Rudy

On 5/16/2022 at 9:04 PM, kingtut said:

I was surprised and pleased to see the fine biography of Coach Spike Kelly.  I suppose I am the only GID poster to have attended games when Kelly was one of the coaches.  Being a lifetime Linton Miner fan, I experienced the difficulty of my team playing against the Sullivan Golden Arrows when Spike Kelly was there.  Our series with the Arrows began in 1904 and Linton dominated the early years winning 15 of the first 19 games.  As the article states, Coach Kelly came to Sullivan from Clinton in 1931, which BTW is my birth year.  Clinton was also a Linton opponent in those early years.  Linton defeated Sullivan and Coach Kelly in his first three years, the last being 27 - 0 in 1933 when, in the undefeated Wabash Valley Champion Miners only allowed 6 points all season.  However, the tide turned in 1934 and Linton never defeated Sullivan again until 1945 when in the annual Armistice Day game, The undefeated Miners won 22-0 at Sullivan.  That was after Spike had gone to South Bend Riley.  I fondly remember that game as a HS freshman.  The following year, the Miners opened the season against Kelly's No 1 ranked South Bend Riley team at South Bend.  That was quite a trip from Southwestern Indiana to South Bend in those days.  I went to the game as a member of the LHS band and along with the team, stayed overnight at South Bend.  The game was a big deal for Linton and a great number of Miner fans made the trip.  I recall there was a light rain throughout the game.  Kelly's Riley team defeated the Miners 13 - 6.  Along with the loss, Linton's all- state running back (he was called a halfback in those days) suffered a broken leg, ending his senior season. So, Spike Kelly's record was 10 - 3 against the Linton Miners. 

Thank you for sharing this! Very cool insight and great we have a link to Coach Kelly. 

Two questions: any idea why they called him Spike and how long did that trip from Linton to South Bend take? 😊

12 hours ago, dazed and confused said:

Nice article but why his nickname "Spike" ?

Great question! I looked but never could find an answer. Back then, many coaches seemed to have nicknames but the papers didn’t elaborate how they got them 

Check out the first installment in our new series, the Legends of Indiana High School Football. We look back at Paul "Spike" Kelly, the hall of fame coach who guided Clinton, Sullivan and South Bend Riley to multiple championships over 30+ years, including three state crowns.

http://www.almanacsports.com/article.php?news_id=2022051301

Please let me know what you think and who should be featured in the next installment?

Thanks,
Dan "Rudy" Engler

Looks like Waldron joins Blackhawk Christian with plans for an 8-man team!

Thanks! Here's what I have so far for the Rockies:

Plymouth
Plymouth High School            
Location: Plymouth, Ind.
Known as Lincoln High School from 1924 to 1959
Nickname: Rockies
Colors: Crimson & White
First season: 1896
Overall record: 528-383-17

