North Philadelphia Pop Warner Team Wins National Pee Wee Championship

FLORIDA (CBS) -- It is a triumph that almost didn't have the chance to happen. An underfunded pee wee football team from North Philadelphia has a major accomplishment.

When North Philadelphia's Blackhawk Athletic Club was struggling to raise the money they needed to head to the national championship in Florida, they never imagined they'd hear this call:

"Pop Warner Super bowl Champions! Blackhawk Athletic Club!"

Blackhawk coach Derrick Williams was interviewed about the win on ESPN 3. He referenced the struggles the team faced in getting to Florida and the fund raising efforts by several organizations that helped this north Philadelphia team to beat out everyone:

"Iit means so much, for our city, our mayor, our whole community to basically catapult us here because without them we wouldn't be here right now."

Sino Naji is the team mom of the Blackhawk Athletic Club.

"This is the first championship that the Blackhawk Athletic Club has won. So our team was the first in the club's history to actually clinch the title."

The team received a heroes welcome at the airport and Mayor Nutter was there to greet the champions. "We are so proud of the North Philly Black Hawks and all that they have done. These young people, their parents, their coaches - everyone put a lot of heart and soul into this and it just really feels good," said Nutter.

Watch the video...

Reported By: Hadas Kuznits and John McDevitt, KYW Newsradio