VOLUME ONE’S GUIDE TO FOOTBALL SEASON WRITERS EMILY ALBRENT, TOM GIFFEY, THOM FOUNTAIN EDITORS THOM FOUNTAIN, TOM GIFFEY, TYLER GRIGGS DESIGNERS KAITLYN BRYAN, THOM FOUNTAIN
HOW TO BE A TAILGATE HERO Pregame parking lot parties are a must for experiencing the thrill of live football Not much is better than being in the stands for a football game. The crowd roaring and the players giving it their all combine to create a certain energy you don’t get many other places. Because of this it’s important to be in the correct spiritual mood before entering the stadium. That’s where tailgating comes in and, frankly, Wisconsin is darn good at it. But if you’re venturing out for your first big party, here are some quick tips to set you up the right way:
Be Early Alright, I know that getting up at the crack of dawn may not seem like the best way to start a day of partying, but that’s what it takes to truly knock your tailgate out of the park. Especially at bigger, tailgate heavy stadi-
ums like the Packers’ Lambeau Field and the Badgers’ Camp Randall Stadium, spots fill up fast. Not to mention, you want to have plenty of time for the fun stuff: Cooking, drinking and playing games before you go into the BIG game.
Be PREpared Luckily for most Lambeau tailgaters, there’s a K-Mart in walking distance to grab those last minute items that are still sitting on your kitchen counter, but for many others that’s simply not an option (and kind of wasteful either way). Some commonly forgotten items to (discount) double-check: Do you have the bag of charcoal? Is there actually charcoal in it? Do you have matches or a lighter (or two sticks to rub together if you’re that good)? Probably most importantly, do you have your tickets to get into the game after your parking lot party?
Be comfortable Football season spans the hottest part of summer to the coldest days of winter, which means you’ll be out in some pretty crazy elements waiting for games to kick off. Check the weather and bring the appropriate clothing and accessories. Gonna be 90 degrees out?
B r i n g your sunscreen, a hat, and extra water. Gonna be -10? Pack some extra clothes and plenty of hand warmers (and some hot cocoa).
Be courteous Part of the fun of tailgating is getting to know your fellow fans, talking shop about your favorite team and just generally having a great time. Thing is, that’s pretty tough to do when you’re a jerk. Be aware of your surroundings and who is tailgating near you. When you’re all done, pack up everything you brought or toss it in the trash or recycling. And then you’re more than welcome to enjoy the game.
KEN LUND VIA FLICKR
local lombardis Sure, Vince may always be No. 1 in Packer Country, but a number of legendary, Hall of Fame-level coaches have walked the sidelines in the Chippewa Valley. BY TOM GIFFEY
Vince Lombardi, coiner of quotable epigrams and leader of the Green Bay Packers during their glory years, will retain his seat at the head of the football coaching pantheon for as long as the game is played. But that doesn’t mean he’s the only Wisconsin coach who’s pushed his teams to greatness through hard work, command of the game, and an inspiring personality. Here’s a list of some of the most famous football coaches in Chippewa Valley history, all of them enshrined in the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
LINCOLN “LINK” WALKER grew up in Eau Claire and after service in World War II attended Eau Claire State Teachers College, where he was quarterback of the Blugolds conference championship team in 1948. Walker became head coach in 1968 and coached the Blugolds for 19 seasons, amassing a 104-85-3 record, making him the team’s longest-serving and winningest coach. His most successful stretch came in the early 1980s, when the team had a 21-3 conference record over three seasons and went undefeated in the league in 1981. When Link retired, then-Athletic Director Steve Kurth had this to say: “He has had the respect of coaches everywhere. He has had some great teams and some great athletes. Link always liked tough football and tough football players. He liked the competition best when we played against the best opponents.”
Lombardi is still a fixture at Lambeau Field
HOWARD L. “CHICK” KOLSTAD, also an Eau Claire native and World War II veteran, was a standout athlete at both Eau Claire High School and Eau Claire State VolumeOne.org 28 Sept. 12, 2013
Teachers College. After stints at several other schools, “Chick” took over the program at St. Patrick’s High School (now Regis High School) where he amassed a 61-20 record and one state championship between 1950 and 1960. He then became a college coach, leading the St. Norbert Green Knights to a 96-76-5 record over 19 seasons.
