The Saga of the Southern New Milford Football Concern begins on September 23, 1995, when a group of Friends gathered at the Ancestral home of Chris Rooney, to take part in a contest of Axis and Allies, a board game pitting world powers against one another in a struggle for global supremacy. However, on this spectacular fall day, it proved impossible to keep the battle for domination confined to a game board, or for that matter, the basement of this raised ranch on the Southern End of a small town called New Milford, CT. The violence soon spilled out onto the lawn, and in an instant, the simulated turmoil of Axis and Allies had given way to the actual mayhem of pick-up football.
The events of that day gave birth to a weekly ritual, and soon, each and every Saturday, this group of High School friends would gather to partake in a weekly match. The lush, muddy, sloping lawn in front of the house of Rooney was replaced by the lush, muddy, vast expanse behind nearby Hill and Plain School. Although the location had changed, the football remained the same. Eerily reminiscent of NFL films from the 1940�s, the games featured outlandish plays and poor tackling. As fall turned to winter, regular contests continued through rain, mud, sleet, and snow.
The Theismann Trophy:
The poor drainage conditions behind Hill and Plain School combined with the Connecticut winters to freeze the playing surface solid during the winter months. Serious injuries were averted, due to the fact that during these months, the field was usually covered by snow. Although it proved extremely difficult to run in deep snow, the snow provided a layer of protection between the players and the hard ground.
As the ground thawed, the field was left temporarily underwater, moving the game in front of the school for one week. It was during this game, that the players discovered a discarded tire rim on the side of the road. Jeff Hoose was awarded the rim for his valuable play on that day. The tire rim was soon painted gold, and was awarded to a new MVP every week. That discarded piece of garbage eventually evolved into what is known today as the Theismann Trophy, named for the former NFL quarterback for no other reason than the fact that his last name rhymes with Heisman. Although the trophy has changed form on two occasions, and was missing for some time, it is once again presented to the MVP of every SNMFC Contest.
A Monday Night Party:
Although the vast majority of these football contests took place during the middle of the day, the weekly ritual went prime time in the fall of 1996. On November 4, 1996, Monday Night Football Came to Southern New Milford. Beneath the headlights of running cars parked above the playing field, the teams battled late into the night. The dimly lit field created several situations in which players were struck in the head by passes. The game�s highlight, however, was a single play where virtually every player touched the ball as lateral after lateral led to fumble after fumble. Six changes of possession later, the ball was run in for a touchdown.
In June of 1997, each of the regular players graduated from high school. The following fall, they began college, with much of the original roster leaving New Milford and parting ways. It had been a good run, but the dream was over�or was it? CONTINUED>