Year    W-L-T    Head Coach        
1896    0-0-1    unknown
1897    unknown    unknown
1898, no team?
1899    0-1-0    unknown
1900    0-1-0    unknown
1901    1-0-0    W.E. Jordan
1902    unknown    unknown
1903    3-4-0    unknown
1904    unknown    unknown
1905, no team?
1906    1-0-0    unknown
1907 to 1923, no team
1924    0-5-0    Forest Wood
1925    1-6-0    Forest Wood
1926    4-4-0    Forest Wood
1927    2-4-2    Forest Wood
1928    3-5-0    Forest Wood
1929    1-6-0    Walter Thurston
1930    2-4-0    Walter Thurston
1931    2-6-0    John Beck
1932    2-6-0    John Beck
1933    4-3-0    John Beck
1934    2-5-1    John Beck
1935    2-5-0    Jim Puett
1936    2-4-1    Jim Puett
1937    2-4-0    Tom Downey
1938    1-7-0    George Belshaw
1939    4-4-0    George Belshaw
1940    0-6-0    George Belshaw
1941    1-8-0    George Belshaw
1942    3-5-0    Art Thomas
1943    4-2-0    Art Thomas
1944    5-2-0    Art Thomas
1945    5-2-0    Art Thomas
1946    6-2-0    Art Thomas
1947    7-1-0    Art Thomas
1948    4-4-0    Art Thomas
1949    6-1-1    Art Thomas
1950    7-1-0    Art Thomas
1951    7-1-0    Art Thomas
1952    4-4-0    Art Thomas
1953    6-1-1    Art Thomas
1954    5-3-0    Art Thomas
1955    8-0-0    Art Thomas
1956    7-1-0    Fred Kehoe
1957    7-1-1    Fred Kehoe
1958    8-1-0    J.C. Butler
1959    6-3-0    J.C. Butler
1960    2-6-0    J.C. Butler
1961    2-4-2    Walter Jurkiewicz
1962    5-3-0    Walter Jurkiewicz
1963    3-6-0    Walter Jurkiewicz
1964    3-5-1    Jon Mayfield
1965    4-2-3    Jon Mayfield
1966    8-1-0    Jon Mayfield
1967    6-2-1    Jon Mayfield
1968    7-2-1    Bill Shassere
1969    3-5-1    Bill Shassere
1970    3-6-0    Bill Shassere
1971    8-1-0    Mark Surface
1972    8-1    Steve Psikula
1973    7-3    Steve Psikula
1974    3-7    Steve Psikula
1975    9-1    Bill Nixon
1976    9-2    Bill Nixon
1977    13-0    Bill Nixon
1978    7-3    Bill Nixon
1979    5-5    Gary Cox
1980    7-3    Gary Cox
1981    7-3    Gary Cox
1982    6-4    Bill Nixon
1983    7-3    Bill Nixon
1984    6-4    Bill Nixon
1985    7-4    Bill Nixon
1986    4-6    Tom Isenbarger
1987    3-7    Tom Isenbarger
1988    2-7    Tom Isenbarger
1989    1-8    Tom Condon
1990    2-7    Tom Condon
1991    4-6    Tom Condon
1992    2-7    Tom Condon
1993    5-4    Tom Condon
1994    6-5    Tom Condon
1995    8-2    Tom Condon
1996    8-3    Tom Condon
1997    7-4    Tom Condon
1998    12-2    Tom Condon
1999    8-4    Tom Condon
2000    9-5    Tom Condon
2001    6-8    Tom Condon
2002    7-5    Tom Condon
2003    8-4    Tom Condon
2004    8-4    John Barron
2005    11-1    John Barron
2006    8-4    John Barron
2007    5-6    John Barron
2008    10-1    John Barron
2009    9-1    John Barron
2010    6-4    John Barron
2011    4-7    John Barron
2012    7-3    John Barron
2013    8-3    John Barron
2014    11-1    John Barron
2015    10-3    John Barron
2016    6-5    John Barron
2017    6-4    John Barron
2018    6-4    John Barron
2019    9-3    John Barron
2020    2-6    John Barron
2021    0-10    John Barron

Can anyone fill in any gaps?

Thanks,
Dan

Is it the Plymouth Rockies or Plymouth Pilgrims?

Trying to clear it up for the website and book, thanks!

Dan

AlmanacSports.com

19 hours ago, Cappy said:

@Rudyhas wrote a few books I believe, below is one I'm planning to read of his...

What a Cluster!: The story of Indiana high school football's infamous Cluster System: Engler, Daniel Eric: 9781728807157: Amazon.com: Books

Yes! I have published over a dozen books about Indiana High School Football. Here’s a link if you’re interested:

http://www.almanacsports.com/books.php

Working on another one too which I hope to announce soon 😊

Dan “Rudy” Engler

2 hours ago, Donnie Baker said:

You and Tuts should write a book about Liptons football. I swear to God you should. 

I’ve self published over a dozen books and would be more than happy to help with this process if you’re interested!

43 minutes ago, NorthKnox94 said:

http://www.almanacsports.com/football/team.php?team=LIN  maybe this will help

Thanks but that’s my website. Trying to update for the book and will update these on the website too 😊

8 minutes ago, Miner_Pride said:

 

what do you need?!?!?  Looks like you got a lot already!! 

 

Anywhere it says unknown. Several Win/loss records which would give a more accurate all-time win percentage. 

Also for several early seasons, I’m missing who the head coach was. 
 

Thanks!

Doing research for the Indiana High School Football Record Book that will be coming out later this year. Any Miners able to help me fill in the gaps?