JOHN PHELPS, who played football for four years at UW-River Falls, coached the Eau Claire North Huskies for 26 seasons beginning in 1981. During his tenure the team won more than 100 games and earned seven playoff berths, the only such appearances in Husky history. Though retired, Phelps’ legacy continues: Many of his assistant coaches went on to head coaching jobs at the high school and college levels.
CHRIS O’CONNELL has a lot to do with Regis High School’s reputation as a regional football powerhouse. He coached the Ramblers to an impressive 129-69 record over 18 seasons and an astonishing 49-4 record in his last four years. After leading the Ramblers to four state championships – in 1992, 1993, 1999, and 2003 – he retired from coaching in 2007. CHUCK RAYKOVICH has been at the helm of the Chippewa Falls Senior High School football team since 1986. The next year, he led the Cardinals to their very first Big Rivers Conference championship and first-ever playoff berth. Over the years, he’s coached six more conference championship teams and the Cardinals have reached the playoffs 14 times.
LOOK OUT FOR THE BLAZIN’ BLUGOLD UW-EAU CLAIRE
Wait a second: The fastest man in college football plays for UW-Eau Claire? BY TOM GIFFEY view with Fox Sports Wisconsin. Considering his ranking, it’s not surprising Dennis has high hopes: “It’s the fastest man in the game. That’s a kind of weird to say you’re preparing shame, because he doesn’t suit up for for the NFL or the Olympics, but you some far-away BCS title contender. have to have a goal,” Dennis told Fox In fact, he plays right here in the Sports Wisconsin. “Otherwise, what Chippewa Valley. would you be Thurgood Dennis, a junior “It’s kind of weird to say you’re preparing for the NFL or the Olympics, motivated by? I just want to keep cornerback for but you have to have a goal,” playing both the UW-Eau – Thurgood Dennis, UWEC football player and track-and-field star sports as long as Claire Blugolds, I can and to the ranked No. 1 on al champ in both the 100-meter dash best of my ability. Wherever I end up a list of the speediest returning college football players. Back in June, and the 4x400-meter relay, and has with that, then I’ll be happy with it.” For the time being, where he’s Chris Huston, who writes about college recorded a career-best 10.3 seconds in football for CBSSports.com, compiled the 100 meters and 20.86 seconds over ended up is with the Blugolds – so rankings of football players who also 200 meters. On the football field last catch a game now before he dashes off season, he had 58 tackles and broke up to the pros. run track. Instead of human-errorCheck out the Blugolds at prone 40-yard dash numbers (the kind three passes. “He’s by far the fastest player I’ve Carson Park on Saturdays each that typically are used to measure football players’ speed), Huston relied ever coached,” UW-Eau Claire football fall. Find the full schedule on pg. 32. coach Todd Glaser said in an interon fully automated time measure-
Even if you’re a big fan of college football, you probably haven’t heard of
Thurgood Dennis
ments used in competitive track and field, which – because they’re automated – have an accuracy advantage over finger-on-the-stopwatch stats. By such measures, the Allouez, Wis.-native is pretty impressive: He’s a defending NCAA Division III nation-
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CHEESE ON THE MIND
What’s more iconic to Wisconsin football than the Cheesehead? BY EMILY ALBRENT
The one thing that we all have in common here in Wisconsin is pride. Whether that’s cheering on the Green Bay Packers or heading on over to Leinenkugel’s for a brewery tour, we Sconnies tend to stick together. That being said, we all know what Wisconsin is particularity known for, and that’s cheese. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society website, the term “Cheesehead” is used to describe people who reside in American’s Dairyland. Originally, the term was meant to be insulting. Many times it was used as a negative slur toward Wisconsinites during football games or other sporting events. However, one man saw this as an opportunity and changed everything. Not so long ago, the cheesehead hat was born in Milwaukee. Invented in 1987 by Ralph Bruno, the now famous hat was intended to be worn as a show of allegiance to Wisconsin. Bruno was determined to take something negative and turn it into a positive. Oddly enough, Bruno created the first cheesehead hat out of his mother’s sofa cushions and wore it to a Brewers game at County Stadium. People were so intrigued by his ensemble Bruno decided to commit to the business and start producing more hats. As a result of the hat’s success, Bruno is the president of Foamation Inc., a company that excels in making other cheese-inspired products ranging from foam cheese bowties to foam cheese belt buckles.
