Stories about Big Red

• bases_loaded

  

  Shutup about University of Mooney. You do the same crap at Steubenville.
• FairwoodKing

  Two years ago at a Boosters Club meeting, someone asked Reno if he would play Mooney. He said he doesn't mind playing Mooney, he doesn't mind playing Ursuline, and he doesn't mind playing Massillon. He just doesn't want to play all three in the same season.
• ManO'War

  

  Mortgagestar1;1076072 wrote:O I C . We see Mooney has several dates open as well as some REAL powerhouse teams. Like to see more competitive games in the regular season. Haven't seen a killer schedule since the 1970's. That was prior to the numbers games of getting into the playoffs. Mooney lost three games in the regular season but played a tougher schedule year after year. The playoff caliber teams who play the tougher schedules are more battle ready than the ones " backing ' into the playoffs. Its like a prize fighter who fights stiffs and finally fights another fighter who fought tougher guys. In the pre 1980's, schools had to schedule up to get more recognition and before the expanded playoff system kicked in. I prefer to see the top 16 in each division rather than the top 32, this would FORCE teams to schedule tougher opponents making each week mean something more. On the other flip of the coin, the more teams in the more kids get to experience the playoffs.

  That schedule stuff is a bunch of BS. Big Red has defeated many teams who supposedly played a tougher schedule. Big Red was a few seconds away from beating Mooney last year, so schedules had nothing to do with it. Did their schedule make them tougher when their players were being carried off the field the whole game?? Maybe the back judge thought their schedule should should reward them with a few calls, because that was the difference in them winning and losing.
• Thinthickbigred

  ^^^^^
• Thinthickbigred

  FairwoodKing;1076579 wrote:Two years ago at a Boosters Club meeting, someone asked Reno if he would play Mooney. He said he doesn't mind playing Mooney, he doesn't mind playing Ursuline, and he doesn't mind playing Massillon. He just doesn't want to play all three in the same season.

  Herer iS THOUGHT maybe "the Mooney " can play Canton ,Massillon and Big Red all in the same season . I promise they wont win out
• FairwoodKing

  On a different subject, does anyone know if Big Red still has an orchestra? In my day, the orchestra was fabulous. Big Red grads ended up in nearly every major orchestra in the world. I hope it's still that way.
• Thinthickbigred

  FairwoodKing;1081643 wrote:On a different subject, does anyone know if Big Red still has an orchestra? In my day, the orchestra was fabulous. Big Red grads ended up in nearly every major orchestra in the world. I hope it's still that way.

  I think we still do but not sure .
• Red Lady

  Fairwood: Yes, we still have a wonderful orchestra at Big Red and Harding Middle School has one as well.
• Red Lady

  Speaking of Harding Middle School: how about when we had the two Jr. Highs - Grant and Harding. I was a Grant Tiger - orange & black (and we were commonly referred to as "down towners"). We called the Harding "up on the hill" kids "cookie pushers" (lol). Harding's colors were blue & gold and I intensely disliked that school just for those colors alone being the same as Central's. Grant ruled Harding in sports! When we went on to Big Red as 9th graders, it always took a while for the two groups to mesh. I loved when the new Harding Middle School was built becoming the Red & Black Stallions.
• Thinthickbigred

  ^^^^^^^ Yep When I was a kid we "Harding beat Grant" We also had St Anthony's ,ST Peters,as catholic schools . Grant and St Anthony's practiced up on PH Murphy field . Roosevelt and McKinley has now closed down . and Lincoln for the public schools sad to see the Grant building come down It was fun growing up in Steubenville
• FairwoodKing

  Red Lady;1082544 wrote:Fairwood: Yes, we still have a wonderful orchestra at Big Red and Harding Middle School has one as well.

