Calling Muskie football alumni!

By Allan Bradbury
Staff Writer
abradbury@fortfrances.com

The Fort Frances Muskies football team will celebrate 75 years next Thursday at the team’s annual homecoming game and they’re calling on all Muskie alumni to come out and be recognized.

The game between the Muskies and St. John’s High School Tigers out of Winnipeg will be played next Thursday Sept. 28 at with kickoff at 3 p.m. The game was moved from a previously scheduled Friday kickoff to Thursday with local Truth and Reconciliation Day events taking place on Friday.

Scott Fawcett, alumnus of ‘73-’75 Muskies teams says anyone who participated in Muskie football over the last 75 years is invited to come out to the game and be honoured in the half-time ceremony. Fawcett stressed that they want anyone involved with football from years gone by to come.

“It doesn’t matter if you played,” Fawcett said. “If you were a coach, an equipment manager, an official. Without officials we don’t have games so players, coaches, equipment managers and officials, anybody who was involved with Muskie Football.”

Members of former teams like the West Fort Spartans or or the Fort Frances Wolverines are also encouraged to come out.

After inception in 1948 the Muskies won their first championship in 1973, 2023 marks 50 years since that first title.

A release from the Muskies talks about that first championship team:

“The ‘73 Muskies under Head Coach Jack Hedman were led by 20 seniors including seven key members of the Muskie hockey team. The offense was led by quarterback Dan Drazenavich, running back Jim Domanski and Vern Brischke who started at both center and middle linebacker.”

At the game there will be a special seating section for alumni, especially those older alumni who need a comfortable seat. Fawcett said doing some math that players on that first team, and some are still around are in their 90s now.

“If they were on the first time 75 years ago even if they were 16 that makes them 91,” Fawcett said. “And if they were seniors and 18 years old, now they’re around 93 years old and I think there’s three or four of them still with us.”

After the game Muskies alumni are invited to the Fort Frances Royal Canadian Legion to swap stories of games gone by and have a drink.