the bleachers for every game, all game! She was locked in.) Anxious girlfriends and prom dates in the front rows. Plenty of future Cougars watching their heroes battle it out on the diamond. Living the Dream!
Thirty minutes after the thrilling first game ended, Coach Johnson again gave the ball to pitching workhorse Hightower to start the game on the mound. Barry was his usual self through the first five innings, having allowed but one run while striking out seven more Pirates. With his 92-94 mph southpaw fastball, Hightower was nearly unhittable against high school batters. Nearly. Barry finished the season with a 12-2 record, 0.51 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 96 innings.
Then things turned south when the Cougars changed pitchers in the fifth inning with a 4-0 lead. With two outs and a spot in the Finals on the line, twice the Cougars were one strike away from taking the series. Then the Pirates rallied for six runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 6-5 win. The series was now tied 1-1 with a third game to follow. Damn. What a gut punch.
The next day was not kind to the Cougars. During warmups before the final game, bad luck struck when senior Eric Judy was hit in the head with a ball, sending him immediately to seek medical attention. Thankfully, Judy was okay and later returned to the Cougars dugout.
The third game was an emotional rollercoaster as the teams were tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. Yours truly hit swinging bunt that went between the pitcher's mound, second and first. Trying to beat out the hit, Fairhope first baseman Chris Johnson tagged me a little before I attempted to slide. This caused me to hit the ground quicker than I anticipated, and resulted in broken wrist. The snap was supposedly heard in the stands. That did not feel good. My parents took me straight away to Flowers Hospital ER. (Where were the onsite paramedics? Was that a thing in 1984?)
This must have taken away any momentum Northview had at the time. It was not meant to be as Fairhope then poured on the runs to a 11-1 lead. The Cougars made a last ditch effort of a comeback that fell short. Fairhope took the third game by a score of 12-7, thus ending the Cougars season. A State Title dream was gone. This one hurt, and four decades later it still stings a little. Sports can do that to a dude, particularly when the goal was so close. That's sports.
While the Cougar seniors headed the prom, the Pirates headed to the State Finals. The following weekend Fairhope took down Austin (Decatur) to capture its second consecutive 4A State Title.
In the forty-one years of Northview baseball, the 1984 squad went the deepest into the playoffs, and set the high mark for wins in a season. Never again would this group of talented players be together on or off the field. Now that the team's superstar has recently passed on, hopefully there is still time for this group of Cougars to have a reunion. I always hold a special place in my heart for this team and the magical season we experienced together.
Forever a Cougar,
Bernard
Postscript: After high school several Cougars furthered their sports careers in college.
Arnold, Wallace CC, baseball
Butler, Marion Military Institute, football
Hightower, University of South Alabama, 1984 MLB draft 8th round, New York Mets
Nomberg, Vanderbilt, football
Rookard, Tuskegee Institute, baseball
Shaughnessy, Auburn, football
Whitfield, Wallace CC, University of Alabama, baseball
