PITTSBURG -- Standing underneath the bleachers at Pittsburg High's Pirate Stadium, Jim Roberts, Frank Abono and Sal Nicolosi, tri-captains of the 1980 Pittsburg football team that won the North Coast Section 3A championship, reminisced about what made their team special.

"We were an intelligent team," Abono said. "The junior and senior class had good records as freshmen and JV so we were used to winning."

The entire 1980 Pittsburg High football team will be among the 10 inductees for the 2016 Pittsburg High School Football Hall of Fame class honored on May 28 at Good Shepherd Church in Pittsburg.

Other inductees are: contributor Vince "Doc" Silva; players, Ben Camera, 1952; Johnny Pappas,'63; Mike Swinnie,'66,; Rene Rodriquez,'72; Bill Gay, '77; Paul Orlando,'82; Greg Quesada,'91 and Vince Gargalikis, '95.

With the achievements and accolades from that season, all three captains agreed that the catalyst for their success was getting blown out 31-0 in the season-opening game against Wooster High of Reno.

The best thing that happened to us was getting our rear kicked the first game of the season," Nicolosi said. "They really shocked us back to reality."

Roberts, the quarterback, recalled the team heading into Reno cocky with brand new jerseys.

"They made us humble because it was 31-0 at halftime," Roberts said.

Nicolosi, a two-way starter at guard and linebacker, recalled a pep talk from an assistant coach after that game that stuck with the team throughout the season.

"I can't repeat much of what he said," Nicolosi said with a laugh. "Let's just say it was a motivational speech."

The team was coached by Larry Rodriguez, who had been a legendary Hall of Fame player at the school. He coached the Pirates from 1979-1990, and led them to their first two NCS titles, with the 1980 championship being the first.

It's rare to see an entire team inducted into any Hall of Fame, but the captains would not have it any other way. They said that the group embodied the meaning of team effort.

"Nobody was trying to grab the glory," Nicolosi said. "We all had a job to do and knew if we executed, we would be tough to contend with."

Despite the confidence that the team carried, winning an NCS title was never really a goal for Pittsburg until they made the playoffs.?

"It really wasn't on our list of things to do until it became attainable," Nicolosi said. "We were just excited to be in the playoffs."

The Pirates won the NCS title by defeating Mission San Jose 14-7 in the championship game at the Oakland Coliseum. The captains said the entire team was star-struck by the chance to play in the home of the Raiders.

"The locker rooms weren't much. That was actually a little disappointing," Abono said, laughing at the memory. "But it was great. The Raiders won the Super Bowl that year."

The NCS game is like a blur to the three of them, but Abono remembers the moment they were crowned champions quite vividly.

"When the clock hit zero I was like 'Wow. We're North Coast champions.' I didn't even know what that was," Abono said.

Roberts thinks the feeling of becoming Hall of Famers won't really hit them until the team reunites for the banquet.

"Once we get together, it's going to be a party," Roberts said. "There's going to be a lot of hugs and it's going to be special."