Linton-Stockton High School
Location: Linton, Ind.
Nickname: Miners
Colors: Red & Royal Blue
First season: 1902
Known as Linton High School before 1921
Overall record: 577-393-25

Year    W-L-T    Head Coach        
1902    unknown    unknown
1903    unknown    Fred E. Bryan
1904    unknown    unknown
1906    unknown    unknown
1907    unknown    unknown
1908    unknown    unknown
1909    6-0-0    unknown
1910    unknown    unknown
1911    unknown    unknown
1912    unknown    unknown
1913    unknown    unknown
1914    unknown    unknown
1915    4-1-0    Wilber Johnson
From 1902 to 1915, Linton only lost eight of 109 football games, never losing more than one in a season
1916    2-3-0    Coach Howard
1917    unknown    unknown
1918    unknown    unknown
1919    3-3-1    Gerald W. Landis
1920    unknown    Gerald Moore
1921    4-3-1    Rex Landis
1922    5-2-1    Harold Johnson
1923    7-0-0    Gerald W. Landis
1924    5-4-1    Gerald W. Landis
1925    8-0-1    Gerald W. Landis
1926    0-2-1    Gerald W. Landis
1927    5-4-1    Gerald W. Landis
1928    unknown    Gerald W. Landis
1929    unknown    Gerald W. Landis
1930    unknown    Gerald W. Landis
1931    unknown    Gerald W. Landis
1932    unknown    Gerald W. Landis
1933    9-0-0    Gerald W. Landis
1934    unknown    Roy L. Williams
1935    2-8-0    Gerald W. Landis
1936    4-4-0    Gerald W. Landis
1937    4-5-1    Gerald W. Landis
1938    1-6-0    Roy L. Williams & James "Baldy" Goodman
1939    3-6-1    Nelson Beasley
1940    2-4-1    Roy L. Williams
1941    2-4-1    Roy L. Williams
1942    6-1-1    Roy L. Williams
1943    2-7-0    Roy L. Williams
1944    4-5-1    Roy L. Williams
1945    9-0-1    Roy L. Williams
1946    5-2-1    Roy L. Williams
1947    7-3-0    Roy L. Williams
1948    2-8-0    Roy L. Williams
1949    1-8-0    Roy L. Williams
1950    3-6-1    Roy L. Williams
1951    10-0-0    Roy L. Williams
1952    4-6-0    Red Faught
1953    3-6-0    Red Faught
1954    5-4-0    Red Faught
1955    2-8-0    Dale Scrivner
1956    4-6-0    Dale Scrivner
1957    2-8-0    Doc Bolten
1958    3-7-0    Doc Bolten
1959    3-6-1    Floyd Henson
1960    3-7-0    John Platt
1961    1-8-1    Dave Austill
1962    7-3-0    Dave Austill
1963    4-4-2    Dave Austill
1964    3-7-0    Paul Steele
1965    4-5-1    Paul Steele
1966    5-5-0    Paul Steele
1967    1-8-1    Paul Steele
1968    1-7-1    Fred Livzey
1969    0-10-0    Fred Livzey
1970    0-10-0    Don Clark
1971    3-5-2    Don Clark
1972    2-8    Don Clark
1973    1-9    Don Clark
1974    4-6    Randy Lynch
1975    7-3    Randy Lynch
1976    9-0    Dan Galbraith
1977    1-9    Dan Galbraith
1978    6-4    Dan Galbraith
1979    6-4    Dan Galbraith
1980    5-5    Charlie Karazsia
1981    9-1    Charlie Karazsia
1982    8-3    Charlie Karazsia
1983    7-3    Charlie Karazsia
1984    9-2    Charlie Karazsia
1985    5-5    Charlie Karazsia
1986    11-2    Charlie Karazsia
1987    8-1    Charlie Karazsia
1988    9-2    Charlie Karazsia
1989    8-1    Charlie Karazsia
1990    3-6    Charlie Karazsia
1991    2-6    Charlie Karazsia
1992    4-5    Jeff Oresik
1993    6-5    Jeff Oresik
1994    3-7    Jeff Oresik
1995    8-1    Rick Wellington
1996    3-6    Rick Wellington
1997    10-4    Rick Wellington
1998    12-2    Rick Wellington
1999    9-3    Rick Wellington
2000    5-5    Steve Weber
2001    8-3    Steve Weber
2002    7-3    Steve Weber
2003    11-1    Steve Weber
2004    11-3    Steve Weber
2005    9-1    Steve Weber
2006    8-2    Steve Weber
2007    12-1    Steve Weber
2008    13-1    Steve Weber
2009    9-4    Steve Weber
2010    9-3    Steve Weber
2011    13-1    Steve Weber
2012    13-1    Steve Weber
2013    13-1    Brian Oliver
2014    11-2    Brian Oliver
2015    13-2    Brian Oliver
2016    15-0    Brian Oliver
2017    7-4    Brian Oliver
2018    5-6    Brian Oliver
2019    9-2    Brian Oliver
2020    8-4    Brian Oliver
2021    10-1    Brian Oliver

