Win, or Else
Copyright 2014 Jim Andersen
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WIN, OR ELSE
A Season of High School Football
ORIGINAL STORY BY
William H. Andersen
Updated by
James W. Andersen
PREFACE
William (Bill) Andersen was born in 1920 in Racine, Wisconsin. After high school he went into the Army and spent time during World War II in Guam. After the service he married his wife, Vena, and enrolled at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. He earned his degrees in history and secondary education. He was on the football team while he was in college.
After college, in 1950, Bill moved to Kankakee, Illinois and taught high school social studies there for five years. In 1955 he moved to Burlington, Wisconsin where he taught history, speech, journalism and a few other subjects. He also coached the sophomore football and basketball teams.
In 1963 he moved to Racine, Wisconsin and taught at Racine Park High School until he retired in 1985. While at Park he did not coach any sports but he was the PA announcer for most of the high school’s sports teams.
Bill passed away in 2011 at the age of 90.
This book was originally written about 1963. He tried unsuccessfully to get it published back then. Since his passing the original manuscript has been digitized and made available for all to read online. I hope you enjoy it. It is too good a story to let die so as a memorial to him I am trying to keep it alive for others to enjoy.
Dad included himself in the book as Mr. Williams, the “B” team coach, and me as Jimmy Andersen, the manager. I actually was an assistant manager for the “B” team when I was in sixth and seventh grade.
Special thanks go to mom for typing the original manuscript on her Royal manual typewriter in the days before correction fluid.
Comments are welcome. E-mail them to:
[email protected] I miss you dad.
Your son,
Jim
INTRODUCTION
This story begins in August of 1959 in the small rural town of Foxville located somewhere in the Midwest. Football practice was about to begin for Foxville High School. Back then Friday night high school football games were the biggest events in town during the fall of the year. There were no state championships or playoffs so winning the conference championship was the highest prize possible.
The high school consisted of only three grades, grades ten through twelve. They had three football teams: the varsity, the junior varsity and the sophomore (“B” team). If you played a lot on the varsity you were awarded a “letter” which was a big “F” emblem in Foxville’s case that the letter winners wore proudly on their letter jacket. The jacket was in the school colors and had leather sleeves.
In those days the quarterbacks called their own plays. Most of the starters played on both offense and defense. Smoking and drinking was not allowed for high school athletes and they were expected to follow the curfew times if they wanted to be out for sports.
This book was originally written by my dad, William (Bill) Andersen, about 1964. It is based on his experience playing college football at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and coaching the “B” team at Burlington, Wisconsin high school from 1955 to 1962. I remember some of the incidences in this book but I can’t vouch for all of them actually happening.
As you read the book you will probably experience a range of emotions. You will feel like laughing, crying, being sad, mad, happy, glad and surprised. While you are reading make note of the many life lessons that can be seen in this story.
If you are not that into football you can skip some of the football details and still enjoy a great story.
Win, or Else
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 High Hopes
Chapter 2 “I’ll Tell ‘em, Coach”
Chapter 3 A Late Addition
Chapter 4 Half A Win
Chapter 5 Rebuilding
Chapter 6 Surprises In Store
Chapter 7 Another Surprise
Chapter 8 Put Out The Fire
Chapter 9 Homecoming
Chapter 10 A Difficult Lesson
Chapter 11 “Win, or Else”
Chapter 12 “Most Valuable”