Big reunion on horizon: SM North footballers gear for Sept. 11, 12 celebration of program's 88 years |
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| Written by Mark Dewar | |||||
| Wednesday, 26 August 2009 00:00 | |||||
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That is the real beauty of tradition, really. It does not graduate – as so many practice field T-shirts are quick to remind us. It does not expire. And it sure does not hurt morale any, either. So never mind, the fact that as the Shawnee Mission North High School football team enters its fifth season under Coach Ryan Majors at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4 at Lawrence High wins are no longer seemingly falling from the sky inside this deeply rooted and storied program.
As Indians players on Thursday embarked on their first practice in shoulder pads this season out on the perfect green turf of Larry Taylor Field inside shiny SM North District Stadium, conditions were, well, perfect. So, too, was the mood of the 2009 Indians. Last season’s 3-6 record, their best to date on Majors’ watch, already seems like a long time ago but a fresh building block nonetheless. The late summer afternoon was unseasonably cool but seasonably sunlit beneath puffy, billowy, animal cracker-shaped clouds. They pushed through in eye-catching fashion above this beautifully refurbished stadium that took on this new look in the fall of 2006. The Indians played host to rival SM Northwest in the 2006 debut. And lost. So heck, yes, this year’s crop of Indians footballers are anxious to head to Lawrence on Sept. 4 and hit somebody else legally in Week 1, in the interest of getting things further righted around here. But at the same time, there is absolutely no squashing what Week 2 brings. That being, the long-awaited, Indian-anticipated SM North Football Alumni Reunion and Benefit, to be hosted by the newly formed SM North Alumni Foundation on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11 and 12. The big weekend, during which every last one of the hundreds of players all-time, as well as their coaches, have been invited to return to their alma mater for one most grand reunion. The Friday and Saturday events (please see bottom of this Web story for details) run in conjunction with the Indians’ home opener with Leavenworth at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11. “We’re expecting 200 former players,” said Jim Ballou, president of the SM North Football Alumni Foundation and a former football player at the school who graduated in 1973.But Ballou also knows that number could grow via some late additions to the roster, gridiron alumni who make the fourth-quarter decision to attend this most mammoth of undertakings. Included is the Sept. 12 evening banquet, which will be emceed by 1967 graduate and former Indians football player Roger Twibell. Twibell worked for ABC Sports for many years before his return to Kansas City, where he hosts his morning sports radio talk show on KCSP 610 AM. “The thought came up when I was having a luncheon with a former coach and players on Jan. 2 of this year,” Ballou said of how the ball got rolling, so to speak.
“We discussed it at that luncheon, and at that point they were all in agreement to pursue the option, and that’s where we are today. “We expanded it from the original thought, from 15 squads of Coach Taylor’s teams to all former (football) alumni when we decided to make this a banquet with the proceeds going back to the school.” Indeed, proceeds from the weekend will be divided between the SMN All Sports Booster Club and a brand new scholarship fund to honor SMN Hall of Fame Coach Larry Taylor. Alumni have the opportunity to purchase a brick and see their name become part of the “Legacy Patio Brick” display. Ah, Coach Taylor. And four coaches earlier, Coach Harold Reade. Each coach set a standard for the ages not only for this SM North gridiron program, but for high schools all across Kansas. As head football coach from the 1934 through 1954 seasons, Reade’s teams are believed to have racked up 110 victories and garnered five Northeast Kansas League championships, although complete records from Reade’s era have not been fully collated. Coach Taylor’s numbers are more quantifiable. As head coach between 1964 and 1978, his teams compiled a 110-31-4 overall mark. His Indians captured the first sanctioned Kansas State High School Activities Association state football championship in 1969, then the next two, as well as the 1974 crown, all at the Class 5A level. His undefeated 1965 and 1967 teams also were credited with state titles prior to the advent of a state playoff system. Taylor-led teams also won seven Sunflower League championships. So sometimes all Coach Majors needs to do these days is point. To the shiny trophy case just outside the gymnasium, where so many school football trophies are housed. Or just around the corner, where the SM North Hall of Fame plaques display the mind-popping numbers produced by the likes of coaches Reade and Taylor. “We’ve been talking to the kids about it all summer,” Majors said. “There has always been incentive to get better and do those (types of accomplishments). They (on Sept. 11) are going to be on a big stage. Because of the tradition and success we’ve had here, they’ve got an opportunity to showcase the improvement they have been making in front of guys who did a lot of good things here for many years. “This facility,” the coach added, “even though it’s not the same as it was, has seen some of the most historic games that have been played in the state of Kansas. “We’re hoping to get them to understand that they are carrying it on.” Certainly, Majors gets it. During the stadium’s reconstruction, he took his team out to what is now the area of its home sideline near the 50-yard line and deposited into the ground a “time capsule.” It contained jerseys, a helmet and paper items, not just from the glory days but all eras of SM North football. “We always talk about how we’re on sacred ground,” Majors said. “And that’s something this crew has been building on.” Indeed, a visit Thursday with the trio of Indians senior team captains more than hinted how the current version itches to keep last season’s move toward more victories coming. “There’s a great history,” one of them, senior middle linebacker and tight end Dallas Buck, said. “I think we need to get more history back here, stuff for people to look forward to when they come to North instead of just another losing season. We need to bring a legacy here at North.” These captains know they have been provided with every possible advantage to make it happen. “The stadium’s amazing, to be able to practice on it every day,” said another, wide receiver an free safety Luke Lohmeyer. “We’re just so blessed to have stuff like this. It’s crazy.” Their fellow captain, Arthur Rucker, would like the opportunity to quiz a past Indians performer on that player’s Indians football experience. “I would ask him what the atmosphere was like,” said Rucker, a safety, running back and wide receiver. “How it felt to be on top as a program and how it felt to win. Just how the team was and how the chemistry with the guys was. “Hopefully, someday we can be like that.” * * * * SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH GRIDIRON REUNION INFORMATION The Shawnee Mission North High School Football Alumni Reunion and Benefit is set for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11 and 12. The festivities begin with Friday's 10 a.m. golf tournament at Sycamore Ridge in Spring Hill. Following the golf tournament, a 5:30 p.m. pregame meal will be provided by the SM North All Sports Booster Club for a nominal cost. That night at 7, the Indians play their home football opener against Leavenworth. On Saturday, a banquet at the high school includes a 5:30 p.m. reception and silent auction. The banquet dinner follows at 7. For more information, contact SM North athletic director George Sallas at 993-6943.
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Roots so deep that, this autumn, SM North football celebrates its 88th year.
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