Class of 1978

Terron Teander and his family moved to Cary in the summer of 1976, just before summer football practice was to start for his junior year. He had already been in contact with the coaches at Cary High School because that’s where he thought he would be going, but redistricting that summer changed his part of Cary to be part of the Apex High community. So, without any introductions, and not knowing anybody on the team or staff, Terron knew he had to work extra hard to earn his place on a team of players who had all pretty much grown up and played sports together since Little League. His first friend was another Cary transplant, a long haired, skinny, somewhat brash fellow junior named Ron True. Then the quarterback, Tommy Yeargan, started offering both Caryites rides to practice. Unfortunately, both of these first friends are no longer with us. 

For two seasons, Terron and fellow 2025 HOF inductee Larry Cross lined up side by side in the Apex backfield. Terron was proud of blocking 2 or 3 guys to clear the way for Larry to run during his junior campaign, but his senior year, Apex had a new coaching staff which included another 2025 inductee, offensive coordinator John Griggs, who tweaked the veer scheme, allowing both Cross and Teander to flash their skills. Apex’s move up to the Triangle 3A Conference that year meant better competition, but also better stats for Terron. He rushed for 11 touchdowns and 952 total yards, earning second team All-Conference honors, and was named the team MVP. The highlight of his senior year was an away game against arch rival Fuquay in which he had TD runs of 58 and 96 yards in a 21 – 0 shutout in which he and Cross accounted for all of the team’s scoring and 308 of the team’s total 311 yards of offense. Everywhere he played, people would know when Terron was running for a touchdown, because his father Jeneal would breakout into the William Tell Overture on his trumpet as Terron scrambled down the field. 

In the spring of his senior year, Terron was named All-Conference as the opening leg of the conference champion 880 Relay team. He also competed in the triple jump, the 100 yd dash, and the mile relay. His fondest memory of the track season was at an invitational meet in Greenville where he triple jumped against Buck Williams and Dominique Wilkins of basketball fame. Terron joked about it, saying ‘They had thighs up to my head!”.  

After graduating from Apex in 1978, Terron walked onto the Duke football team where he played strong safety for the Blue Devils. He was on the team for 5 years and lettered for 3, earning a full scholarship for those last 3 years. Highlights of his playing career included beating Tennessee in front of 91,000 fans and All-American Willie Gault being his primary responsibility, holding him to zero catches that game. Terron credits the bone crushing tackle he put on Gault on the opening kickoff with dazing him for the rest of the game. Other highlights included a blocked field goal against Wake Forest that helped to win the game, a critical tackle in the backfield against South Carolina that put them out of field goal range and led to a win, and several tackles of Kelvin Bryant that were part of a huge career ending win against UNC. 

Terron’s fondest sports memories are of the years he coached his children, Darby and Cole, in youth sports…t-ball, little league, softball, youth football. And of the lifelong friendships he has with several of his Apex football teammates. Every time they get together the conversation eventually turns to high school football. Go Cougars!