City Council to honor MLK Cougars football team

A tough week for the MLK High Cougars football team got a little brighter on Thursday when City Council approved a resolution to honor the Public League Class AAA champs at a future meeting.

Introduced by Councilwomen Cindy Bass and Marian Tasco, whose respective eighth and ninth districts cover the areas from which King students primarily come, the resolution (PDF) cites successes both on and off the field.

“Under the dedicated direction of Head Coach Ed Dunn and Principal William Wade, the Cougars, through their signature Purple and Gold colors, set a standard of achievement for themselves and for others to follow,” the resolution reads.

“The pride that the 2013 Cougars exhibited by accepting the challenges presented by political circumstances beyond their control was evident throughout the season,” it continues, “and they have ensured an honored place in Philadelphia Public League football history through their season of great achievement.”

After starting the season 0-2, the Cougars rattled off nine consecutive wins, including a 32-7 victory over Mastery North on Nov. 9 that gave the school its first-ever Public League football championship.

Alas, one week later, their dream of qualifying for the state tournament ended with a 52-8 loss to the Archbishop Wood Vikings in the PIAA AAA District 12 Championship game.

” It’s a really cool thing, and we appreciate all the support and acknowledgement that we’ve gotten throughout the season,” Dunn told NewsWorks Thursday afternoon. ” Hopefully, this will help us continue everything we’ve done this year.”

The Cougars still have one game left this season: The Thanksgiving Day “Legacy Bowl” against the PIAA District 12 AA champs from Imhotep Charter in East Germantown. That game will replace MLK’s longstanding Turkey Day rivalry against the team from the since-shuttered Germantown High School.

A spokesman for Bass, who also introduced Thursday a resolution honoring “Alumnae Association of the Philadelphia High School for Girls on its 125th Anniversary,” said a date has not yet been set for the team, coaches and principal to come to Council Chambers.