Football

NORTHVILLIANS,

In this week’s letter, I would like to pay a heartfelt tribute to all the gridiron teams, coaches, and all the student-athletes of Northville over the past 100 years or so. As I look back at Northville Football, some infamous family stories come to mind. My father shared many tales of his antics as an Athlete of the Year in Northville — he would have been 101 today. When I was young, I remember watching the green and white games at MSU where my brother Mike played linebacker with his teammate Bubba Smith.

Let’s look at Northville’s Fall Tradition … FOOTBALL … in our Historic town through the years:

1895 – Football was mentioned in the Northville Record even back in the late 1800s.  In one of the first gridiron contests publicized in our local paper, it stated that the Northville Team beat Lapham’s “Tigers.” Many of the last names of our early players are on our street signs today.

1916 – The entire football team, for the first time, was presented Northville sweaters funded by the local Athletic fund. These bold orange sweaters with the black “N” were given out at a pep rally in front of the old high school on Main Street.

1919 – The early Northville football league was called the “Four Square Football League,” although it included FIVE teams which were Northville, Farmington, Wayne, Plymouth and Dearborn. They played weekly games, with each team playing once at each location.

1921 – A big switch-up in the NHS athletic sweaters this year, with a bright orange “N” on a black sweater given to all High School football players.

1923 – Northville won the “Suburban League” championship. This League was an expanded one, and included teams from Northville, Plymouth, Wayne, Redford, Farmington and Dearborn.

1927 – The Northville Record commented on the most distinctive Orange & Black jerseys ever to be worn by the gridiron crew that year, which were solid orange with wild sleeves striped in black and white … and we thought wild uniforms were only for the NFL!

1962 – Northville’s famous Undefeated Season!  Detroit papers wrote quite a bit about this talented team, of whom many went on to play collegiately.  “One of the finest groups of athletes ever assembled from Northville” (according to The Detroit News) included Steve Juday, who went on to be MSU’s All-American quarterback.  The community involvement and excitement was amplified because both Northville and Novi students attended the same high school (Northville) until 1968.

1988 – The Northville Record and The Novi News decided to formally recognize this traditional gridiron clash between Novi & Northville by sponsoring the traveling “Baseline Jug” trophy for the winner of the annual Homecoming game.

2014 – Daryl Schumacher (Northville Football Coach) was immortalized in the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame with over 211 victories at that time.  It was noted that “Schumacher has had a huge impact on Northville athletics for more than 40 years and has been a great mentor to the student-athletes.” Additionally, Dr. Robert Mandell had previously been inducted into this distinguished organization for his decades of service to high school athletics. His son Mark Mandell continues the legacy, coaching at Northville High School today.

2020 – The Northville Mustangs will be making it to the Playoffs to compete for a title … Go Stangs!
The Mustangs today continue tackling new opportunities. A quote from the Record close to 100 years ago is still pertinent today “If we can teach them to tackle life with football enthusiasm and fair play… this athletic activity shall have served its noblest purpose.”

On another level, the Colts Football program (which I grew up in) was renowned throughout suburban Detroit, and the local Stallion organization now has multiple Championships at the Youth Level.  Go Colts! Go Stallions!

I congratulate all our student-athletes and all those that have participated in coaching these many years in the Northville Mustang Community.

Keep that ORANGE & BLACK Northville faith!
Stay #NORTHVILLESTRONG!

Brian Turnbull
Mayor – Northville
BTurnbull@ci.northville.mi.us / 248.505.6849

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