The 25th annual "BLACK & BLUE BOWL" TONIGHT !
Tonight at Spieglberg Stadium will be the cross town high school football game between the South Medford Panthers and the North Medford Black Tornado.
Football has always been big in Medford. Before they split the town into two high schools the Medford Black Tornado were a perennial powerhouse in the state of Oregon. It was sometimes referred to as "The University of Medford." When I first came to town in the 1970's there was still only one high school and I had a difficult time identifying with the Black Tornado. I had grown up in the Coos Bay/ North Bend area and had a strong dislike for the Black Tornado as a result of everything from football to their debate team. Therefore, I was happy to see the school split. I was even happier, when I discovered that we lived in a area on the east side of Medford where my kids were on track to go to South Medford. Therefore from the time the kids were in grade school we made a practice of going to South Medford football and basketball games. The kids are long gone into the adult world but my wife and I still have season tickets for South Medford football and basketball. When the school was spit North Medford took the the records, mascot, and for some, the arrogance of the Medford Black Tornado! About the time my kids were ready to go to high school South Medford had developed a reputation on the east side of Medford as the "poor school" and many east side parents played games on where they lived in order to get their kids into North Medford. The dividing line runs east to west but the North Medford district on the more prosperous east side grew faster with new subdivisions than did the east side south of the dividing line.. There were reports that some real estate agents warned parents about buying homes in the South Medford area. We refused to play games and our kids went to South and each got a very good education from very caring teachers.Don't get me wrong, North Medford is a good school with good parents and kids and the old divisions seem to be disappearing.We are lucky to live in a community where there are good schools that give it's students many opportunities in sports as well as academics.
Since the split South has been the dominate basketball school and North the dominate football school although South football has been catching up.
Since the split 25 years ago South Medford has won 10 Black & Blue Bowls and North Medford has won 14.
Both teams play their home games at Speiglberg Stadium. This year, South Medford will be the home team for the Black & Blue Bowl, so we will be able to sit in our reserved seats. The North Medford fans will be required to move across to the other side of the stadium to the visitors section.
GO SOUTH!
(Click on the title for a link to a Mail Tribue story on the history of the 'Black & Blue Bowl")
UPDATE: South Medford won their fourth "Black & Blue Bowl" in a row 31 to 7. Go South!
