FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[wheels81]

I remember the days of the old Wheaton pressbox - wind creeping through the cracks in the wall and more flies around than at a stable.  Then there was the setting sun causing some havoc with the 25 second clock...

Replays on the scoreboard?  Fieldturf?  Winning the CCIW?

My how times have changed.  I'm starting to feel as old as Prikkel.

I remember when they used the C & N line trains as clocks.  Kick off was the 1:01 out of College station to Chicago and Half-time was 2:14 from Chicago to College.   That was a much improved method than the old sundial.
That's when Football was a grittier, dirtier, sport.  Now no dirt, no flies, just have to do something about the Sun,  oh that's right night games.  Dome next?

[Dennis_Prikkel]

Just a note on the new Wheaton scoreboard.  They are attempting to rush it up by this weekend, and from where I am sitting now I can hear them blasting music and checking the PA system on it.  But the propability of them having replay capability by this weekend is very slim.  That will most likely be ready by the Augie game, there is a huge learning curve on this new toy.

If it is not ready by this weekend, they will have to use the old scoreboard (which has kind of already disconnected) but they will not have play clocks so those would be on the field.  Of course Millikin would have to agree to this.

And they'll reincarnate ol' Doc Ballinger to run the clock - or is it still Dave Holwerder?

Ballinger was a legend on the clock at Wheaton - both in basketball and football.

In 1971 North Park rallied for 10 points in the closing minute and half to take a one point lead on a 37 yard field goal with four seconds left.  With Ballinger on the clock - the Crusaders returned the kickoff ten yards, ran two pass plays for twenty yards and still had one second on the clock to attempt a 48 yard field goal - which they missed.

[Comet 14]

24 hours from now I will be in Elmhurst, hoisting a cold one in anticipation of a great game against Carthage. I CAN'T WAIT!

[Mugsy]

I remember the days of the old Wheaton pressbox - wind creeping through the cracks in the wall and more flies around than at a stable.  Then there was the setting sun causing some havoc with the 25 second clock...

Replays on the scoreboard?  Fieldturf?  Winning the CCIW?

My how times have changed.  I'm starting to feel as old as Prikkel.

I hear ya on that one.  I remember the howling wind in the pressbox as a 14 year old helping my dad do the stats for the Wheaton games.  I never felt real comfortable walking into that rickety edifice passing as a pressbox.

[79jaybird]

The CNW (Chicago & Northwestern Line) at one time (1980's) had a freight train every 2-5 minutes,  so indeed the freight trains could have been used!  That's the same line that runs through CUC, ELMHURST, WHEATON, AND AUGUSTANA in Rock Island (yes, I am a train nerd)

Looking forward to tomorrow's matchup at Langhorst and from what I have heard, there is going to be a super crowd for both schools. 

[matblake]

I remember the days of the old Wheaton pressbox - wind creeping through the cracks in the wall and more flies around than at a stable.  Then there was the setting sun causing some havoc with the 25 second clock...

Replays on the scoreboard?  Fieldturf?  Winning the CCIW?

My how times have changed.  I'm starting to feel as old as Prikkel.

I hear ya on that one.  I remember the howling wind in the pressbox as a 14 year old helping my dad do the stats for the Wheaton games.  I never felt real comfortable walking into that rickety edifice passing as a pressbox.

If you were sitting right in front of the press box you could hear both the offensive and defensive coaches clear as a bell.  My dad and I would sit up there when we went to games (usually just homecoming).

[Gregory Sager]

The CNW (Chicago & Northwestern Line) at one time (1980's) had a freight train every 2-5 minutes,  so indeed the freight trains could have been used!  That's the same line that runs through CUC, ELMHURST, WHEATON, AND AUGUSTANA in Rock Island (yes, I am a train nerd)

Looking forward to tomorrow's matchup at Langhorst and from what I have heard, there is going to be a super crowd for both schools. 

The Union Pacific line doesn't run through the CUC campus, Mr. Train Nerd. It runs south of Lake Street, a full three-quarters of a mile south of the campus's southern edge (Augusta Street).

I had to hustle to make the journey from Dominican, whose campus is five blocks west of CUC's, to the River Forest Metra station last winter after catching the Aurora @ Dominican basketball game one afternoon (I was on my way to Elmhurst for the NPU @ EC game that evening). It's a longer trip than it looks on the map, especially when you're on foot in the dead of winter.