A PACKER FAN CAN DREAM... Four foam cheese items we wish you could accessorize with:
Cheese gloves Sure, they might keep you warm, but we imagine they’d make you pretty useless. Cheese Skateboard There’s no way it would hold up to the amount of gnar you planned on shredding. CHEESEFORMERS OPTIMUS CHEDDAR We clearly love this idea, but we’re not convinced that Michael Bay or Hasbro have quite the love for Wisconsin as we do.
GETTIN’ CHEESE-TASTIC Six foam cheese items you can actually accessorize with:
Necktie/bowtie It’s probably not the best choice for your formal work meetings, but there is nothing wrong with sporting this at your next Packer party. Earmuffs It’s get cold out here and honestly these muffs are so awesome we would find a way to wear them everywhere we went. Purse This one is clearly for the ladies, but we wouldn’t put it past a guy to try to pull this look off. C’mon, it’s a foam cheese purse, what is there not to love? Cheese dagger Um, is there a way to order fifty and does security allow these into pro games? Christmas Tree Star Topper No better way to show your Sconnie pride and holiday merriment! The original cheese bra Original? There’s more? We feel like one cheese bra is probably enough.
Cheese clay matthews wig Actually, wait a second. How isn’t this already a thing?
a piece of history THERE’S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE PACKERS. Sure, they’re the only publicly owned sports franchise and sure they’ve got one of the best quarterbacks in the game right now, but beyond that the Packers have a strong sense of history. Since the start of the team, fans and players alike have not only looked to the future, but have reflected and respected the franchise’s past. A particular bright moment in that past came around the first Super Bowls in the late 1960s. Luckily, the Chippewa Valley is getting a piece of that history on Sept. 18. The Heyde Center in Chippewa Falls will be hosting nine former NFL players from the glory days of the ’60s to sign autographs and meet fans. Players include NFL Hall-OfFamer Dave Robinson, Bob Skoronski, Tom Brown, Marv Fleming, Doug Hart, Ben Wilson, Bob Long, Bill “Red” Mack, and Zeke Bratkowski. The event begins at 5pm and signing will run from 6-8pm. Food and refreshments will be available. You can find more at CVCA.net. –Thom Fountain Dave Robinson VolumeOne.org 30 Sept. 12, 2013
THE OTHER SIDE
Taking a look from the perspective of a purple and gold fan ANSWERS FROM LUC ANTHONY Volume One columnist Luc Anthony is a Vikings fan. Yeah, one of those. But what better way to keep a friendly rivalry alive than to get a glimpse at the other face of the coin? We asked a true-life Vikings fan a couple of questions about the Packers, Minnesota, and loveable losers:
What do you admire most about the Packers? If a Viking fan admitted the truth, they would have a long list of aspects they admire about the Packers. Heck, I have always said that if I were being introduced to football, the Packers would be my choice for a favorite team based on what I regard highly in sports franchises. What do I admire the most? I have a tie: the team being owned by fans instead of a rich owner, and the team playing in a classic and relatively old stadium with benches for seats. I envy the Packers.
What made you ‘hate’ the Packers? The lack of respect from Packer fans for the Vikings while growing up in this state. It’s not intense, but nothing the team accomplishes seems worthy of praise. No, they haven’t won a Super Bowl – so everyone can skip reminding me of that AGAIN – but they have been one of the better NFL teams of the last half-century. They had tough, respectable teams by any objective measure for many years. Yet, most times I see and hear juvenile jabs – albeit not intensely, since we all have that “Upper Midwestern nice.” Packers fans can be like the snobbish older brother who succeeds at everything and keeps you in your place. (A remarkably similar situation: the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry pre-2004.) If not for the fantasy football boom, I bet Adrian Peterson wouldn’t get nearly the praise he receives in this area.
