Image courtesy of Heather Jeffcoat
A film chronicling Mountain Brook High School's 1975 state championship football team will premiere Thursday, Sept. 17, with proceeds benefiting the Quarterbacking Children's Health Foundation.
"Every Hill Is A Step," a Prep Legends Media production, will show at 7 p.m. in the Mountain Brook High School Auditorium, located at 3650 Bethune Drive. Following the screening, director Keith Dunnavant will moderate a panel discussion with members of the 1975 team. The event runs until 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20, with all proceeds going to the foundation, which supports children's healthcare initiatives across Alabama.
Dunnavant, who wrote, directed and produced the film, also co-directed ESPN Films' "Bart Starr." The documentary traces the Spartans' turnaround under head coach Robert Higginbotham, who took over the program in 1973 after it went 1-8-1 the previous season. Within three years, Higginbotham led Mountain Brook to a 13-0 record and the program's first Class 4A state championship, a win over Dothan at Legion Field in 1975. By that season, the team's roster had been trimmed to 39 players.
"The pulse of the story is a hard-nosed coach who relentlessly pushes his players, and how they respond by reaching for an achievement that once seemed unthinkable, even to them," Dunnavant said. "The experience created a tremendous bond which has lasted for a half century."
The film includes interviews with Higginbotham and several players from the 1975 team, including Major Ogilvie, Mat Whatley, Dan Tourtellotte, Robbie Thomas, Richard Burg and Scot Cardwell. The production team includes director of photography Jonathan W. Hickman, editor Maggie Hickman and digital media coordinator Joe Beamon.
The premiere is tied to the longtime mission of the Monday Morning Quarterback Club and the Quarterbacking Children's Health Foundation, which for nearly a century have used football as a vehicle to support Alabama children's healthcare needs.
