Friday, September 16, 2011

Sept. 23-25: Reagan centennial football coin toss weekend

The first bite of cool air has covered much of the United States. Which of course means that football season has arrived.

The Ronald Reagan Foundation is celebrating not only the centennial of the birth of our 40th president in Tampico, Illinois, but also Reagan's favorite sport, football.

"Going to college offered me the chance to play football for four more years," Reagan wrote in An American Life. "Dutch" played offensive guard at Eureka College and before that, at Dixon High School. Reagan's most famous connection to the game of course is his portrayal of Notre Dame star George Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American. But he was not initially a contender for the coveted part, but Reagan convinced the film's producer that he was perfect for the role--after he showed him a photograph of himself in his football uniform from the Dixon High yearbook.

Dixon Victory Memorial Arch
Next weekend, September 23-25, the Reagan Centennial Coin Toss will occur across America. Earlier this week I conducted a telephone interview Garrett Marquis of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. "We've mailed 15,000 coins out," he told me. Well, they would have to, because the foundation is requesting that 14,000 high schools participate, in addition to every college and NFL team.

Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz is a co-chair for next weekend's coin-toss, as are former gridiron greats Lynn Swann, Doug Flutie, and JC Watts. The latter is a former Republican member of Congress from Oklahoma.

McKinzie Field, Eureka College
But the celebration goes beyond the coin-toss, as the foundation explained in an August press release:

  • To highlight the leadership attributes which football fosters, using the example of President Reagan, who played high school and college football, reported on college football as a radio announcer, and was a legendary fan of the game.
  • To introduce the life and legacy of President Reagan to the next generation of Americans.
  • To pay tribute to Ronald Reagan's leadership which inspired freedom and changed the world.
From the gridiron to classroom: The Centennial Commission has prepared a Reagan study guide for high schools. It also has produced a video to be shown at next weekend's college and NFL games. Watch as "the Gipper" throws a perfect pass to the Washington Redskins' Ricky Sanders.


What about Reagan's beloved college alma mater? "Eureka will toss its coin at their next home game," Marquis said, which will be an October 1 match-up against Westminster. The Red Devils play at McKinzie Field, which is named for Mac McKinzie, who coached Reagan at Eureka. On a personal note, Marquis informed me that my alma mater, the University of Illinois, will take part in the coin-toss next Saturday when they battle Western Michigan.

Eureka College, June, 2011
Several Major League Baseball clubs have already participated in the centennial celebration, some of the teams gave away Jelly Bellies at the gate, which was Reagan's favorite candy. From a Des Moines radio studio, Reagan gave play by play coverage--assisted by a telegraph machine--of Chicago Cubs and White Sox games. He also--from the stadium--had the honor of calling several University of Iowa football games. "For a twenty-one-year-old fresh out of college, broadcasting Big Ten games was like a dream," Reagan recalled in his memoirs.

Reagan's big weekend extends into the following Monday. The Dallas Cowboys host the Washington Redskins that night, and Marquis says that the home team's owner, Jerry Jones, has agreed to toss the Reagan centennial coin prior to kickoff.

Next weekend America will toss a coin for the Gipper.

Related posts:

Report from Tampico, Illinois on Reagan's 100th birthday
Reagan centennial: Tampico's churches
Reagan centennial: Ronald Reagan Park in Tampico, IL
Marathon Pundit's Ronald Reagan Trail

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