Thanks,
Dan

16 hours ago, BTF said:

The real heroes of high school football are the players and coaches who put hours and hours of effort into this great sport. But let's not discount the voice of the fans, the ones who pump money into the athletic departments. And at the end of the day, football IS a team sport........coaches, players, and fans. The twelfth man is kind of important. It would be foolish of any league or athletic depart to not listen to the voice of the very fans who support them. Maybe the idea of a two division format originated on the GID and maybe it didn't. But you know what? Who cares. It's gained momentum. Congrats to the coaches and athletic directors for bringing this close to reality. 

Just for a little historical perspective, the idea originated with the SAC when the league started. From 1973 to 1979, the two division champions would play foe the conference title.

http://www.almanacsports.com/football/conference.php?conf_id=summit

The Fort Wayne City Series, the SAC’s predecessor, has one in 1971 and 1972 as well.

Cool move though that could create some intriguing matchups. 

Rudy

11 hours ago, hhpatriot04 said:

Please keep everything on the Google Drive Sheet shared above. While Excel and Google Sheets share much of the same nomenclature, Google Sheets does have some differences, especially if we have to start tying it into macros and other projects. As you can see from the above link, I just created a small sample of games with six teams. It needs some work to develop the SoS argument. I have mainly been using the countif() and countifs() functions for pulling such data.

In all, I think it is best to get something working on a small scale (lets say a closed conference like the SIAC), and then introduce the other 300-something teams. Unfortunately, not using something like Python/PHP and SQL means we can't leave comments in the "code." However, Google Sheets does have the ability to leave comments on individual cells. 

Good to see that there is interest and thank you @Rudy for volunteering the data so we don't have to dig it up from the Associated Press or rip it off of Harrell's site. Can I ask, what is your current input method for game nights? Source and method of input? Are you using a form or inputting directly into a table or database?

I'll scan the scores from Harrell's page, usually copy and paste and add them to my excel file using my format. I'll update the standings file too then upload via FTP to our server. Finally I'll run a php script that my brother created which updates everything on the site.

Not the easiest way but done it that way for over a dozen years now lol

Dan

DM me your email and I’ll send to you. 
 

I don’t think it would be too hard I just don’t have the time right now unfortunately. 
 

Thanks!

I use excel for everything. I'm happy to share the relevant files if someone wants to take this on. Should be a fairly "simple" task for someone who is really good with excel formulas 🙂

Rudy

Hi all,

Great topic. I love John Harrell's website of course but it only goes back to 1994. My ultimate goal for AlmanacSports.com is to document every game ever played by an Indiana high school football game (the earliest schools played in the 1890s).

I love newspapers.com but it is a paid subscription. Lots of good stuff on there though so worth it to me.

The Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library has lots of Evansville newspapers archived in their microfilm collection, but I think you have to be a member to access.

A great freebie is classmates.com/yearbooks. They have an amazing collection of old yearbooks and I check that regularly for my research.

Also, does anyone know if Huntington North shares the same athletic lineage as Huntington High School? My research shows Huntington North opened the new high school in 1969 but they share the same nickname and school colors with Huntington. Are they the same or was it the start of a new school?

Thanks,
Dan

I’ve begun work on this and hope to have finished by the start of the season.

Would anyone be interested in writing a story on their favorite team and/or coach to include in the book?

Thanks!

