If any one of the major, well-documented final national rankings lists your team as No. 1 in the nation, you can claim a national championship. Without any kind of playoff, who can really argue?
For this year’s final FAB 50 national rankings, CLICK HERE.
Prior to USA Today’s debut in 1982, the only national high school football rankings were done at the end of the season by the National Sports News Service of Minneapolis, Minn. Those rankings were compiled by hobbyist Art Johlffs. Shortly after that, the NSNS was run by the late Barry Sollenberger of Tempe, Ariz. Sollenberger also compiled rankings for national magazines.
During the 1999 to 2008 time period, the NSNS came under the direction of National High School Sports Hall of Famer Doug Huff of Wheeling, W. Va., who in the 1980s also began the National Prep Poll distributed by the Associated Press. When Huff began working for Student Sports in 1999, the National Prep Poll was continued with a different compiler.
The NSNS and Student Sports’ FAB 50s were in operation as well from 1999 to 2008, which in those years counted Fox Sports, Sporting News and Rivals.com among its co-partners. From 2008 to 2012, Student Sports, the NSNS and FAB 50 became part of ESPN until the national network disbanded its high school division. Since 2012, the NSNS and FAB 50 have been independent.
Today, the most well-known and respected national rankings done every week are done by USA Today, MaxPreps and the National Prep Poll (the one originally started by Huff). There is also a MaxPreps computer ranking as opposed to its Xcellent 25, which is done by people.
What follows below is a list of every team that can claim a national championship based on one of these rankings. There also are three years in which ESPN had its own national prep champ independent of the years in which ESPN was the home of the FAB 50.
Abbreviations: FAB=FAB 50; NSNS=National Sports News Service; MaxE=MaxPreps Xcellent 25; MaxC=MaxPreps Freeman Rankings (computer); NPP=National Prep Poll; USA=USA Today
Sean McGrew and team from St. John Bosco can claim national crown for 2013 due to computer ranking. All of the other rankings chose Miami Booker T. Washington. Photo: Scott Kurtz.
2014
Allen (Allen, Texas) 16-0 (MaxE, FAB/NSNS)
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 15-0 (NPP, USA)
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 14-0 (MaxC)
2013
Booker T. Washington (Miami, Fla) 14-0 (USA, NPP, FAB/NSNS, MaxE)
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 16-0 (MaxC)
2012
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 15-0 (MaxC, ESPN)
John Curtis (River Ridge, La.) 14-0 (USA, MaxE, NPP)
Katy (Katy, Texas) 16-0 (FAB/NSNS)
2011
Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 11-0 (USA, ESPN, FAB/NSNS, MaxE, MaxC, NPP)
2010
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 15-0 (MaxC)
South Panola (Batesville, Miss.) 15-0 (USA, MaxE)
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 15-0 (ESPN, FAB/NSNS, NPP)
2009
Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 12-0 (USA, ESPN, FAB/NSNS, MaxE, MaxC, NPP)
2008
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 15-0 (USA, ESPN, FAB/NSNS, MaxE, MaxC, NPP)
2007
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 13-0 (MaxE)
Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) 15-0 (USA, FAB/NSNS)
St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) 15-0 (ESPN, MaxC, NPP)
2006
Lakeland (Lakeland, Fla.) 15-0 (ESPN, FAB/NSNS, NPP)
Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) 16-0 (USA, MaxE, MaxC)
2005
Lakeland (Lakeland, Fla.) 15-0 (USA)
Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) 16-0 (FAB/NSNS, MaxC, NPP)
It didn’t happen unfortunately in 2014, but in 2010 Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas and De La Salle of Concord locked horns. Photo: Willie Eashman.
2004
Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio) 15-0 (MaxC)
Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) 16-0 (USA, FAB/NSNS, NPP)
2003
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 13-0 (USA, FAB/NSNS, NPP)
2002
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 13-0 (USA, FAB/NSNS, NPP)
2001
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 12-0 (USA, FAB/NSNS, NPP)
2000
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 13-0 (USA, FAB/NSNS, NPP)
1999
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 12-0 (NSNS, NPP)
Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.) 15-0 (FAB)
Robert E. Lee (Midland, Texas) 15-0 (USA)
1998
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 12-0 (USA, FAB/NSNS, NPP)
1997
Hampton (Hampton, Va.) 13-0 (FAB/NSNS, NPP)
McKinley (Canton, Ohio) 14-0 (USA)
1996
Hampton (Hampton, Va.) 14-0 (FAB/NSNS, NPP)
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 14-0 (USA)
1995
Berwick (Berwick, Pa.) 15-0 (USA)
St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 14-0 (FAB/NSNS, NPP)
1994
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 13-0 (FAB/NSNS, NPP)
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 14-0 (USA)
1993
St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 14-0 (USA, FAB/NSNS, NPP)
1992
Berwick (Berwick, Pa.) 14-0 (USA)
Valdosta (Valdosta, Ga.) 14-0 (FAB/NSNS, NPP)
1991
Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 14-0 (FAB/NSNS, NPP)
LaGrange (LaGrange, Ga.) 14-0 (USA)
1990
Aldine (Aldine, Texas) 15-0 (NPP)
Eisenhower (Lawton, Okla.) 14-0 (USA)
Ruston (Ruston, La.) 14-0 (FAB/NSNS)
1989
Permian (Odessa, Texas) 16-0 (FAB/NSNS, NPP)
St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) 13-0 (USA)
1988
Pine Forest (Pensacola, Fla.) 14-0 (USA, NSNS/FAB)
Vigor (Prichard, Ala.) 13-0 (NPP)
1987
Fontana (Fontana, Calif.) 14-0 (NPP)
North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 13-0 (USA)
Plano (Plano, Texas) 16-0 (NSNS/FAB)
1986
Valdosta (Valdosta, Ga.) 15-0 (USA, NSNS/FAB)
1985
East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.) 14-0 (USA, NSNS/FAB)
1984
Valdosta (Valdosta, Ga.) 15-0 (USA, NSNS/FAB)
1983
Berwick (Berwick, Pa.) 13-0 (USA, NSNS/FAB)
1982
Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) 13-0 (USA, NSNS/FAB)
Note: For years prior to 1982, which is when USA Today began, the only national champion named would be according to the National Sports News Service. For all-time FAB 50/National Sports News Service No. 1 teams back to 1910, CLICK HERE.
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
