D.H.H.S. Football - Its Unique Origin Battle of Waterloo had probably already been won on the playing fields of Eaton. an compromise will just have to suffice. With the Raiders having crammed high school football into town 3-5 years ahead of the first year 59 Quarterback Club's plan, could it now be shoehoned into Daniel Hand itself? Yes!" said the men of the Madison H.S. Football Club and their Lou Drago and Joe Klimas coached 1969 Tigers. That is, however, another journey sans the Raiders way which having had served its purpose was now 75 4 38 24 32 27 45 2 707 6 It must be noted that the Tigers began with 48 sets of Raiders' gear, their films for publicity, and some discretely chosen aspects of their persona, as well as The ful and compeling Raiders story remains to be told, but the word on the street is that the notes for it exist. 1968 Madison H.S. Raiders I knew them well, but their little known story is back yr left as you enter the access ramp to I-95 North. Well that's how this 75 year old, mightily taxed by pretty much all but scholarly pursuit, brain recalls thing l ike to think that Iplayed a key, if only relatively modest overall part in matters, as well as stil striped up for Friday nights and serving time on the localy legendary Charie "Big in the fog, before the desired reach of the town's more People of sports like to say that the game develops Boss Man" Gebauer's enemy sideline chain gang. formal sports histories. I'm getting to be an old man now, and must start to turn lore into documentation. character, while others insist that it merely reveals it (those pesky cynics again.) Oh, and I shall forever possess a small fortune for having coached the most unusual football team. This is a Peanuts Column" with no adults-be they In either event, of course they were there. They were coaches, managers, or Parent's Committee members neither happy nor optimistic, but true to their seninallikely to put me in a Hall, but I don't care a bit, because included by name, and that as you will read is the way that it should be-the tale of a band of 35 largel October 21, 1968 at 3:45 p.m., the watershed moment while, I still get one of those grin-nducing bouts of neartly prototypical "children of the late sixties." word and beyond, there they all were on Monday 50 years "down foggy ruins of my' time," every once in a immitigable good memory when I recall how they surely were something! After a timely miracle gift of a game in New Jersey Who were the Raiders? If you are a member of the Madison football family or scheduling dam broke and they played to a completely my fau-neglected 35 stubborm young Fathers of Rejected twice, another attempt at 11-man H.S. from Lawrenceville Prep's Sr. Team coach, the They shall, forever be the historically and history-by just a casual fan, they were everything, and here is why. eevant 2-3-1 record. Madison Football who were there for you as for me at 3:45-and to whom my debt at least is here in now partially paid... To the 1968 Madison H.S. Raiders, Sirl football would be made in the late summer of 1968 Those precocious, high spirited H.S. boys who had started playing their primitive, illegal tackle games found Why Many of their reputations had preceded them to the earlier practices. It was evident that with Tigers off the table for political reasons, and with Cowboys much less Saints not being credible, something like Ralders it He had been involved in the earler failed attempts, but undeterred, promised them equipment, instructionanda would have to be schedule in return for a "let's just do it" no surrender pact. After this necessary explanation, the coach with a They practiced and practiced and practiced, but whenthe qualifying grin would add "they sure were somethin'!" hird straight scheduled game fell through in late October, the disappointment and lack of morale were palpable. They played for just one year, the germinal year of The coach had failed to deliver on the last part of his side Post Script: In another year or so, five of the of the deal. Add to that, harassment, being expelled from town fields or being relegated to only comers of fields if they were being used by the new Quarterback Club older members of the outfit, all volunteers including their coach and manager would have been at war in Vietnam. Some went to the trades. Three were seeking their fortunes in Alaska. A few took to the highways, the big city, or even college. The last one got a gig with the production company while at Woodstock. AND: In 1968 against strong resistance from many, sometimes unsuspected Quarters and heavy odds, they Taking all of this into account, the coach felt that it might all be over with. fomally pledged to "just do it" for us, including those As the story goes, on the following Monday, he had one vital football people whom we all know, and that most It was a different time and more than likely a different likely never would have ended up in town had timing more before leaving his pre-practice prep perch down at Nick's and confronting the reality of the situation. His more bunch, the 1968 Madison H.S. Raiders, Suh (chapeau cynical friends would say that it was to amp-up his courage removal implied). for his planned late anrival at pratice and the then-clear picture that would present itself been otherwise. Now 50 years later, it is the moment for a town with a far different attitude toward the game to finally balance the ledger and "just do it for them by making them, the 35 players, the first team entered into the Madison Although arguably they suffered not a single un And so he started up Rt. 79 on foot to "Raiders classical, post-modern jock mentality among them, neither can it be said that they were burgeoning classical Stadium -that little, now overgrown, state property to scoars-athletes-soldiers reminding one of how the Athletics Hall of Fame. PAID ADVERTISEMENT