Imagine a tie for a WPIAL football playoff spot being decided by seven men voting on who had the best team. The team that got the most votes had Joe Montana at quarterback.

Imagine a WPIAL without Central Catholic or North Catholic.

Imagine a conference with Clairton and Monessen playing with Thomas Jefferson and Ringgold. Or another conference with Sto-Rox playing against Gateway and North Allegheny.

All of the above might seem strange, but this was the world of WPIAL football more than three decades ago.

The WPIAL playoffs kick off tonight with 32 games around the district. But 35 years ago you can see how the league -- and playoffs -- drastically have changed.

"It's a lot better now," said longtime Blackhawk coach Joe Hamilton, who was the head coach at New Brighton in 1973.

That year ('73) was significant in WPIAL football history because it was the first time the league took all conference champions into the playoffs. Since its formation in the early 1900s, the WPIAL had taken only undefeated teams to the playoffs or championship games.

Until 1971, there were only championship games and participants were selected by Gardner Points. It wasn't uncommon for some undefeated teams not to make the championship game.

In 1972, the league started playoffs with undefeated teams.

In 1973, the WPIAL had 130 teams and only three classifications (Class AA, A and B). Central Catholic and North Catholic still were playing in the Catholic League. WPIAL Class AA had seven conferences, Class A five and Class B two.

A total of 14 teams made the playoffs in 1973 and only one title game was played at a big venue. New Castle beat Mt. Lebanon, 3-0, at Pitt Stadium on Larry Graziani's 22-yard field goal with 18 seconds left. The other two championship games that year were played at high school stadiums.

This year, the WPIAL has 123 teams and 64 are in the playoffs in four different classifications. All four title games will be played Nov. 22 at Heinz Field.

Since 1998, the WPIAL has been taking 16 teams in each class to the playoffs. It's the WPIAL's theory of evolution.

"The evolution of this league has been great for the kids," Shady Side Academy coach Dave Havern said. "There are going to be some inequities nowadays because you see some 2-7 teams make the playoffs. But that's just the way it has to be. It's a lot better than the way it used to be."

Havern is a 1967 graduate of Montour and was part of some excellent teams. When he was a sophomore, Montour won a WPIAL title.

"In my three years at Montour, we were 23-2-1, and I played in one playoff game -- the championship," Havern said. "Another year, we were 7-0-1 and tied Moon, but didn't go to the playoffs. That was not an unusual story back then. A lot of teams with one loss didn't get anything."

For example, when Tony Dorsett played running back at Hopewell, the Vikings lost only one game in both his junior and senior seasons ('71 and '72). But the Vikings didn't go to the playoffs or championship game either year.

Some critics believe the WPIAL playoff field is too big these days. But WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley said an expanded postseason field is welcomed by just about everyone, including coaches.

"I think across the board interscholastic athletics is much different than years ago," O'Malley said. "I think the evolution process [of the football playoffs] has been a good thing for the kids who play in this league."

Hamilton said, "I've been part of this transition process with the league. There were some growing pains at first and some mistakes were made. But I think right now, the thing is ideal."

To show how different WPIAL is today, compared to '73, consider these facts and anecdotes:

• In '73, the league had no tiebreaker system for three-way ties. When Ringgold, Monessen and Thomas Jefferson tied for the Big Ten Conference championship after the final Friday of the regular season, it took three days before seven men, including the conference president, sat down and voted on which team would go to the playoffs. Ringgold got five votes and went to the postseason.

Montana, considered one of the top quarterbacks in the WPIAL, threw 99 passes in the regular season, an average of only 11 a game. Nowadays, some quarterbacks throw 25-30 times a game.

• Schools that are small now played with the big boys in 1973. Monessen and Clairton played in the Big Ten Conference against Ringgold, Thomas Jefferson and Belle Vernon, among others. Today, Monessen and Clairton play in the smallest classification (Class A).

• Sto-Rox played in the West Penn Conference against Gateway, North Allegheny, Shaler and North Hills, among others. Today, Sto-Rox plays in Class AA.

"The closing of the steel mills turned everything upside down, including the football in a lot of towns," Hamilton said.

• Midland, Bellevue, Avalon, Swissvale, Churchill and General Braddock were some of the WPIAL high schools 35 years ago. They have either closed or merged with other schools to form new districts.

"The biggest thing today with the way the playoffs are, kids have something they can keep working for," Hamilton said. "Years ago, if you had a loss or two, you just had to play for pride. You were finished." Pictured New Castle's Joe Allegro runs the ball against Mt. Lebanon in the WPIAL championship game at Pitt Stadium. -->