How do the Vikings weave themselves into the culture of Minnesota? Being named after a historical figure with the same heritage as many of Minnesota’s Norwegian-American residents sure helped. Playing blue collar football in the coldest, snowiest weather in the country (yes, the Twin Cities are colder in winter than the frozen tundra in Green Bay) endeared the Vikes to the wintry sensibilities of Minnesotans. Actually, being a choke-worthy dome team with off-field scandals in the last three decades has done a lot to wear away that connection; if not for the mega-popularity of the NFL, the Vikings might have the same cachet as the Timberwolves.
Be honest: What team has a better aesthetic? The Packers. Traditional striping patterns on the jerseys and pants, block numbers, a garish color scheme the team does not shy away from (green and what’s really canary yellow) – they’ve had almost the same design since JFK was President. They have a “look.” If the Vikings had stayed with their ’70s set, I’d favor them, but alas, they evolved ... and mostly, for the worse. Their new uniform set this year has corrected the hideous error of the past seven seasons, but the Pack still wins ... except for helmet logo. The “G” is iconic, but the swooping Viking horn is almost the best in the league.
What brings the community together more: The loveable loser mentality (Vikings in more recent years) or the championship mentality (Vikings in the ’90s)? People like a winner, and people like confidence, so the championship mentality always leads to a better community attitude and demeanor, if not some arrogance. Loveable losers really only work when a team has some overriding feature that seemingly makes championships less important than usual (i.e., Wrigley Field for the Cubs ... and, to some degree, Lambeau and the people-owned small market team image in the Packers’ case). However, even each team’s fan base reacts differently to winning and losing times: in down years for the Pack, the fans reflect on the several championship eras and, despite griping about the defense or Ted Thompson, only need to hear “Lombardi” and then grin. Down years for the Vikings lead to community apathy and the threat of TV blackouts from shaky ticket sales; in good years, Vikings fans expect something tragic or – at best – a disappointing ending to the season, which summarily comes to fruition. VolumeOne.org 31 Sept. 12, 2013
CATCH A GAME Local and regional prep, college and pro football schedules
NFL: NFC NORTH
Green Bay Packers Sep. 15, noon vs. Redskins // Sep.
22, noon at Bengals // Oct. 6, noon vs. Lions // Oct. 13, noon at Ravens // Oct. 20, 3:25pm vs. Browns // Oct. 27, 7:30pm at Vikings // Nov. 4, 7:40pm vs. Bears // Nov. 10, noon vs. Eagles // Nov. 17, 7:30pm at Giants // Nov. 24, noon vs. Vikings // Nov. 28, 11:30am at Lions // Dec. 8, 7:30pm vs. Falcons // Dec. 15, 3:25pm at Cowboys // Dec. 22, 3:25pm vs. Steelers // Dec. 29, noon at Bears.
Minnesota Vikings Sep. 15, noon at Bears // Sep. 22, noon vs. Browns // Sep. 29, noon vs. Steelers // Oct. 13, noon vs. Panthers // Oct. 21, 7:40pm at Giants // Oct. 27, 7:30pm vs. Packers // Nov. 3, noon at Cowboys // Nov. 7, 7:25pm vs. Redskins // Nov. 17, 3:25pm at Seahawks // Nov. 24, noon at Packers // Dec. 1, noon vs. Bears // Dec. 8, noon at Ravens // Dec. 15, noon vs. Eagles // Dec. 22, noon at Bengals // Dec. 29, noon vs. Lions. Chicago Bears Sep. 15, noon vs. Vikings // Sep. 22,
7:30pm at Steelers // Sep. 29, noon at Lions // Oct. 6, noon vs. Saints // Oct. 10, 7:25pm vs. Giants // Oct. 20, noon at Redskins // Nov. 4, 7:40pm at Packers // Nov. 10, noon vs. Lions // Nov. 17, noon vs. Ravens // Nov. 24, noon at Rams // Dec. 1, noon at Vikings // Dec. 9, 7:40pm vs. Cowboys // Dec. 15, noon at Browns // Dec. 22, noon at Eagles // Dec. 29, noon vs. Packers.
