Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509140018
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Perkins has compiled a video tape history of the Green Wave's football past from 1931-1962, the glory years for Narrows. It costs only $10.
Perkins has a better deal in which he includes two more video tapes of all the games from 1960-62, when the Wave won three New River District football crowns, as well as an audio cassette of the 1961 district championship game by Virginia Tech's broadcast team.
The best part of the history tapes are the interviews with former players Allen MacClaugherty, Dan Phlegar and Steve Ragsdale, the current Giles coach and son of Narrows' immortal coach Harry Ragsdale, who assembled the Green Wave's greatest teams.
Phlegar now lives in Roanoke and works as a line judge at high school football games each Friday night. He was a high school All-American at Narrows and played at VMI.
The tape is filled with snapshots of the great players and teams. The background music is from Scott Joplin, Fats Domino and Bob Hope's ``Thanks for the Memory.''
The final background comes from Andy Griffith's soliloquy, ``What It Was Was Football,'' in which a country lad attends his first big-time game of a sport he never has witnessed. If you're hearing this for the first time, it's worth the price of the tape.
Most intriguing were the words to some old-time Narrows cheers, which you won't catch at today's high school games. A quick sample:
Up in the air, down on the ground;
Come on Narrows, shove them around.
Perkins put together this look at Narrows football history with the help of the high school and several other people. By the price he is charging for the tapes, it's easy to see he's not making a profit.
To order the tapes, write Perkins at 411 Easton Road, Pearisburg, Va., 24134 or call him at (703) 921-2735. By the price he is charging for the tapes, it's easy to see he's not making a profit.
While many schools produce game highlight tapes of their teams, a history of an institution with a tradition such as Narrows is a rare find.
Memo: NOTE: Also ran in September 14, 1995 Current.