Strafford Quarterback Club is proud to celebrate the 50th season of SHS Football with an Alumni weekend event starting with a tailgate before the first home game against the Monett Cubs on Friday, September 6th.
* Former SHS Football players can register for the event by visiting the link found HERE!
All Strafford Football alumni players, coaches and their families are invited back to Strafford for a weekend to celebrate 50 years of Strafford Indian Football. A tailgate for all football alumni will begin at 5:00 pm before the game kickoff at 7:00 pm. The reunion weekend includes a tailgate, all alumni photo opportunity, 50th anniversary T-shirt sales, and alumni announcements during the varsity game on Friday night. The celebration will continue on Saturday where alumni will have an opportunity to take walking tours of the Strafford campus given by current football players and students and be announced during the home youth (3rd grade – 6th grade) Tackle Football games taking place at Strafford on Saturday, September 7th.
There are multiple members of the 1974 football team who plan to be in attendance, including the first Head Coach, Dick Moon and Assistant Coach Jerry Shelenhamer returning to Strafford for the first time in years. The first football team was comprised of approximately 30 players, mostly juniors and seniors, playing a 7 game inaugural varsity season winning 2 games against teams that had been playing football for years. The first team in 1974 played all games away as there was not a home football field. The home football field was built before the 1975 season and the original goal posts are the same posts standing on the field today.
As a small community the legacy of Strafford football is celebrated with many families that include multiple players throughout the entire 50 years. The 2024 team includes several players who have family that played Strafford football at some point. There is 1 current 2024 player who’s grandfather played on the 1974 team and still lives in Strafford and another current player who’s great uncle played on the 1974 team.
“It is our hope that we can fill the stands with alumni from all decades of Strafford football to show our community and our youth how far the program has come by introducing them to some of those who played on this very same field before them,” said Quarterback Club President Kim Edwards. “Events like this help instill pride in our school and our community.”
