Rudy

AlmanacSports.com is proud to present the Complete History of the Indiana High School Football State Tournament. Started in 1973, we look at how it began and how it's evolved over the years. 46 years of results for all 10,812 games Detailed records of each team's win/loss record, percentage and championships won Coaching records section Over 200 pages plus lots more! There has never been a book with more information about the state tournament! Get your copy today! Email me proof of purchase and I'll donate 10% of proceeds to the Gridiron Digest.

The biggest drawbacks with the cluster was that it could have brought an end to many traditional conferences, and only one team qualified per cluster. Poor Elkhart Central was a perfect example. They finished 9-1 both years of the cluster, but because their one loss was to the cluster champion, Penn, Elkhart did not qualify. Was it settled on the field? Yes. But did Elkhart deserve a shot at the postseason? Most definitely. Even if more teams qualify from each cluster, scheduling challenges would end most conferences. Happened in KY, TN and about to happen in IL.

Yes that's me. You haven't missed it...just been very busy with a new position at work. I'm shooting to do one at the end of the regular season though. Thanks!

You got your copy before me! Hope you enjoy 😀

Good question! Let me see what I can find...

lol oops oratorical!

Thanks @Coach Nowlin! At over 430 pages, this is the biggest book I've ever done. The book goes all the way back to 1894 and goes through the end of the 2018 season. It has conference standings, results, profiles for every current and former football-playing school in the area, county histories, championships, and so much more! FUN FACT: Did you know the first conference in the area was called the Big Four Athletic & Oratorial Association? It was founded in 1904 by Linton, Princeton, Vincennes & Washington high schools. Evansville High joined in 1905, but they kept the Big Four name. One hundred years later, the Big Eight would only have seven teams and now only has six in their final season. This information and more is in the book! Dan "Rudy" Engler

I guess no coach is going to be liked by everyone but not all Reitz people dislike Coach Lewis, myself included. He was an assistant when I played at Reitz, and was a great role model for me. Always had a smile on his face and quick to give encouragement. He'd let you know if you messed up but he was always positive. He was always gracious with his time for me as webmaster for ReitzFootball.com. I've stayed in touch with him over the years and am proud to call him a friend. Glad to welcome him back to the SIAC and am looking forward to the competition. Just my $0.02. Dan "Rudy" Engler

For a little historical perspective, North Knox was a member of the PAC from 1980 to 1982. They replaced Gibson Southern, which had gone to the Big Eight, but had to leave because of their cluster schedule commitments. http://www.almanacsports.com/football/conference.php?conf_id=pac Dan

Looks like Linton won in 1975! http://www.almanacsports.com/football/series.php?team1=WHIT&team2=LIN Dan

While i use html and php coding for AlmanacSports.com (my brother is a software guy), i switched to WordPress several years ago for my Reitz Football website. I would highly recommend WordPress. The basic version is free. It's easy to use and its really customizable. Give it a try ... I can't recommend it enough. Dan

While not an official conference, they were part of the Indianapolis City Series for a long time. From 1940 to around 1978 when the league ended. http://www.almanacsports.com/football/conference.php?conf_id=indianapolis Dan "Rudy" Engler

For what it's worth, the SAC had this idea in the 1970s when they started the league! http://www.almanacsports.com/football/conference.php?conf_id=summit Dan

It took years to gather the data (my newspapers.com account helped a ton) and about as long to format the info into book form. The book doesn't have a conferences section but the new edition does have it broken down by school (plus by year and by last name). If you'd like to buy a copy, here's the link: http://www.almanacsports.com/article.php?news_id=2019011801 Also, I donate 10% of all proceeds to the gridiron digest if a forum member buys and lets me know. Thanks for being a fellow football nerd 👍 Dan

The book only covers first team all-state players. To add junior, 2nd team, academic, etc. would have made this already long project impossibly longer. Maybe one of these days though lol. I'll see if I can get an answer for your question though. Was there someone in particular you were curious about? Dan