Published: November 05, 2009 08:25 pm      

Fightin’ Indian pride

A new Tribe brings back old tradition

By Kelsey Palmer

kpalmer@jacksonvilleprogress.com



On top of the hill in front of the historic Tomato Bowl football, standing tall and proud, is a nearly 50-year-old testament to the Jacksonville High School Fightin’ Indian spirit — the totem pole.

In 1960, Patty Brown and her late husband, Frank, designed and erected the towering totem pole with painted plaques bearing the Indians’ opposing teams’ names and logos in their district lining the sides; however, these wooden planks can be considered superfluous in comparison to the most important aspect of the totem pole — the lighting.

Near the bottom of the totem pole is a row of 10 light bulb sockets representing the first 10 district games before the regional playoffs, with another row of four sockets underneath representing the four games before going to the state competition.

With each game, the Athletic Booster Club provides lights to put in the sockets that identify the result of the game — a white light meaning a loss and a blue light meaning a win.

For years the lights were put up after games as a way to gauge the team’s success, but upon the entrance of JHS Head Coach Dan Long, the lights also became a means of post-game celebration.

“Beginning in 1996, when the team would win at a home game, all of the players would run up to the totem pole as a group for what they called ‘blue light time’ where they would put up the light themselves,” said Matt Montgomery, sports newscaster for JHS football games on KWRW FM 97.7 and long-time Indian fan.

With the crowd rallying around the Tomato Bowl hill to cheer on the team, a player would be hoisted up onto another player’s shoulders to screw in the gleaming blue spotlight of success.

“When you’re a high school student, you get revved up and excited with every win,” Montgomery said. “The totem pole gave them a chance to go outside and express their joy with the crowd. It formed a real connection between the community and the team.”

Unfortunately, though the pride surrounding the totem pole remained, the tradition was lost amongst safety concerns for the players after a large post-game altercation in 2004 between audience members outside the Tomato Bowl — as well as a few unimpressive seasons.

“It was really upsetting how the players weren’t able to put up the blue lights themselves anymore, even though they were still being put them up after a game,” Montgomery said. “It was something very special to them.”

Brandon Orr, JHS wide receiver, said he can still recall the game nights when blue light time was still going strong for the Indians.

“When I was little, I remember watching the big guys put the light in the totem pole with the crowd all around them,” he said. “It was really cool, and I didn’t like how that tradition slacked off.”

But just as the blue light tradition came to a startling halt for the Indians, so did it return with a vengeance during the team’s last home game against Nacogdoches, when they clenched third in district after winning 23-6.

“The team hadn’t done it in many years, but when we won against Nacogdoches, we started the tradition all over again,” Orr said. “A member of the Athletic Booster Club came down and gave us a blue light, and everyone hoisted me up on Iran Lara’s shoulders, and I put the blue light in.

“It was a great feeling,” he added, grinning.

Now, with the newly re-ignited tradition gaining heat, the Indians never again want the team spirit surrounding the totem pole to die.

“I don’t want to see the tradition to be carried on just for one year, but several years. It should go on forever,” said JHS kicker Jeff Landrum. “We have a good group coming in next year, so hopefully they’ll make sure the totem pole is just about full of blue lights.”

According to Montgomery, the blue light ritual is worth continuing not only for its meaning to the team, but also its outstanding originality.

“I have been to hundreds of football stadiums after 28 years of being on the radio, and I have never seen something similar to our totem pole that displays a team’s success in a way the entire town can see how they’re doing,” he said. “No one else does it, and that’s what makes the Jacksonville Indians so unique.”

For Landrum, the totem pole so steeped in memories and tradition for the team members and their fans represents what it means to be an Indian.

Orr agreed, adding, “And being an Indian is the most awesome feeling in the world.”

As of this week, seven blue light bulbs shine bright from the nine games played so far. However, there is still one more game to go and one more glowing blue light bulb to put in the 10th socket after tonight’s home game against Lindale for the district championship, so the team is requesting everyone’s attendance.

“We need everyone to come out and support us. Bring all of your friends, all of your family and get loud so we can win district,” Landrum said. “The Tomato Bowl hasn’t sold out in a long time, but we’re hoping the crowd will fill up the stadium tonight.”