Surrounded by his team, Lawrence High School football coach Dirk Wedd celebrates the Lions' 21-6 victory over Free State High School in 2003. The game was played at Kansas University's Memorial Stadium.

Ten years with two high schools in Lawrence, and no football state championships.

“Of course you have to say it broke my heart because football is a numbers game like no other game,” said former Lawrence High School coach Dick Purdy, who led the Lions dynasty in the 1990s and retired in 1999, two years after Free State High School opened and fielded its own team. He said the split had nothing to do with his retirement.

The LHS football tradition includes 10 6A state playoff championships since 1979, and others earlier when The Associated Press sports writers decided the champion. Fear of losing that tradition affected a failed bond issue in 1990 and the one that passed in 1994, which ultimately led to building Free State.

“It was hard because I think the people who were obviously athletic-oriented, especially football, were scared to death of what that was going to do to a dynasty,” said John Tacha, a school board member in the 1990s.

LHS and Free State both have fielded competitive football teams in recent years, but neither has appeared in a state title game since Free State opened. Both high schools have won state championships in other sports, and proponents say more teenagers can now participate in athletics and other activities because there are two schools.

“Now we’ve got 22 Lawrence kids on the field every Friday night, instead of 11,” said Free State Principal Joe Snyder. “There are more opportunities because there are additional programs that weren’t available to all kids before.”

Steve Grant, who recently retired as Free State’s athletic director after 10 years, originally opposed a second high school based on LHS tradition, but he converted once he started to help build the Free State program.

He also said the schools’ rivalry in all sports generates excitement throughout the community.

“The split may be a bigger deal for some of the coaches and the athletes than it is for the city of Lawrence,” Grant said.

LHS football coach Dirk Wedd said the Lions have found it harder to compete when trying to field a team of 70 to 80 players in three grades instead of 130 to 140. But the expectation from alumni remains the same for LHS football, he said.

The school hangs only state championship banners, nothing else.

“Dirk and (Free State coach) Bob (Lisher) have done great jobs, but they are now playing for their high schools,” Purdy said. “They lose that community representation that (former LHS coach) Bill Freeman and I were able to capitalize on because you represent only half the community now.”