On 4/28/2021 at 12:53 PM, Irishman said:

Stories about specific games.......Back in the 1920's, Notre Dame was traveling to Bloomington. The team stopped in Indy. Rockne went to see Cathedral play (I believe it was against St. X from Cincy), and talked to the team prior to the game. Legend has it as well, that he heard Cathedral was nicknamed the Fighting Irish (At that time, ND was using "Ramblers" as their nickname) and since both schools were run by the same order of priests, decided the schools could share the name. 

Did a search on newspapers.com to see what I could find.

I see Cathedral's first mention of the "Fighting Irish" nickname in 1925 (https://www.newspapers.com/image/104849923/?terms=Cathedral "Fighting Irish"&match=2).

However, there's a 1911 article which describes Notre Dame as "the fighting Irish crew" (https://www.newspapers.com/image/6823056/?terms="Notre Dame" "Fighting Irish"&match=3).

Would love to be proven wrong, and not saying that story isn't true, but these legends have a way of taking on a life of their own!

Thanks and please let me know if you find any other information on this!

Dan

On 5/4/2021 at 8:11 AM, Cheez said:

Google searching "ifca zebras [name of school]" should turn up some really good info for you for your encyclopedia. Mark Candler used to do a great job updating that, so it's full of great data for teams up through around 2016.

I've used this site countless times over the years. Definitely a great resource for Northern Indiana football history!

13 hours ago, BDGiant93 said:

Tim Adams would be a nice feature. We all miss the big fella. TA was the best.

Love this idea. @Muda69 this would go hand in hand with the GID history section.

On 4/28/2021 at 12:08 PM, CoachVeatch said:

Hi Rudy! During quarantine I had actually been working on putting together a database of the football fields and stadiums(past/present) of all the high schools (present and defunct) here in Indiana. Real life eventually came back and I don't have the time to do such a thing anymore. I think it would be cool to find pictures and histories of these places, especially the ones that are gone, and add it to your info. Just a suggestion. Thank you for doing what you do for the history and records of our sport.

This would be really cool to feature in the book. Bios on the more infamous fields would be a cool addition too!

On 4/28/2021 at 12:53 PM, Irishman said:

Stories about specific games.......Back in the 1920's, Notre Dame was traveling to Bloomington. The team stopped in Indy. Rockne went to see Cathedral play (I believe it was against St. X from Cincy), and talked to the team prior to the game. Legend has it as well, that he heard Cathedral was nicknamed the Fighting Irish (At that time, ND was using "Ramblers" as their nickname) and since both schools were run by the same order of priests, decided the schools could share the name. 

That's really cool. I'll have to do some research and see if I can find out more about this. Thanks for sharing and definitely want to have a "Legendary Games" section

Hello everyone! I've been thinking about creating an Indiana High School Football records book/encyclopedia.

I would include info from my previous books (all-state players, tournament history, etc.) but would want to include other features, as well.

• conference standings
• coaching records
• state records for players
• list of state champs (including mythical back to 1800s)
• articles on legendary coaches and teams

What else would you want to see included?

Thanks,
Dan "Rudy" Engler
AlmanacSports.com

5 hours ago, MHSTigerFan said:

Too bad for Reitz it wasn’t real....probably would’ve improved their record this upcoming year!  😉

Lol easy now!

Happy April Fools Day 🙂 

For clarity, Coach Brunson had nothing to do with this, just me renewing the annual tradition!

Rudy

Reitz High School announced its 2021 football schedule yesterday and will play in what is being called the “EVSC Bubble”.

The Panthers will play the other four EVSC schools twice for a total of eight games, but will not play any of their other SIAC rivals, including Mater Dei.

“We wanted to keep the kids as safe as possible this fall while still allowing sports to be played,” according to Reitz head coach Cory Brunson. “While we’re disappointed to lose the Mater Dei game, for the safety of the kids, we felt this change should be made for at least the next five years.”

2021 Schedule
9/3 – Bosse
9/10 – @ Central
9/17 – Harrison
9/24 – @ North
10/1 – @ Bosse
10/8 – Central
10/15 – @ Harrison
10/22 – North

For more information, please visit the EVSC’s COVID-19 Resources page.

Are we sure they’re going to do one this year?