The Homecoming Football game is one of the most anticipated events of the fall at the New Trier. This year the game will be on Friday October 24, the Evanston Wildkits.
Homecoming traditions at New Trier have come and gone over the past 112 years, but some traditions have survived the century of Homecoming games. Athletic Coordinator Randy Oberembt said, “Over years the Homecoming game has changed, but it has remained such a positive event for the school and the community because students and alumni can come together and they can support the team.”
New Trier has had a football team since 1902. however the first official game wasn’t played until 1913 because football was banned by the school board. Back in the 1910s and throughout the 1920s the football team was called the Big Black Team. Their Homecoming game was against Evanston on November 15th and it was the last game of the season for the Black Team. In the New Trier News the game was heavily advertised and the school wanted maximum attendance for the game to help cheer on the team.They ended up tying the game 7-7. Which was one of the very first Homecoming games on record for New Trier.
After the 1920s and until the 1940s the mascot of New Trier was officially changed to the Terriers and the Green Wave. Through out the 1930-1940s the football team played Evanston each year in the Homecoming game and each year they lost. In the 1940s the school mascot was again changed to the Indians due to the Indian Hill neighborhood of Winnetka Through out the 1930-1940s the football team played Evanston each year in the Homecoming game and each year they lost.
In 1951, the a first official Homecoming was documented in the New Trier News and also new Homecoming traditions were born. In the past, Homecoming hadn’t been a regular occurrence, but no wit was here to stay. During the half time festivities the New Trier students made car floats for the clubs of New Trier. Also, the school pep band preformed and along with a pep rally before the game. The Green Wave played again Evanston in the Homecoming game. The crowd was packed with 10,000 fans, but they ended up losing 19-0 Evanston.
The tradition of car floats and pep rallies continued into the 1960s-1990s. Head Coach Brian Doll who graduated in 1995, a quarterback and defensive back said, “When I was in high school there was a huge pep rally and car floats. During the pep rally all the fall sports would present a skit. They could be funny or informational; the skits really helped increase school spirit and help the students get to know the different teams.”
During the 2000s the car floats tradition came to an end. The pep rallies continued, however, due to lack of interest in making them. The tradition of Homecoming festivities during the lunch periods began and they have stayed since. Also, a pep rally during advisory was created to pump up the students at the beginning of the day.
Today in 2014 Pep Club has made a lot of changes to the Homecoming game festivities. On Friday, during the school day, Pep Club has planned events during the lunch periods. There will be a DJ, free pizza, and bounce houses for students. After school at the pep rally will start at 6:00 in the Northfield parking lot.
Pep Club will be there handing out t-shirts and rally towels. Pep Club President Erin Guder said, “We have made some new changes this year including the pep rally where they will be food, speeches, and activities before the game and the free t-shirt and rally towel to draw more people to the game.” Coach Doll will be there as well and speaking to help pump up the crowd. Doll explained, “Pep Club is very involved this year and they are making the tailgate feel more like a college game day. There will lots of activities and the Dance Team and the Cheerleaders will perform.” The game will start at 7:30 and continue the long standing rivalry between New Trier and Evanston. The rivalry is one of the longest rivalries in the history of the state and has gone back for over 100 years. Homecoming traditions have changed over the past century at New Trier, but the tradition of coming together and the pride that New Trier students and alumni feel hasn’t changed. Guder said, “Lots of different people will be there because it is the Homecoming game and because it’s the game against Evanston. This game will really unify the student body because of how many people are going and there will be such a presence of school spirit and pride between all the students and alumni.”