The Trojan Nation showed up to honor past, present and future Trojan football players. At least 116 Trojan fans and players came for First Friday at the Library on Aug. 1.
The great evening started with the Trojan Fight Song played out “On The Bricks” by the alumni band. It must be like riding a bicycle, because the band was from all generations and places walking up, setting down and putting out a big beautiful sound.
Then we all went inside to hear “The Voice of Trojan Nation,” Jay Minnis, reminisce about Stafford’s football history. Sources for the presentation put together by Linda Hiebert were Michael Hathaway, director of the Stafford County Museum, and the Stafford Courier and editors E.A. Briles, “Frankly Speaking” Frank Smiley, and David Green.
Frank, Clint Bullard, and Bruce Leavelle with his stat notebook were faithful information gatherers at each game. Volunteers like Carroll Fiscus, who announced decades of games before Jay, and ever faithful chain gangs that walked miles of service and stood in all kinds of weather and encouraged our players during games were honored. Former players through the decades were asked to stand and were honored. Lee Titus from the early ’50s was the oldest team player, up to some of the 2025 team with Coach Chambers and Middle School Coach Lowther.
Many stories were shared:
• 1907-1908 First year found of football in the Stafford Annuals
• 1909 team yearly point total - Stafford 223 - 0
• 1910 team yearly point total - Stafford 187-5
• 1911 first Stafford/St. John Thanksgiving rivalry game – Stafford won 15-0
• The Doodlebug train took people back and forth to games at St. John.
• The first football field was located where our baseball field stands today and there was a giant grandstand that was always full for Stafford football. John Powelson used his farm truck to load up football players at the high school on Broadway and take them to the field on North Main.
• 1936 was when the Trojan was chosen as school mascot and red and white were the school colors, with black being added in 1974.
• 1936 graduate Lou Brock was our most famous football player. Coached by our famous coach, Stub Mayo, Lou went on to play for Purdue and in 1940 was taken in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Lou played half-back and punter until 1947. He still holds the record for the longest punt, 99 yards. In 1982, Lou was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame. Lou’s daughter Mary Lou honored us with her presence.
• 1950 - A new field was built at the cost of $12,300 with a seating of 840. Five thousand people attended the dedication. On Oct. 4, 1991, the field was renamed Lou Brock Field.
• Oct. 23, 1937, the Trojans played a Chicago team in a showdown game. Stafford won 36-0.
• Even though Stafford was a town of only 2,000, in the early years of Stafford Football, we played and won against much bigger teams from Hutch, Great Bend, Pratt and Dodge City.
• A “Fog Ball” game at Lindsborg in the ’60s. Were you there? Who could tell? You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face!
• 1983 - Stafford went to 8-man football
• 1996 - 29-game losing streak, the longest in Kansas History at the time. Players who had never won a game throughout their entire high school career broke the streak, last game of the season at Pretty Prairie, 22-20. The entire crowd of football fans lined the track at the end of the game like we had “Won State”!
• 2022 playoffs & District Champions!
• Sept. 5, 2025 - 7 p.m. Kick-Off of 2025 Season. Be there or be square! (Sorry, flashback to the sixties.)
Upcoming Library Events
• Monday Mornings 10-11 a.m. Preschool Story Hour
• Every Wednesday except 2nd Wednesday - ESOL with Rachel Sandoval 6 p.m.
• Aug. 1 to Nov. 1 “Awesome Library Reads” New Book Challenge
• Aug. 5 11 a.m. - Last Summer Reading event, a movie with the Rec Center at the Ritz.
• Aug. 26 - Save the date for an afternoon workshop on preventing falls. More info as developed by Jennifer Gleason. This will be an introductory and informational afternoon to develop skills to prevent falls.
• Aug. 26 5:30 p.m. Recently Read Book Group - Come enjoy books!
• Next Board Meeting: Aug. 13.
Gerry Hildebrand is the head librarian for the Nora Larabee Memorial Library, 108 N. Union St. in Stafford. Phone 620-234-5762, email larabeelibrary@gmail.comor visit Facebook at Nora Larabee Memorial Library.