Top Stories Your School Conferences The The Big Game The Hit List Best of the Week Scores Playoff Central Just 4 Coaches Just 4 Athletes Past Players Message Boards Contact Us

 

 

 

 

Letter from the Editor
Each week IHSFW.com's Editor-in-Chief Vincent Johnson will be bringing his thoughts on topics & events in the world of high school football to this page. Read what he has to say, then feel free to chime in on the IHSFW.com message board to give your own thoughts.

Three Letters for the Price of One (8/15/05)

The Site's Direction

The letter to the editor, is something I had always planned to do for IHSFW.com since I started the site in 1999, but was always short on the time, but earlier this year I felt that it could no longer be put on the back burner and it was time to give a voice to the face of IHSFW.com.

 

This page, which above all other pages will give you, the reader, an idea of what to expect from the overall content of this site. The opinions that are express in this section are not only mine, but should be taken as the stance of the site as a whole.

Some editorial decisions, like how we would cover any tragedy or scandal that takes place in the state, may be reflected in this section. While other decisions, like not making direct predictions on the winners of games & conferences will only be noticed by looking at IHSFW site wide.

Either way and no matter what my opinion or what direction I take the site in, we hope you enjoy the sport as much as we do and feel like you can have a chance to help the direction the site takes by sending in any e-mails or posts on our message board.

Where are the Throwbacks?

In just two weeks we will all be saddling up some where on a Friday or Saturday to go see our first high school football game of the season.

And while I look forward to seeing teams & fields that I’ve never seen yet, I can’t help but feel that no matter how far I go in this state, I’d have to go back in time to see what I've been dying to see on a Friday night.

I know we all get nostalgic. And there are some great old stadiums in this state to make you get that old school football feeling.

Take a trip to Kewanee (H.S.) to see the boilermakers Stadium. OrRock Island (H.S.)to check out the Bowl. Lane Tech’s field in Chicago still has the cinder track and could be the best old School Stadium in the state. I go there at least once a season. The list goes on & on,Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest) , Kankakee (McNamara) , Mooseheart… But still, I’ve been looking for something more old school.

Then it hit me. Throwback jerseys. Why hasn’t a school done a retro looking jersey yet? Or have they and I just missed it.

I know some schools come close.Mundelein (Carmel)has the great old school look with their helmet that has just a “C”. Some Chicago public schools have a very simple jersey, that looks like throwbacks, but more like the way the Detroit Lions Blue jerseys & silver helmets look like throwbacks.

Please, if you’re an athletic director & the idea has popped in your head before, do it. Maybe just the home jerseys. You don’t need to do cotton long sleeve jerseys & the leather helmets of course, just change the design & the helmet to match an old team’s look.

If schools likeNaperville (North)can change jerseys in the middle of a game. I know somebody out there can make a throwback for a homecoming game or to celebrate the 75th year of a football program.

Check out this example from the 1944Jerseyville (Jersey) football team.
These guys look great. On defense these uniforms just scream "ROAD CLOSED".

Other Great Websites

This brings me to the how I came upon the idea of wanting to see a throwback jersey in high school. After checking out the Jersey Community High School football website, Panther Football (www.pantherfb.org).  A page built completely by a fan of the school, I came across that great picture of the old school uniform.

That web site, run and built by Mike McInerny, is one of several great sites that are run and have been run for a few years, by fans of certain programs.

While some of you may have seen some of these sites, and others my not care because it’s the site of a rival school. I implore all of you who are reading this to check these sites out.

Panther Football (Jersey Community HS)
Cyclone Football (Scared Heart-Griffin)
Joliet Catholic Football
Morris HS
Birdwatchers (Metamora)

These are just a few of the incredible team site, built by fans, not by the school. Check to see if your school has a fan based web site or a school run one. Click on the "Your School" helmet on the top of the page. Once you select your school, look on the lower right side of the page for the "Related Links" section. We list all the web sites related to your school & whether or not they are the official school page or run by fans or boosters.

Vincent D. Johnson
Editor-in-Chief/IHSFW.com

 

 

 

 

Advertise on IHSFW.com / Legal Stuff / About IHSFW.com / Contact us
All content copyright IHSFW/Vincent Johnson 1999-2020