[matblake]

It's a longer trip than it looks on the map, especially when you're on foot in the dead of winter.

Probably uphill both ways too!   

[Gregory Sager]

It's a longer trip than it looks on the map, especially when you're on foot in the dead of winter.

Probably uphill both ways too!   

... and I had to carry my little brother on my back while wearing my grandfather's worn-out hand-me-down shoes.

Now get off of my lawn, young whippersnapper!

[Mugsy]

If you were sitting right in front of the press box you could hear both the offensive and defensive coaches clear as a bell.  My dad and I would sit up there when we went to games (usually just homecoming).

You didn't have to be right in front of the coaches. 

I've told this story before... one of the years I was coaching at Wheaton, we were playing North Park.  One of the NP offensive coaches was talking sooooo loud, everyone in the pressbox could hear what he was saying... including the Wheaton coaches.

Anyway... he was ranting about what play to run next.  He yelled... "run the screen, run the screen... they're blitzing so much it is sure to go for a TD." 

Let me tell you this was a huge battle for my conscience on how to handle it.  Do I ignore it and play it straight or do I use this coaches ineptness against him?  So for this play I relayed down to Coach Swider... "they are running the screen."  After a 6-7 yard loss, where all down linemen ignored the fact they were being let in for a screen, all LB's made a mad dash outside the hash marks, and it seemed the entire defense was in on the play, Swider asked "how'd you know?"  When I told him he just laughed...

Needless to say after the play, I asked someone to walk over to the NP coaches and inform them that they really should keep it down a bit.

[79jaybird]

Greg gets me again, I meant the line runs through the town of  River Forest , not literally bissecting the campus in half  

I can recall being up in Carthage's old pressbox on a very windy day and being very worried because that entire box was shaking like the tunnell leading from a gate to the airplane when boarding.

My favorite odd pressbox moment though was broadcasting high atop the makeshift Benedictine pressbox after their fire, 90 + degrees and broadcasting from a converted boxcar.  Ah great memories.

Tailgater, I will be on campus around 9:30-10:00 am setting up shop.  I will look for you.  I also have an extra navy blue shirt if you need something to wear.  

[Dennis_Prikkel]

Augustana - stone floor was always cold, field was always muddy - plus North Park always got its butt kicked.

Carroll - no pressbox when they played at Waukesha South HS - then they had the best in the CCIW when they opened their campus field in 1976.

Carthage - on a windy/rainy day it was impossible to keep stats (but at least you could stand)

Elmhurst - what pressbox - they had a makeshift table on the roof of the pool in one endzone or you walked the sidelines

Illinois Wesleyan - so narrow you had to walk through sideways, plus Titans were always insufferable when they were behind - which wasn't much against North Park.

Millikin - don't stand up or a rusty nail will get you - the only all sitting pressbox.

North Central - nothing until 1975 - so you walked the sideline - the first time they used it in 1975 there was no pressbox just a concrete slab on top of cinderblock box - it was a night game and the lights weren't focused real well.  I remember North Central had a 99-yard scoring drive in the final minute to win the game, compliments of three 15-yard personal fouls on the Millikin Big Blue, all called by umpire Kevin Donlan.

North Park - pipe and canvas until 1978 - the day before one game it bent in half in a wind storm

Wheaton - I'm out of breath just thinking about the climb up the stairs - so far away from the field the players were blurs.  So many visitors it was like a social club.

MW

[football2007]

How big are the visitor stands at Elmhurst, can't remember how many people it holds?
thanks for the info

[usee]

I was out west for a meeting today and drove by McCully field and saw the new scoreboard. WOW. I cannot imagine a bigger or nicer scoreboard in all of D3. this is like something at a large D1 school. it is huge. from the field you can barely see the Billy Graham Center behind it. I can't wait to see it up and running. the replay screen is probably 12-14 feet by 22-25 feet. Yes that's just the replay screen.

pretty nice facility the Thunder have put up.

[burly]

Just a note on the new Wheaton scoreboard.  They are attempting to rush it up by this weekend, and from where I am sitting now I can hear them blasting music and checking the PA system on it.  But the propability of them having replay capability by this weekend is very slim.  That will most likely be ready by the Augie game, there is a huge learning curve on this new toy.

If it is not ready by this weekend, they will have to use the old scoreboard (which has kind of already disconnected) but they will not have play clocks so those would be on the field.  Of course Millikin would have to agree to this.

AC/DC Thunderstruck?