by Jeff Fisher
The Illinois High School Association has signed a new five year deal to keep the state high school football championships at the University of Illinois in Champaign, and I for one applaud the decision.
While working as a TV sports anchor at Fox Sports Net in Chicago, I had the chance to cover the title games “Down State”, and I always enjoyed them. More importantly though, was I think the kids really enjoyed the opportunity to play in a Big Ten stadium…it’s quite a reward for a season well done.
Of course I’m very partial to stadiums with tons of history to them, and Memorial Stadium certainly is part of the football fabric in the midwest.
Memorial Stadium was built in 1923 as a memorial to Illinois men and women who gave their lives for their country during World War I. Their names appear on 200 columns that support the east and west sides of the stadium. Donations of approximately $1.7 million by more than 200,000 students, alumni and other friends of the University made the construction possible.
State championship games are supposed to be special, and by playing in Memorial Stadium, it’s something that everyone involved will remember. I spent two years working in Atlanta, and it always amazed me that the title games were played on home field of the higher ranked team. It gave an unfair advantage, and just didn’t make the event feel as special.