  My junior year was something special. Our concertmaster ended up becoming concertmaster with the Indianapolis Symphony. Our assistant concertmaster later played in the Boston Symphony and the big orchestra in Amsterdam. I played clarinet and went on to get a degree in music. It was a wonderful experience.
• FairwoodKing

  Getting back to football, I remember my sophomore year when we played in Weirton. Like every other time we played there, a big fight broke out. My father pulled the Big Red Band director aside and gave him a direct order to get us on the buses and get us the hell out of there. I don't think Violi liked being bossed around by my father, but he did do as my father ordered. As we were leaving the stadium, Weir students threw rocks at us. None of us got hurt, but there was a lot of damage to the buses. A few years later Big Red refused to go there and we didn't play Weir again for around 17 years.
• Thinthickbigred

  FairwoodKing;1083486 wrote:Getting back to football, I remember my sophomore year when we played in Weirton. Like every other time we played there, a big fight broke out. My father pulled the Big Red Band director aside and gave him a direct order to get us on the buses and get us the hell out of there. I don't think Violi liked being bossed around by my father, but he did do as my father ordered. As we were leaving the stadium, Weir students threw rocks at us. None of us got hurt, but there was a lot of damage to the buses. A few years later Big Red refused to go there and we didn't play Weir again for around 17 years.

  what year was that ?
• FairwoodKing

  Thinthickbigred;1084430 wrote:what year was that ?

  1963. We stopped playing them in 1970.
• FairwoodKing

  A lot of my stories involve my father. He, John Carlton, was truly Big Red's biggest fan. He saw nearly every Big Red game from 1924 to 2005. After he moved out to my place in Seattle in 2006, he started listening to the games on the internet. Throughout all those years, he knew all the coaches and all the players. IN 1926 (at the age of 13) he began collecting football programs. He continued this all his life. Starting in the 1930's, he cut the articles about the games out of the Herald Star and put them in the programs. After my mother passed away in 1994, I convinced him to put his affairs in order by donating his huge collection to the school. The Big Red Boosters rewarded him by naming him Booster of the Year in 1999. Reno rewarded him by giving him a really nice Big Red jacket. Now that Dad is gone, I have inherited the jacket. I wear it every day and I always think of him.
  
  He was a great father, a devoted husband, and a wonderful friend. I really miss him.
• Thinthickbigred

  FairwoodKing;1085370 wrote:A lot of my stories involve my father. He, John Carlton, was truly Big Red's biggest fan. He saw nearly every Big Red game from 1924 to 2005. After he moved out to my place in Seattle in 2006, he started listening to the games on the internet. Throughout all those years, he knew all the coaches and all the players. IN 1926 (at the age of 13) he began collecting football programs. He continued this all his life. Starting in the 1930's, he cut the articles about the games out of the Herald Star and put them in the programs. After my mother passed away in 1994, I convinced him to put his affairs in order by donating his huge collection to the school. The Big Red Boosters rewarded him by naming him Booster of the Year in 1999. Reno rewarded him by giving him a really nice Big Red jacket. Now that Dad is gone, I have inherited the jacket. I wear it every day and I always think of him.
  
  He was a great father, a devoted husband, and a wonderful friend. I really miss him.

  I bet we could sit and listen to good stories for hours . Very interesting stuff . He was there during the golden age of football and he even got to see North End field . Its kinds too bad you dont have any of those programs because you could share with us some interesting things no doubt
• FairwoodKing

  Thinthickbigred;1086712 wrote:I bet we could sit and listen to good stories for hours . Very interesting stuff . He was there during the golden age of football and he even got to see North End field . Its kinds too bad you dont have any of those programs because you could share with us some interesting things no doubt

  The only program we didn't donate to the school was from November 11, 1939. In honor of Veterans' Day, the game was played on Saturday afternoon. Our opponent was Martins Ferry. At some point during the game, a chubby sophomore kicked a field goal. It was his first competitive field goal ever. Yes, the sophomore's name was Lou Groza. After he kicked the field goal, he kicked off to us, going east to west. He kicked the ball so hard it sailed over the end zone seats and landed somewhere around where the practice field is now. I should also point out that Ferry made a touchdown and Groza missed the extra point. MF beat us 9-0.
  
