"as a tribute to his innumerable contributionsto Prempeh sporting triumphs, especially for the unforgettable role he played in the famous victory of 13 December 1985, which he achieved with a team of courageous Prempeh boys, and which has won a steadily increasing acclaim as perhaps the greatest sporting victory in Prempeh College history"   Fred Appiah

Appiah:

prempeh.org: Why did you choose to attend Prempeh?

Appiah: Prempeh College was a dream school for most kids growing up because of their academic excellence and also because of their supremancy in sports. So it was an easy choice when it came time to applying to secondary schools.

prempeh.org: What was the school like when you first enrolled?

Appiah: The schoool was very nice and I also realized how dedicated the students were to their education. The teachers were also very strict.

prempeh.org: What did you remember most about your junior years and the early days?

Appiah: What I remember most was the cleaning of the battrooms, popularly refered to as 'scrubbing'.The form three students were the supervisors and if you didn't have something good to bribe them then they will give you the most horrible place to clean. Most of the time I ended up cleaning those places because I didn't have anything to offer.

prempeh.org: Senior, who were your favourite teachers on campus?

Appiah: I would say Mr. Annan the sports master because he was always nice to me.

prempeh.org: Was there a particular thing that a teacher did that left an imprint on your life?

Appiah: I really don't remember any particular thing but most of the teachers were nice to me.

prempeh.org: Who were your best friends on campus?

Appiah: Owusu Agyekum ( Akilibobo) and Abu Ibrahim were my best friends.

prempeh.org: Tell us about the Ramseyer House experience.

Appiah: You know something, it wasn't until my form three year that I went to Ramseyer House. I was originally supposed to go to Ramseyer but I spent my first 3 years at Aggrey House.After I won the juniors 100, 200 and 400 meters races for Aggrey house, Ramseyer realised I was supposed to be there and then came to take me away.

prempeh.org: You were a very versatile sportsman in your school days. Tell us about the sporting activities in which you participated.

Appiah: I played football, ran track and played volleyball for the school,and I also played table tennis for Ramseyer House.

prempeh.org: Which sport was your favorite?

Appiah: Football was my favorite by far.

prempeh.org: You're remembered for the "golden goal" you scored in the 1985 Football Championship. Take us through the competition (the whole tournament) that year. How did Prempeh get there?

Appiah: It was a very long tournament. We were grouped in a very tough bracket but we came up on top of the group. We then moved on to the knock-out stage and beat Obuasi Sec. Tech. 2:0 in the semi-finals.

prempeh.org: And we had to face the fearsome Kumasi High - that football Academy of Kumasi - in the final?

Appiah: Yes, Kumasi High.

prempeh.org: Tell us about the final match and the goal you scored.

Appiah: Earlier in the week Kumasi High had also beaten OKESS so they were crowned champions by the media because they thought playing Prempeh was just a formality, but we had our own ideas. We shocked everyone when the game was still tied at the end of the first haif. They had most of the possesions but we threatened to score every time we had the ball. Half way through the second half Mayele got the ball at the right wing, he passed it to Emma (Emmanuel Obu).I found myself with a little space so I called for the ball, when he passed it to me I sent a non-drop shot to the left corner of the net and the goalkeeper had no answer to it. By the time the final whistle blew the whole stadium was silent with the exception of the few Prempeh boys. There were only a few Prempeh students there because our school had vacated a day earlier. It was a shock.

prempeh.org: How did Kumasi respond to our famous December 13th 1985 victory? Kumasi High was famous, were they not?

Appiah: It was a shock because Humasi High had a lot of great players playing for all the top professional clubs in Kumasi (including two-time African Champions Asante Kotoko and Kumasi Cornerstones FC).

prempeh.org: What preparations did Prempeh (the team) make towards the match. Any special rituals?

Appiah: We just practiced hard and prayed a lot. We also put our trust in each other because we knew the famous opponents were more skillful in terms of individual talent, but we knew teamwork always prevail.

prempeh.org: Take us through the Prempeh sporting system and educate us about how team selection is made.

Appiah: That time the best players were selected. If A is better than B, A is playing!

prempeh.org: Why did you not pursue a career in professional football? Perhaps you could have made it big with Kumasi Asante Kotoko.

Appiah: I knew I could have made it playing fotball but it was not easy going to Prempeh and trying to play football for a club at the same time. I mean the academic program at Prempeh is toointense to combine with professional sports.

prempeh.org: Please take us through the famous football championship team and list the players and tell us about each player's strengths and qualities.

