Riverdale's rise started by Rankin

CHIP CIRILLO
Staff Writer -Tennessean

When Gary Rankin arrived as Riverdale's football coach in 1990, the Warriors were anything but a dynasty.

The team had suffered through three consecutive losing seasons. Riverdale hadn't been to the playoffs since 1986.

Things didn't go much better for Rankin that first season as the Warriors went 4-6, including a four-game losing streak to end the season.

That was the turning point, the moment when losing was deleted from Riverdale's vocabulary.

Since then the Warriors have never won less than 10 games in a season. When Riverdale (14-0) plays Franklin (13-1) in tomorrow's Class 5A final at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, it will be the Warriors' ninth trip to the championship in the past 12 years.

So what happened in the months following the 1990 season? How did Rankin turn things around so suddenly?

''I think the biggest thing was that we started working them hard year-round,'' Rankin said. ''We put a good weight program in, and we started developing kids. I don't think it was anything magical.''

Rankin had led his alma mater, Smith County, to five playoff appearances in his previous coaching job before arriving at Riverdale.

He has turned the Warriors into one of the state's most successful programs after compiling a 180-24 record that includes three state titles.

''We haven't relaxed any in our work habits, and I think our hunger level has pretty much stayed the same,'' Rankin said. ''It's been an unbelievable run over a 14-year period, something I never dreamed would happen.''

Riverdale has rattled off 63 consecutive region victories since its last league loss to Lebanon in 1995, living up to the mascot's name, Chief Win-em-all. Six Warriors have won the Mr. Football Award, including two-time winner Eric Locke.

''It's the offseason that makes us successful,'' said quarterback Dave Thomas, this year's 5A Mr. Football Back.

''We've got winter, spring and summer workouts.''

Everything about Riverdale is big, from the roster (93 players) to the coaching staff (11) to the enrollment (1,900).

''That's their goal every year to get back to the (BlueCross) Bowl and win it,'' said Lincoln County Coach Louis Thompson, one of Rankin's fiercest rivals and closest friends. ''If you will watch (Rankin) five years ago he was doing basically the same thing he is doing now. He' s kind of like me, from the old school. He won't change very much and he's been very good.''

Riverdale will be a heavy favorite against Franklin, but 10-7 losses to Germantown and Brentwood in the past two championships offer reminders that there are no guarantees.

''There's definitely something to prove because we've been there the past two years and we haven't won,'' Warriors offensive tackle Phillip Thomas said. ''So we have to fill that void this year. We have to win to prove that we can do it.''

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