Reviewing the 1956 football season at MMHS

About three and a half years ago I posted this slide show and story by Lynne about the 1956 losing football season. It's kind of nostalgic, so maybe you'd enjoy reading it again.

If you think we looked young in 1957 . . .

Take a look at 1954! A big shout out for Lynne and Nancy scouring the Index archives. Click to enlarge and read the names. But I'll bet you'd know Bob C. and Phil E. anywhere! And isn't #34 our president?




According to the 1955 Mounder, football practice began August 30, 1954. The Freshman-Sophomore squad had a 4-1-1-record, displaying great promise for the future varsity. That was a pretty good prediction, because in the fall of 1955, the Mounders were undefeated with a few blood baths, 32-0 over Lanark, and 52-0 over Milledgeville.

1955 Champions

Courtesy of Pat B. who has donated some goodies from her high school scrap book.

The 1956 Mounder reports "Top-notch playing earns Mounders perfect season." This year the Mounders rolled to their first undefeated season. . . the games beginning with the West Rockford JVs 6-0, then Rockton 12-6, on to conference play at Lanark for an easy 32-0 victory, and Homecoming the next week beating Mt. Carroll 18-12 in the rain. Then the Mounders trounced Milledgeville 52-0, even with 3 touchdowns called back for penalties. At Oregon our guys won 19-0, and in the final game with Polo, the score was 28-7.

Class of 57 members of this team were Dave B., Phil E., Marv M., Dwayne Z., Dick Z., and Dave S. Nelson P. was team manager.

A Losing Season

[Note from Norma. This is my first attempt at a slide show--needs a little work, and I'm not real techie. I think if you click on "view all images" you can see the whole photo instead of having a head chopped off. And I'm missing a few photos. I'm working on it!]

Contributed by Lynne

The fall of 1956 in our town was typical of most small midwestern villages of the time. Trees had turned, air was chilled, school had started. We went off to our senior year expectations high. After all, our Mounders had won 'em all in '55.

However, as the record shows, '56 was a different kind of football season. We learned how to lose and I learned to love football. Football became a life long love affair. (I admit here to not fully understanding the game until the early '70's when a dear man explained it in detail--many times!) If memory serves, the worst game was against Polo in the pouring rain--40 to zip. I stood in the rain ruining a new jacket and a pair of saddle shoes, a near tragedy to a 17 year old girl.

As a older lady dedicated to physical fitness, I walk behind our old high school. The track is still there and in quite good repair. Spring, Summer and Fall will find me there and in the fall my five mile walk takes me back fifty years. All it really takes to trigger this flood of memories is a whiff of wood smoke and "my eyes have a mist of the smoke from a distant fire."

The bleachers are gone, the lights, the goal posts and the announcers booth. But, if you listen you can hear the band squeaking and squawking their way across the football field to form the "M" formation or hear Chuck Wean calling the game, the sound of a ref whistle, hearing the student body, parents and villagers as Sara Y. and Nancy G. extol us with "Rickety, Rackety Shanty Town. Who can hold those Mounders down? NOBODY!

"Though much is taken, much abides." Maybe it wasn't about winning after all.