  The reason I didn't give the program to the school was because I wanted to give it to Groza himself. I carried it in my briefcase for years. It was not to be. He died without my giving it to him. I was thinking of giving it to MF HS. But I received a nice offer to sell it and I did. Yes, I should have donated it to one of the two schools, but I got greedy. At any rate, it now resides in someone's collection of Cleveland Browns memorabilia.
• Thinthickbigred

  FairwoodKing;1087030 wrote:The only program we didn't donate to the school was from November 11, 1939. In honor of Veterans' Day, the game was played on Saturday afternoon. Our opponent was Martins Ferry. At some point during the game, a chubby sophomore kicked a field goal. It was his first competitive field goal ever. Yes, the sophomore's name was Lou Groza. After he kicked the field goal, he kicked off to us, going east to west. He kicked the ball so hard it sailed over the end zone seats and landed somewhere around where the practice field is now. I should also point out that Ferry made a touchdown and Groza missed the extra point. MF beat us 9-0.
  
  The reason I didn't give the program to the school was because I wanted to give it to Groza himself. I carried it in my briefcase for years. It was not to be. He died without my giving it to him. I was thinking of giving it to MF HS. But I received a nice offer to sell it and I did. Yes, I should have donated it to one of the two schools, but I got greedy. At any rate, it now resides in someone's collection of Cleveland Browns memorabilia.

  You know my next question.
• FairwoodKing

  Thinthickbigred;1087062 wrote:You know my next question.

  Why was I greedy and didn't donate it to the school? I was broke and needed the money.
• Thinthickbigred

  FairwoodKing;1087214 wrote:Why was I greedy and didn't donate it to the school? I was broke and needed the money.

  I was going to say how much? Its your property I dont care what you did with it
• FairwoodKing

  Thinthickbigred;1089330 wrote:I was going to say how much? Its your property I dont care what you did with it

  $200. But you're wrong. It was not my property, it was my father's property and I should have done with it as he wished. I really should have donated it to Martins Ferry. They would have treasured it.
• Thinthickbigred

  FairwoodKing;1089351 wrote:$200. But you're wrong. It was not my property, it was my father's property and I should have done with it as he wished. I really should have donated it to Martins Ferry. They would have treasured it.

  By the time you sold it it was yours . But hey you needed some cash . Look at it this way it didnt go into a garbage bin . It went to someone who enjoys it . Heck if you tried you might even be able to buy it back now . might take some doing but it is plausable.
• FairwoodKing

  Thinthickbigred;1089408 wrote:By the time you sold it it was yours . But hey you needed some cash . Look at it this way it didnt go into a garbage bin . It went to someone who enjoys it . Heck if you tried you might even be able to buy it back now . might take some doing but it is plausable.

  I didn't retain the guy's name who bought it. All I remember is that he lives in Akron. No, I'll never see that program again.
  
  Actually, I acquired my own small collection of old Big Red programs that I bought on eBay. I ultimately donated them to an auction to raise money for a Big Red Band member who was struck by lightning. My father donated some cash and I donated two crates full of Steubenville and Big Red memorabilia. The auction raised about $1000 from us.
• finster4307

  ManO'War;1077035 wrote:That schedule stuff is a bunch of BS. Big Red has defeated many teams who supposedly played a tougher schedule. Big Red was a few seconds away from beating Mooney last year, so schedules had nothing to do with it. Did their schedule make them tougher when their players were being carried off the field the whole game?? Maybe the back judge thought their schedule should should reward them with a few calls, because that was the difference in them winning and losing.

  
  ^This!!!!!
• FairwoodKing

  Thinthickbigred;1086712 wrote:I bet we could sit and listen to good stories for hours . Very interesting stuff . He was there during the golden age of football and he even got to see North End field . Its kinds too bad you dont have any of those programs because you could share with us some interesting things no doubt

  My father attended many games at North End Field. He often talked about it. According to him, there was not one blade of grass anywhere. It was all dirt and cinders. The field was as hard as concrete. The players weren't padded the way they are now, so falling on that field was quite a jolt. Also, there was a rule that players had to wear helmets (just as today). The only difference is that immediately after the first play, the players removed their helmets and played the rest of the games with bare heads. I'm surprised they didn't all get concussions.
  
  As far as the old programs are concerned, the school has them. When I return home this fall, I'm going to ask to see them. When Dad was still alive, he would pull out the programs once a year and go through them. Sometimes he would ask me to type up scores or whatever for him. I think I enjoyed going through those programs as much as he did.