After 82 years, football is back on the Hill. This time, with flags.
Spring Hill College intramural officals decided to offer flag football as an intramural sport for the fall 2022 semester. Intramural Coordinator Caleb Lyght said, “It was a campus decision to bring flag football to our sports.”
On November 7, the flag football league hosted their playoff game on Library Field. Coach for the Lamb Duh’s Blake Peacock explained, “I love having competition. Flag football really allows for my team and I to show our competitive side. My team has tons of grit, so this sport allows us to show that.”
While some students are a part of teams, others came out to support their fellow Badgers. Senior Bruno Thomassiny said, “I think intramural athletics offer a great outlet for a lot of students that used to play sports. Getting to compete amongst your peers is a valuable experience.”
While the game kicked off, students gathered around the field to watch their classmates compete. Senior Brayden Seguin touched on how flag football affects students on campus. “With Spring Hill not having a football team, intramural flag football gives students a chance to feel what it is like to be a football school. Those who come to the games can get the experience that other schools who have a football team get,” Seguin said.
According to Lyght, there are seven teams in the league and each team has seven players. Vice president of flag football and referee Dylan Weaver explained what the process was in order to make the flag football games possible. “I set up the seating and the schedules for all the teams and make sure everyone knows the rules,” Weaver said.
The last time Spring Hill College took the field was in 1941. According to a story published by Mobile Bay Magazine, Spring Hill College won two games out of six in their last season. The Badgers were coached under Earle Smith and were a member of the Dixie Conference. For their last football game, Spring Hill competed against the Mississippi State Choctaws on Dorn Field November 15, 1941. The Choctaws came out on top, defeating the Badgers 53-7.
SHC continues to promote the saying, “undefeated since 1941,” and while the official SHC football team remains a memory of the past, students keep the spirit alive on The Hill by bringing back a different kind of football.
For more information on intramural sports, contact Caleb Lyght at caleb.j.lyght@email.shc.edu. To read more about the history of football at SHC go to Spring Hill's Eleven.