Indiana Eight-Man Football 2026

[justafootballguy]

1 hour ago, hhpatriot04 said:

Do 8-man players get recruited by colleges? (honest question) 

I have seen it 2 times.  An OL - big kid. Did well at the D3 level. I also saw a RB that didn't have it to play D3. 

[Muda69]

16 minutes ago, justafootballguy said:

 

Yes, I am aware of that. I coached in the state of Michigan. My point is that having 8 man football is helping save the sport for kids and schools...

But how long until 8-man football reaches a "critical mass" in Indiana, if it ever does? 

Is 8-man football recognized as an "official sport" by the MHSAA?  Do they hold a state championship tournament?

 

[hhpatriot04]

22 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

But how long until 8-man football reaches a "critical mass" in Indiana, if it ever does? 

Is 8-man football recognized as an "official sport" by the MHSAA?  Do they hold a state championship tournament?

 

16 or 24 teams to have a legitimate state champion?

Also the South has almost no representation. Union (Dugger) has a team but is considered more south central Indiana (Bloomington region) than Southwest or Southeast.

There are however a ton of schools like Loogootee, Barr Reeve, Wood Memorial, Cannelton, Northeast Dubois, Evansville Day which are "basketball schools" still and might be able to get an eight-man program going in southern Indiana.

[Muda69]

2 minutes ago, hhpatriot04 said:

16 or 24 teams to have a legitimate state champion?

Also the South has almost no representation. Union (Dugger) has a team but is considered more south central Indiana (Bloomington region) than Southwest or Southeast.

There are however a ton of schools like Loogootee, Barr Reeve, Wood Memorial, Cannelton, Northeast Dubois, Evansville Day which are "basketball schools" still and might be able to get an eight-man program going in southern Indiana.

If any of these southern "basketball schools" are like Rossville in my neck of the woods, trying to get any sort of tackle football program to the JV/Varsity level is a lost cause.  The communities are too entrenched with basketball and in the case of Rossville, also baseball,  to ever support such a program.   

Now you may be able to get away with a co-op arrangement, as long as not too many of the "basketball/baseball" kids want to play.  Can't have them getting hurt on the gridiron when they really should be practicing that jump shot.  

 

[Coach Nowlin]

1 hour ago, Muda69 said:

Rome wasn't built in a day.  

If you are going to have high school tackle football you might as well do what you need to do to have the superior product.   And that is 11-man tackle football.    And if all may be a moot point anyway in the next 20 years or so with U.S. and Worldwide populations on the decline..................

 

Yep:  In 1934 when a coach in Oklahoma decided to create it and was expanded many times over the Great Plains since.... yup.  very inferior product to start in 1934 and continue to this day in 2026.   Yup.   

[hhpatriot04]

4 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

If any of these southern "basketball schools" are like Rossville in my neck of the woods, trying to get any sort of tackle football program to the JV/Varsity level is a lost cause.  The communities are too entrenched with basketball and in the case of Rossville, also baseball,  to ever support such a program.   

Now you may be able to get away with a co-op arrangement, as long as not too many of the "basketball/baseball" kids want to play.  Can't have them getting hurt on the gridiron when they really should be practicing that jump shot.  

 

They already co-op of sorts, kids of Cannelton have played at Tell City for ages. Kids at Forest Park used to play at Southridge and Heritage Hills.

[Muda69]

4 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Yep:  In 1934 when a coach in Oklahoma decided to create it and was expanded many times over the Great Plains since.... yup.  very inferior product to start in 1934 and continue to this day in 2026.   Yup.   

In Indiana, yup.

If you love 8-man football so much why don't you start coaching it, maybe move to Oklahoma.   

Or is 8-man Rensselaer's "long term strategy" as it's enrollment continues to decline:  https://ballotpedia.org/Rensselaer_Central_School_Corporation,_Indiana#Students

 

8 minutes ago, hhpatriot04 said:

They already co-op of sorts, kids of Cannelton have played at Tell City for ages. Kids at Forest Park used to play at Southridge and Heritage Hills.

Hmm, interesting.  How were these arrangements structured between the school corporations?  

[justafootballguy]

6 hours ago, Muda69 said:

But how long until 8-man football reaches a "critical mass" in Indiana, if it ever does? 

Is 8-man football recognized as an "official sport" by the MHSAA?  Do they hold a state championship tournament?

 

They do in fact have a state championship. They have a D1 and D2 bracket. It is a MHSAA sport. 

I think with the amount of 1A schools that are slowly getting smaller.... it will help keep them playing. Its going to get bigger in Indiana. Co-ops will not get any traction.

[Muda69]

10 hours ago, justafootballguy said:

They do in fact have a state championship. They have a D1 and D2 bracket. It is a MHSAA sport. 

I think with the amount of 1A schools that are slowly getting smaller.... it will help keep them playing. Its going to get bigger in Indiana. Co-ops will not get any traction.

Thank you for the information.

