Spartan great Kirk Patrick, the source of many nostaigic memories from the storied days of high school c football in Broward County.
Preface
A fortuitous meeting between Kirk Patrick, former Hollywood Hills football player, and me led to a nostalgic walk down memory lane, allowing us to revisit the glory days of football in Broward County, particularly the state champion Hollywood Hills Spartans led by Dick Saitrick and the Big 5 Conference, schools competing athletically for the first time: Cooper City, Boyd Anderson, Piper, Coconut Creek and South Plantation. I trust it brings back some fond memories as we prepare for another football season in some unique and strange times in America.
By Nunnie Robinson
There are championship teams — and then there are teams that change history.
Long before powerhouse private school programs dominated the headlines, before nationally televised recruiting rankings and multimillion-dollar athletic facilities, there was a public school football team from Broward County that dared to believe it could stand toe-to-toe with anyone in Florida.
That team was the 1973 Hollywood Hills Spartans.
And according to former player and sports writer Kirk Patrick, the message more than 50 years later is simple:
“Don’t forget us. Don’t forget who we were. We were the first.”
Recently sitting down with longtime educator, coach, and sports historian Nunnie Robinson, Kirkpatrick reflected on what many still consider one of the greatest eras in Broward County high school football history — a time when integration, discipline, diversity, and brotherhood came together under Friday night lights.
The 1973 Hollywood Hills team became the first Broward County public school to win a state football championship, defeating Jacksonville Raines at Lockhart Stadium and forever placing Broward County football on the statewide map.
“We put Broward County on the map,” Patrick said. “You can never take away being first.”
But according to those who lived it, the Spartans were more than just a football team.
They were a symbol of a changing South.
Football, Integration, and Brotherhood
Hollywood Hills High School in the early 1970s represented a unique mixture of cultures and communities during a turbulent time in South Florida history.
Students came from neighborhoods stretching from the west side of the railroad tracks to Emerald Hills, from Black communities impacted by school integration to the growing suburbs of Davie and Hollywood.
Kirk Patrick described it this way:
“We had Jewish people, Black people, white people — everybody worked together. We had diversity before diversity became a buzzword.”
The integration of schools like Blanche Ely High School and Attucks brought legendary educators and coaches into Hollywood Hills’ hallways and locker rooms.
Among them was the respected Purcell Houston, whom Kirkpatrick credits as one of the spiritual architects of the Spartans’ success.
“He was the soul of Hollywood Hills,” Kirkpatrick said. “He coached us mentally. He made us believe in ourselves.”
Houston, along with educators like Sam Hearns and future Broward Schools Superintendent Virgil Morgan, helped shape an environment where athletics and academics were equally important.
“It was an unbelievable educational experience,” Patrick said. “We probably had the best educators in Broward County.”
The Wishbone That Nobody Could Stop
On the field, Hollywood Hills ran the famed wishbone offense — a system their coaches studied directly from University of Texas football clinics.
At a time when many defenses had never seen the offense executed with speed and precision, the Spartans became nearly unstoppable.
“We had backs running 4.4s,” Patrick recalled. “And if one person missed an assignment, the whole play fell apart. But our coaches taught discipline.”
Led by quarterback John Korowski and explosive backs like Vivian Coney, Gerald Bain, Eugene Kelly, David Esak, and Billy Bacon, the Spartans controlled games through relentless execution and time of possession.
In 13 games during the championship season, Hollywood Hills dominated opponents physically and mentally.
“We controlled the clock every game,” Patrick said. “Our defense stayed fresh because our offense stayed on the field.”
Their defining moment came against powerhouse Jacksonville Raines in the state championship game at Lockhart Stadium.
Raines featured massive linemen averaging nearly 270 pounds and future NFL talent Terry LeCount.
Hollywood Hills still prevailed.
“We held them to nine points,” Patrick said proudly.
The Pain Before the Glory
Ironically, the foundation for the championship may have come one year earlier.
In 1972, Hollywood Hills suffered a heartbreaking playoff loss to Merritt Island after battling back from a 21-0 deficit.
“That loss hurt,” Patrick said. “We weren’t going to lose our senior year.”
That resolve fueled one of the greatest runs in Broward football history.
The Spartans finished with a remarkable four-year combined JV and varsity record of 38-1 and never lost to another Broward County team during that stretch.
They also became the first Broward County team to defeat a Miami-Dade powerhouse in the Orange Bowl, defeating Miami Jackson 31-7.
At the time, beating a Dade County team was considered nearly impossible for Broward schools.
Respect for Public School Football
Kirk Patrick also expressed concern over the modern imbalance between public and private school athletics.
Without criticizing programs like St. Thomas Aquinas High School, American Heritage School, or Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory, he believes public schools now face enormous challenges competing for talent.
“It’s hard for public schools today,” he said. “Most of the top players leave. Back then, communities stayed together.”
Still, he says the legacy of Hollywood Hills belongs to everyone in Broward County football.
“We’re not saying we were better than everybody,” Patrick said. “We just want people to remember what we accomplished.”
More Than Football.
