FAQ: How did you become interested in the Bandana Express?
Part 3 of 5
The question I get asked most when I tell people about The Bandana Express is how I became interested in this story. Several experiences led me to write this book, so I broke my answer into a five-part series.
Part 3: Tradition
During my final two years at Longwood, I drove back to my alma mater, Staunton River High School, every Friday night and assisted my high school coach, Bob Gray. I kept the statistics, phoned the various media outlets after each game, and tried to learn as much as possible about the ins and outs of running a football program. I also kept an eye out for the single-wing. In the fall of 2000, my brother and I drove to Giles for the Group A, Division 2 state semifinals and stood in the rain to watch the Spartans do battle with future Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller, who played quarterback for Honaker High School. Giles lost a heartbreaker, 21-9. A week later, I drove to James Madison University and watched Park View (Sterling), now running their own version of the offense, take on Salem in the Group AA, Division 4 state championship. The Patriots also came up short, 17-10 (more on this game later!). Still, my mind teemed with ideas of reverses, spins, and laterals.
I was hired to teach 10th-grade English at Staunton River the following year. Just getting started, I decided to share an apartment with another English teacher and coach, Neal Mustard, who had just finished his first year at Staunton River. When I first met Neal, he was introduced as being from Giles. One day, he was asked to take an under-center snap while quarterbacking the scout team (the team assigned to run the opposition’s plays in practice), and he stopped and told the head coach, “Coach, I’ve never seen anyone take a snap under center unless it was for the other team. Can somebody show me how to do this?” I knew he had indeed suited up for the Spartans.
As we became acquainted, I would ask about the Giles single-wing and head coach Steve Ragsdale. As anyone who knows him can attest, Neal is an extraordinary storyteller and doesn’t believe in short conversations. He captivated me for hours with his anecdotes about the Spartans. They played in my head like vignettes of motion picture film, with Coach Ragsdale in the leading role.
Neal told me of the illuminated red “1” on Pearis Mountain leading up to Angel’s Rest, the peak that overlooked town, and how it was only lit when Giles won the district. He shared how the first time he saw it, during a home playoff game against Chilhowie in 1993, it nearly brought him to tears. The best word to describe his reaction is “tradition.” The history of the red “1” is explained in The Bandana Express.
I witnessed it for myself later that year when I attended the Spartans’ home playoff game against Floyd County. Using my resources as a teacher, I borrowed a video camera from the school library and did my best to film the offense. While Giles eventually fell to the Buffaloes, 25-12, I had obtained my first single-wing footage. Neal could only remember bits and pieces of the blocking scheme and line calls, so as we watched the VHS tape back in our apartment, it was like putting together a puzzle or solving a mystery. Nonetheless, we kept at it.
Among our discussions, Neal also recounted, for the first time, the story of Leon King’s red bandana, the 1980 season, and the state championship matchup with Allen Pinkett and Park View (Sterling). It was a plot even Hollywood couldn’t script. But it was more than a compelling story. For Neal, it was part of his childhood. As a sophomore, he had dressed for the 1993 state championship game. He vividly remembered Coach Ragsdale’s pregame speech that day, which mentioned members of the 1980 team: Leon, Greg King, Charlie Mullins, Mo Ratcliffe, and Greg Mance. Each name gave him chills. He had grown up hearing them. They were the stuff of legend in Giles.
That speech would later become the prologue for The Bandana Express. And while I hadn’t yet been inspired to write the book, that day was approaching. I just needed a few more pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. Stay tuned for Part 4 to find out what happened next, and until then, thanks for reading.
Jeremy
Love it! And I will attest that Neal is indeed an extraordinary storyteller.
Can't wait for part 4.