I do hope co-ops get traction in Indiana, as they have in Illinois.  Finding ways for youth to play 11-man tackle football instead of 8-man tackle football should be the goal of the IHSAA and IFCA.   I have watched a number of high school 8-man tackle football games via youtube, and it is pretty much Arena Football played outside.  Blech.

 

 

[Coach Nowlin]

17 hours ago, Muda69 said:

In Indiana, yup.

If you love 8-man football so much why don't you start coaching it, maybe move to Oklahoma.   

Or is 8-man Rensselaer's "long term strategy" as it's enrollment continues to decline:  https://ballotpedia.org/Rensselaer_Central_School_Corporation,_Indiana#Students

 

Hmm, interesting.  How were these arrangements structured between the school corporations?  

My role as Direct elect of IFCA Region 4 and 16 years as Assistant Coach rep is to promote opportunities for School Communities who wish to participate in football, 11 man or 8 man.    I understand anything new creates uneasy or in your case your next crusade to opin YOUR views on a situation that you have very little knowledge of clearly .   Thats ok.  

Rensselaer has a roster of 42, we are not in the bucket that would be considered, however, If I coached at South Newton, I would have been all about it.  

 

You've really come full circle over the years here:   From the boogey man of football too dangerous for our poor children to play a game meant for kids.... to bemoaning schools who go to 8 man since they do not have the numbers for classic 11 man...     Wild Message Board Arc for you my man ,   Pure entertainment for me really 

[wabashalwaysfights]

2 hours ago, Muda69 said:

Thank you for the information.

I do hope co-ops get traction in Indiana, as they have in Illinois.  Finding ways for youth to play 11-man tackle football instead of 8-man tackle football should be the goal of the IHSAA and IFCA.   I have watched a number of high school 8-man tackle football games via youtube, and it is pretty much Arena Football played outside.  Blech.

 

 

I mean, it seems like the reasonable response from your end would simply be not to watch...

It seems that @hhpatriot04 has the best idea here: sanction both 8-man and co-ops and let the "marketplace of ideas" sort it out...

[Muda69]

22 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

  I understand anything new creates uneasy or in your case your next crusade to opin YOUR views on a situation that you have very little knowledge of clearly .   Thats ok.  

I understand that you don't like anybody other than tackle football coaching professionals with a sufficient amount of knowledge opining THEIR views on the GID.  That's ok, just stick to your navel-gazing IFCA cohorts and let others put forward alternate workable solutions in the face of declining enrollments and waning tackle football interests in primarily rural areas of our state.  

 

18 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

You've really come full circle over the years here:   From the boogey man of football too dangerous for our poor children to play a game meant for kids....

Oh, that view hasn't changed.  Tackle football is still a dangerous activity that should be played by adults, not children.  Statistics back this up. 

But I'm also a pragmatist who realizes most parents don't have an issue with putting their children in such a harm's way.  Are there peer-reviewed studies out their showing that 8-man tackle football is objectively safer than 11-man tackle football? 

[Muda69]

32 minutes ago, wabashalwaysfights said:

I mean, it seems like the reasonable response from your end would simply be not to watch...

Yes, after watching numerous 8-man games I no longer have the desire to do so. 

33 minutes ago, wabashalwaysfights said:

It seems that @hhpatriot04 has the best idea here: sanction both 8-man and co-ops and let the "marketplace of ideas" sort it out...

I'm generally ok with that.  

[Coach Nowlin]

10 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

I understand that you don't like anybody other than tackle football coaching professionals with a sufficient amount of knowledge opining THEIR views on the GID.  That's ok, just stick to your navel-gazing IFCA cohorts and let others put forward alternate workable solutions in the face of declining enrollments and waning tackle football interests in primarily rural areas of our state.  

 

Oh, that view hasn't changed.  Tackle football is still a dangerous activity that should be played by adults, not children.  Statistics back this up. 

But I'm also a pragmatist who realizes most parents don't have an issue with putting their children in such a harm's way.  Are there peer-reviewed studies out their showing that 8-man tackle football is objectively safer than 11-man tackle football? 

See I was in the meeting... where CO OP were talked about and discussed at length.....  I have been in same meetings where 8 man has been.   Sorry your opinion of CO OP failed so miserably at the level of IHSAA executive board, I believe the vote was 19-0 in favor or NO CO OP  from the IHSAA executive board.....  Your axe is with them it seems not me nor iFCA who has been successfully for now going on I believe the 4th year of 8 man in our state, could be 3rd year.   

 

[Coach Nowlin]

EDIT:    a few years ago:  as written the proposal was shot down:  19-0:   The latest CO-OP was  6 yes to 12 Nos'. 

 

Quote

 

In other news, a proposed item submitted by Union High School Principal Ryan Chiddister failed to receive enough support for passage by a 6-12 count. It would have been an addition to Rule 9 which outlined the conditions under which member schools can form cooperative agreements for team sports, enrollment limits, proximity requirements, and application processes.

Co-op sports teams have long been utilized in Illinois and several other states.

 

This was for full sports not specifically to football.