Detroit Lions Sep. 15, 3:05pm at Cardinals // Sep. 22,
noon at Redskins // Sep. 29, noon vs. Bears // Oct. 6, noon at Packers // Oct. 13, noon at Browns // Oct. 20, noon vs. Bengals // Oct. 27, noon vs. Cowboys // Nov. 10, noon at Bears // Nov. 17, noon at Steelers // Nov. 24, noon vs. Buccaneers // Nov. 28, 11:30am vs. Packers // Dec. 8, noon at Eagles // Dec. 16, 7:40pm vs. Ravens // Dec. 22, 3:05pm vs. Giants // Dec. 29, noon at Vikings.
NCAA: D1
Wisconsin Badgers Sep. 14, 9:30pm at Arizona State
// Sep. 21 (time TBA) vs. Purdue // Sep. 28, 7pm at Ohio State // Oct. 12, 2:30pm vs. Northwestern // Oct. 19, 7pm at Illinois // Nov. 2 (time TBA) at Iowa // Nov. 9 (time TBA) vs. BYU // Nov. 16 (time TBA) vs. Indiana // Nov. 23 (time TBA) at Minnesota // Nov. 30 (time TBA) vs. Penn State // Dec. 7 (time TBA) Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis.
Minnesota Golphers Sep. 14, 11am vs. Western Illinois // Sep. 21 (time TBA) vs. San Jose State // Sep. 28, 2:30pm vs. Iowa // Oct. 5, 2:30pm at Michigan // Oct. 19 (time TBA) at Northwestern // Oct. 26 (time TBA) vs. Nebraska // Nov. 2, 2:30pm at Indiana // Nov. 9 (time TBA) vs. Penn State // Nov. 23 (time TBA) vs. Wisconsin // Nov. 30 (time TBA) at Michigan State.
NEFL
Our Local Northern Elite Footbal League teams’ 2014 schedules are TBA. Their seasons tend to run
late April-late July. Refer to the following contact info for details.
Chippewa Valley Predators www.cvpredators.com. Eau Claire Crush www.eauclairecrush.com. Menomonie com.
Thunderhawks
www.thawksfootball.
LOCAL COLLEGES
UW-Eau Claire Sep. 14, 1pm at St. John’s (MN) //
Sep. 28, noon vs. Pacific Lutheran (WA) // Oct. 5, 3pm at UW-Platteville // Oct. 12, 1pm vs. UW-Stevens Point // Oct.18, 7pm at UW-Whitewater // Oct. 26, 1pm vs. UW-River Falls // Nov. 2, 1pm at UW-Stout // Nov. 9, 2pm vs. UW-Oshkosh // Nov. 16, 11:30am at UW-La Crosse.
UW-Stout Sep. 14, 1pm at Jamestown College (ND) // Sep. 21, 1pm at North Central College // Oct. 5, 2pm vs. UW-Oshkosh // Oct. 12, 2pm at UW-Whitewater // Oct. 19, 1pm vs. UW-La Crosse // Oct. 26, 2pm at UW-Platteville // Nov. 2, 1pm vs. UW-Eau Claire // Nov. 9, 1pm at UW-River Falls // Nov. 16, 1pm vs. UW-Stevens Point.
HIGH SCHOOL
Altoona High School Sep. 13, 7pm at Osseo-Fairchild
// Sep. 20, 7pm vs. NC-Marathon // Sep. 27, 7pm at Spencer/Columbus // Oct. 4, 7pm at Stanley-Boyd // Oct. 18, 7pm vs. Colby.
Augusta High School Sep. 13, 7pm vs. Independence
// Sep. 20, 7pm vs. Eleva-Strum // Sep. 27, 7pm at Lincoln // Oct. 4, 7pm vs. Whitehall // Oct. 11, 7pm at Melrose-Mindoro // Oct. 18, 7pm at Blair-Taylor.
Bloomer High School Sep. 13, 7pm at Chetek-Weyerhaeuser // Sep. 20, 7pm vs. Cumberland // Sep. 27, 7pm vs. Spooner // Oct. 4, 7pm at Ladysmith // Oct. 11, 7pm vs. Hayward // Oct. 18, 7pm at Northwestern.
Cadott High School (JV) Sep. 16, 6pm vs. Spencer/ Columbus Catholic // Sep. 23, 5:30pm at Colby // Sep. 30, 5pm vs. NC-Auburndale // Oct. 7, 5pm vs. Regis // Oct. 14, 5pm at Altoona. Chippewa Falls High School Sep. 13, 7pm vs. Hud-
son // Sep. 20, 7pm vs. Eau Claire Memorial // Sep. 27, 7pm at River Falls // Oct. 4, 7pm vs. Rice Lake // Oct. 11, 7pm at Eau Claire North // Oct. 18, 7pm vs. Superior.
