Coach Ridley Bringing Back the Glory : The Career of Cornelius Ridley at Pearl High School

Ridley's Tigers won the 1981 TSSAA Basketball Championship Semi- Finals The Booker T.

Washington Warriors had little trouble knifing through Pearl High's beloved zone...

Washington led 23-15 at the end of the first quarter and 40-26 at half time....Pearl looked so bad in the first half, the Tigers gave no inkling of what was to come" (Banner Sports Writer Pam Clark, The Nashville Banner, 1981) "Coach Ridley told us to never give up. And we didn't" (Tiger Captain David Smith, 1981) Pearl won the semi-final game over Booker T.

Washington High 63-61. Finals The next night, Pearl's game against Memphis Carver transcended the parquet. "Pearl appeared to believe that the golden basketball trophy belonged to them from the tip off." (Cindy Smith, 1981, The Tennessean) "We usually can match up with a physical team like Pearl, but they were far from physical than us tonight." ( Memphis Carver Coach Ed Thornton) "The huge crowd which sang and cheered for the last three minutes of the game from high up in the bleacher seats" (Cindy Smith, 1981, The Tennessean) They, too, were Bringing Back the Glory.

Pearl High over Memphis Carver 64-53 Pearl High School of Nashville Tennessee 1981 State Basketball Champions Cornelius Ridley, Head Coach