Appiah: Eric Oppong was our goalkeeper; though not very talented, he had the will.Elias, our long distance runner was the right full back, he had a lot of stamina.Amoah and Abu Ibrahim were our rocks on defense. Emma (Obu) was our captain and midfield-general.Mayele and Atakora were the right and left wingers respectively. I played in the midfield and forward.

prempeh.org: What about your athletics career? You did leave a huge imprint on Prempeh athletics.

Appiah: Yes I did, but I did not try to run after school.

prempeh.org: You do hold some athletics records, don't you?

Appiah: Yes, the 100m record, but I will be surprised if it still stands by now because of the way the boys are running these days. The record was 10.5sec.

prempeh.org: What Prempeh athletes inspired you and how?

Appiah: I would say Gideon Adiyeah (Ashkus) and his brother Victor Adiyeah (Classic). When I first realised I can run I didn't have any technique, they thought me how to relax and run fast.

prempeh.org: So when during Prempeh did you discover these sporting talents?

Appiah: I always knew I could play football. I learned how to play volleyball during inter-houses. I also discovered my running talent during Aggrey house training.

prempeh.org: Tell us about your favorite inter-house moment.

Appiah: I think that was when Babylonia (Augustine Adega of Pearson) came to Prempeh. There was a lot of hype for the 100m and I ended up winning that race by a close margin.

prempeh.org: What House do you think was the best in terms of sports?

Appiah: I would say G'berg and O.T.

prempeh.org: Was there any athlete (in Kumasi or elsewhere) you feared? And why?

Appiah: I won't say I feared but Koora gave me the most problem. He was always coming from behind to win our races.

prempeh.org: Can you offer any ideas for improving sports at Prempeh?

Appiah: To encourage our boys to train hard and select our team without any bias.

prempeh.org: What problems did we have in those days?

Appiah: Things were pretty o.k because we had the support of the headmaster.

prempeh.org: What about your future goals?

Appiah: I am now living a modest life in California. My goal is to raise my 5 year old son, help him with his school work and introduce him to all kinds of sports.

prempeh.org: Have you been to Prempeh campus since you left, and what transpired?

Appiah: No, I have been to Ghana twice and each time school was on vacation. I have made it my goal to make sure school is in session the next time I go back home.

prempeh.org: If you were appointed Headmaster of the School, what will you do for the alma mater? What kind of Headmaster would you be?

Appiah: I don't know a thing about being a headmaster but I will be cool with the students and at same time firm. I would put emphasis on education more and get the parents and old students involved in the school more.

prempeh.org: Is there anything you would have loved to do differently?

Appiah: Maybe to have pursured my football career.

prempeh.org: What about the turbulent years of the 1980s, students demonstrations here and there. What did you think of the whole thing?

Appiah: It was crazy during those times. The whole situation was bizzare. We had some innocent students kicked out of the school for nothing.They were used us scapegoats by the teachers and the headmaster.

prempeh.org: What were your impressions of the Headmaster?

Appiah: I think he was kind of arrogant.

prempeh.org: Thank you, Sir.

Appiah: No, thank you for doing such a good job.

prempeh.org: Senior, you achieved a lot for Mother Prempeh. That famous goal you scored and the ensuing victory enhanced Prempeh's prestige to the extent that not only did admissions applications reach an all-time high, students from our rival schools even sought transfer to Prempeh. Moreover, the numerous contributions you made to the athletics team ensured that Prempeh won the SuperZonals Athletics Championship several years in succession. You are one of our legendary sportsmen! More importantly, Senior Datus, you and your team of equally brave boys won a championship with a performance of pure heart and soul. Having adopted a siege mentality a week before the game, you and your friends coped with the hostile atmosphere of the Kumasi Sports Stadium, where Prempeh students were unavailable to lend you any support. The team dealt not only with the hostile KUHIS crowd but also the media antics. Indeed, displaying guts, gusto and not inconsiderable guile, Senior Appiah, you people evoked memories of the Prempeh Hockey team's similarly brave victory a decade earlier (1976). Once again, Prempeh's spine, quite simply, refused to buckle. With Emmanuel Obu and Abu Ibrahim solid at the back, the midfield quartet was tigerish and our inexperienced goalkeeper Eric Oppong could not be beaten. With Kumasi High wilting under the weight of expectation, you caused an in-swinger to scurry through the net. After the subsequent nail-biting and often unbearably tense moments - including survival of several scrambles in our own penalty area - your contribution had made Mother Prempeh famous! And in the end, engulfed by a cacophony of unrelenting noise, intimidation and hostility, you people bunched together in a line, with your arms draped around each other's shoulders as you sang Prempeh songs with pride. Powerful!