NC team wins first championship in 64 years. A Panthers player helped them celebrate.

When the Rams of Harding University High School claimed the North Carolina 4A state championship last week, it was the first time in 64 years the school had won a title in football.

On Friday, a Carolina Panthers player helped the Charlotte high school overcome another hurdle: buying championship rings.

Thomas Davis, Panthers’ star linebacker, said he and his wife plan to donate thousands of dollars toward the ring purchase, according to a radio interview on Power98. At the time of the interview, a GoFundMe campaign set up by the school had raised about $5,000 of its $20,000 goal. Davis said he and his wife would donate “the rest,” according to Power98.

Harding University High School won the championship with a 30-22 victory over Scotland High School last weekend.

The school’s football program had a dramatic turnaround this past season. En route to winning the championship this year, the Rams won 14 games after only winning one game two years ago. It was the team’s first winning season since 2007.

When head coach Sam Greiner took over the program two years ago, a church donated uniforms to the team, and they still practice on a baseball field to this day, WSOC reported.

The recent success and Davis’ donation feel like something out of Hollywood.

“If someone wrote a movie script about everything that’s happened, they would think it’s a fairy tale,” Greiner told the TV station. “They wouldn’t think it’s real life.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 2:12 PM with the headline "NC team wins first championship in 64 years. A Panthers player helped them celebrate.."