Durand High School Sep. 13, 7pm vs. New Richmond // Sep. 20, 7pm vs. Baldwin-Woodville // Sep. 27, 7pm at Amery // Oct. 4, 7pm at Osceola // Oct. 11, 7pm vs. Prescott // Oct. 18, 7pm at Somerset.
Eau Claire Memorial High School Sep. 13, 7pm vs. Menomonie // Sep. 20, 7pm at Chippewa Falls // Sep. 27, 7pm at Hudson // Oct. 4, 7pm vs. River Falls // Oct. 17, 7pm vs. Eau Claire North.
Eau Claire North High School Sep. 20, 7pm vs. Hudson // Sep. 27, 7pm vs. Superior // Oct. 4, pm at
VolumeOne.org 32 Sept. 12, 2013
ANDREA PAULSETH
Eau Claire Regis High School Sep. 13, 7pm at Colby // Sep. 21, 1pm vs. Spencer/Columbus // Sep. 26, 7pm vs. Neillsville // Oct. 11, 7pm at Fall Creek // Oct. 18, 7pm vs. Stanley-Boyd.
Eleva-Strum High School Sep. 13, 7pm at Alma Center-Lincoln // Sep. 20, 7pm at Augusta // Sep. 27, 7pm vs. Blair-Taylor // Oct. 4, 7pm vs. Cochrane-Fountain City // Oct. 11, 7pm at Whitehall // Oct. 18, 7pm at Independence-Gilmanton.
Elk Mound High School Sep. 13, 7pm at Glenwood
City // Sep. 20, 7pm vs. Westby Area // Sep. 27, 7pm vs. Colfax // Oct. 4, 7pm at Mondovi // Oct. 11, 7pm vs. Boyceville // Oct. 18, 7pm at St. Croix Central.
Fall Creek High School Sep. 13, 7pm at NC-Park Falls // Sep. 20, 7pm vs. Stanley-Boyd // Sep. 27, 7pm at Osseo-Fairchild // Oct. 4, 7pm at Neillsville // Oct. 11, 7pm vs. Regis // Oct. 18, 7pm at Spencer/Columbus.
McDonell Central High School Sep. 13, 7pm at Wausau Newman // Sep. 20, 7pm at Abbotsford // Sep. 27, 7pm vs. Greenwood/Granton // Oct. 3, 7pm vs. Athens // Oct. 11, 7pm at Wisconsin Rapids Assumption // Oct. 18, 7pm at Thorp.
Menomonie High School Sep. 13, 7pm at Eau Claire Memorial // Sep. 20, 7pm vs. River Falls // Oct. 4, 7pm vs. Eau Claire North // Oct. 11, 7pm at Superior // Oct. 18, 7pm at Hudson. Mondovi High School Sep. 13, 7pm at St. Croix Central // Sep. 20, 7pm vs. Spring Valley // Sep. 27, 7pm at Glenwood Valley // Oct. 4, 6pm vs. Elk Mound // Oct. 11, 7pm at Colfax // Oct. 18, 7pm vs. Osseo-Fairchild.
Osseo-Fairchild High School Sep. 13, 7pm vs. Altoona // Sep. 20, 7pm at Neillsville // Sep. 27, 7pm vs. Fall Creek // Oct. 4, 7pm at Colby // Oct. 11, 7pm vs. Spencer/Columbus // Oct. 18, 7pm at Mondovi. Stanley-Boyd High School Sep. 13, 7pm at Neillsville
The Chippewa Valley Predators – part of the NEFL – hit the field in spring and summer every year.
// Sep. 20, 7pm at Fall Creek // Sep. 27, 7pm vs. Colby // Oct. 4, 7pm vs. Altoona // Oct. 11, 7pm at NC-Tomahawk // Oct. 18, 7pm at Regis.
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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Menomonie // Oct. 11, 7pm vs. Chippewa Falls // Oct. 17, 7pm at Eau Claire Memorial.