Gil Thorp by Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill for September 17, 2012

Can’t remember if my high school’s one bonfire was the home opener or for homecoming. Who remembers about their school?

Thursday night bonfire, homecoming week.

Homecoming week here, too, on Friday night. Our games were on Saturday afternoons back then. Most schools around here have switched to Friday night games, though.

The big difference between our bonfires and Milford’s is that we looked like students at a bonfire, not disciples of the devil at some sort of fiendish ritual.

Do people from England and Ireland really call us “Yanks” all the time…I’m a bit dubious!

@Tom H – they really do – still! You’d think that would have ended right after WW2.

In Milford, golf season is months, but they only have a week of preseason football practice

There are some here who don’t care for the nitpicking over artistic details (and I don’t usually partake in such), but sometimes these guys just make it too easy … I mean, did Terry punt that ball?

Thanks Lureman. Unlike P2, no couchs were burned after that game. I was there and will travel to BG Saturday for the S. Miss game.

The frenzied Milford faithful follow the exhortation in P2 and march to Oakwood and burn the school to the ground. Moon asks Gil: “Do you consider your team 1-0?” Gil was flipping through his Irish-American dictionary to figure out if “Yank” was a slur. Bonfires? It is stll 90 degrees in Florida through September, and we would surf before school and after football practice. We were in shorts for Christmas.

After that 1-8 season last year I half expected to see an effigy of Gil being thrown into that fire.

Terry does not realize that Yanks don’t use their bonfires to burn heretics, like they do over across the Celtic Sea from his hometown. Silly Yanks… wasting a perfectly good fire.

Gee, I wonder who is going to make the tackle? Fumble recovery for TD would be too much I guess.

The Milford tradition of wearing mime makeup isn’t just for big games—it’s for every game. And sometimes when there’s not even a game at all!

Lets hope that the other team is not wearing RED uniforms or Terry will not tackle anyone!

In P2, that is either the hand of God going forth to the burning bush, or the referee practicing his calls for another MILFord FIRST DOWN!

We don’t know much, but at least we know they could beat the University of Arkansas.

The bonfire was always homecoming week, the night before the game (party Thursday, play Friday).

excellent, often referred to as the Czech brick layer both for his real profession and often his kicking results.

Used to also love hearing WGN radio announcers Irv Kupcinet and Jack Brickhouse…my Dad would note that they were often slurring words by the start of the second quarter, those were horrible years for da Bears…

Think about it. We’ve never seen Thorp darken the door (and, he WOULD darken it) of a church. He has his own cult of personality and he demands worship. No way anyone would dare throw a Gil effigy in the fire. BTW, I think they got the bonfire idea and approach from Texas A&M. Only they’ve transformed it into a high ritual of Giliolatry. I’d hate to see who they choose to sacrifice…prolly a freshman cheerleader.

@Lureman — this is from a current article online:The Packers and Bears have played more games at Wrigley Field in Chicago than at Soldier Field. The Bears used to call Wrigley Field home and played there until 1971.

yes, indeed, they played at Wrigley, I was a witness to a few. Recently, Illinois/Northwestern played there and you had to wonder how they stuff a gridiron in the park!