Across the country are hundreds of high school football rivalries. Each might lay claim that it is special in many ways. In the heart of the great central valley of California is one such rivalry that is exceptional in its power over the people who have been part of it. Two high schools, Redwood and Mt. Whitney, began playing an annual football game against each other in 1955. The 50th game of this traditional rivalry was played in 2004 before 10,000 fans and a live television audience. The two schools, located only a few blocks from each other in Visalia, California, a city of 100,000 people, have maintained this intense rivalry for over 50 years like very few schools have ever done. The game is played before a packed stadium every year and the community claims it as the biggest event during the entire year. Part 1 explores the history of the Cowhide game, relating the early humble beginning when the original high school split into two schools. The evolution of the game over 50 years is explored. Using hundreds of questionnaires, newspaper accounts, and many interviews with those involved over the years, the real meaning of the Cowhide tradition is explored and the reasons are brought out as to why this rivalry has not only endured but has actually increased in strength over the years. Part 2 gives a detailed account of each of the 50 games, including the teams' records coming into the game, the results of any subsequent playoffs, and a complete roster of the teams for each year. The article of the local newspaper about the game is included in each chapter. At the end is an appendix of stats, a listing of head and assistant coaches, and other interesting items over the years. Finally there is an index of all the players who played in the game and what years they played.

Falling leaves, lettermens sweaters, and cheerleaders. Thats still high school football in many places. However, in many others, it has turned into a much, much bigger deal. Students and parents see the sport as a springboard to a scholarship or even a pro career. Specialization in coaching, increases in budgets, and more pressure to win have changed the game. New emphasis on player safety is also playing a big role. A veteran sports journalists looks around the landscape to examine the state of high school football . . . and what might be next for the game. Professional football is clearly the most popular and successful sports league in American history. Rather than focus on the star players or big games, this series takes a broader, deeper look at the sport off the field. The insider experience of the authors reveals the secrets that make the NFL No. 1. Just because you know who won the Super Bowl doesnt mean you know ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL. The National Football League is by far Americas most popular and successful sports league. Fans know who won the Super Bowl and who the top players are, but do they know how the league is run? How games get on TV? How the draft works? This series, written by longtime pro football journalists, takes an inside look behind the scenes of pro football, opening up new ways to enjoy the game (or even consider careers off the field). Bonus volumes on the state of high school and college football help readers get perspective on the roles of those levels of the sport on the NFL itself. For NFL fans, for sports fans, for business students, this series scores a touchdown! Each title in the ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL series includes color photos throughout, and back matter including an index and further reading lists for books

Lutcher High School Football is football that's an attitude - David Richard Lutcher High is always had a legacy of excellence on the gridiron, and since starting football in 1925, many have tried to verbalize that excellence. However, none have offered a better definition than David Richard, a former Lutcher High School star running back and head football coach of the 1983 state champion Bulldogs. The Bulldogs: A History of Lutcher High School Footbal examines how teenage boys for generations have come together through hard work, dedication, and sacrifice to form something greater than the individual sum of their parts - to create an ever-evolving definition of Lutcher Football.

"Football at St. James is a religion and people in St. James go to church every Friday night." That old saying typifies the passion the people of St. James, La., have for high school football. Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River among sugarcane fields and petrochemical plants of southeast Louisiana, St. James High School has a storied gridiron tradition. St. James High School football began in 1930 with fewer than 20 players. From that humble beginning, the Wildcats have gone on to capture countless district titles and four state championships. The Wildcats: A History of St. James High School Football recounts the exploits of players and coaches who helped make football Friday nights such a special event.

High school football is one of the identifying institutions of twentieth-century Texas. It is not unusual to see youthful football players placed on the same pedestal as the cowboy, oil man, or other icons of the Lone Star State. In fact, it is shaped in the image of its coaches who are, by and large, an enigma to most of us. We think of them as caricatures, men who are alternately revered and vilified (usually depending on how many games they have won recently), but they have always been members of a traditional, closed society, and we do not really know them in their complexities. Pigskin Pulpit opens the Texas high school coaching profession to historical scrutiny for the first time, examining this breed of men who shaped the game--and generations of players--in their own images. Tracing side-by-side the development of the game and the coaching profession from its beginnings to today, author Ty Cashion explains how this avocation wove itself so tightly into the fabric of Texas culture. Football fans and critics of the game alike will be drawn into this probing, analytical study that is sure to become a Texas classic.

This is the expanded fourth edition of the History of Siuslaw High School Football. (Color)