Western North Carolina High School Activities Association Football Champions (1930-76)
The Western North Carolina High School Activities Association was founded on December 10, 1929. Charter members of the organization included Belmont, Concord, Kings Mountain, Lexington, Lincolnton, Monroe, Newton, Mooresville, Black Mountain, Cliffside, Hickory, Lenoir, Marion, Morganton, and Rutherfordton-Spindale schools.
The WNCHSAA would grow to more than 42 members and four conferences before it was dissolved in June of 1977 and its members joined the NCHSAA.
Only three of the 42 members failed to win a Western title in some sport during the WNCHSAA’s existence and it had some outstanding football programs in it. W.C. Clary served for many years as the executive director of the organization.
From 1930-53, the WNCHSAA had two conferences; South Piedmont and Western. Round-robin leagues schedules not played; therefore numerous times two teams would finished tied for the loop crown. Occasionally, a playoff was held for a particular conference, but an overall WNCHSAA title game was rarely played.
** In 1947 Hickory officials inaugurated a bowl game to be played at Lenoir-Rhyne University featuring two of the top teams in the WNCHSAA; one from each conference. The game was played from 1947-50. The teams were selected several weeks before the conclusion of the regular season, making it difficult to pick the league champion.
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