LIVE OAK, Fla. — Coaches and players from Suwannee’s state title football teams joined together Friday for a 30th anniversary state championship reunion.

The festivities began with a luncheon at the Suwannee County Coliseum, which was decked out with pictures, plaques and Bulldog gear from 1987-1990. The party continued at Paul Langford Stadium with a pregame tailgate before Suwannee’s home game with Hamilton County and then concluded with the teams being recognized during a halftime ceremony.

Tony Branch was one of about 20 players in attendance. He made the trip north from Crystal Springs to be there. Branch spoke about his memorable experiences as a Bulldog.

“It was a special time,” said Branch, the only player who was part of all four state championship teams. “Ride through town and everything was shut down on Friday night. Everybody was there.”

Branch was excited to reunite with players and coaches after weather postponed the event in 2017.

“We were supposed to do this (reunion) last year, but Irma kind of wiped it out. Coach (Kyler) Hall talked over the summer and said he was going to do it again. We talked to one another through Facebook. It’s a big deal to all of us.”

Kyler Hall

“Matt Jackson and I used to walk to school. We would talk about ‘We want to be a Suwannee Bulldog.’ That all started with you guys. Thank you so much for everything you did for this community, this program.”

— SHS coach Kyler Hall speaking to state championship players and coaches

Matt McMillan, an All-State section in 1988 and a member of the Suwannee High School Hall of Fame, expressed similar sentiments as Branch about the incredible atmosphere at the time.

“If you talk to most people, there was never an era like that before and there will probably never be an era like that,” McMillan said. “Football was front and center.”

McMillan remembers one game in particular — a state semifinal in 1988 — that played a big role in Suwannee being able to win four straight state titles.

“If there was a single moment from that era, it was a playoff game in 1988 against Santa Fe when we played at Florida field. They had run through their district and so had we. It was kind of like Ali-Frazier.

Clint Robinson

“The old stadium was phenomenal. We didn’t have the field house. Before the games, we would meet beside this old condemned high school. We would get our pregame jitters out under the stars. You could see the crowd building, everyone coming by.”

— Clint Robinson, state champion and 1992 SHS graduate

“Santa Fe got out early — It was 14-0 first quarter. Matt Frier ran a 99-yard kickoff back. We ended up winning the game. That would be the biggest moment.”

The Bulldogs were coached by Mike Pittman during their championship run. Pittman coached 11 seasons at his alma mater, going 92-37 during his tenure at SHS.

Pittman is now a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.

Chad Hale, a three-time state champion who played from 1988-1990, has fond memories of his former coach. Both were on hand for the reunion on Friday.

“Pittman made you want to win. I can’t say enough about the guy,” Hale said. “That desire to win and keep going — those lessons from Pittman took me way off the field. “I’ve excelled in a lot of what I do at a personal level just because of what we learned from him.”

After a day of reminiscing and good food, members of the state championship team were recognized at halftime of Friday’s game.

Bulldog great Ralph Lott was honored as he became the latest member of the Suwannee High School Hall of Fame.