Today's Tidbit... Lotz Going On With Southington Football

With the college championship game approaching and the NFL playoffs in full swing, it is easy to focus our attention on football played at the highest levels. Stories about the game's greats, great moments, and cathedral stadiums all bring a particular joy, but I also love stories about teams I had never heard of and did not know I should care about until I did.

While stories of football history cover the pro leagues and major colleges, there are far more football players at the DIII and high school levels whose stories are seldom told. The same occurred in the past before the GI Bill, and society's need for more college-educated folks led to so many attending college.

A century ago, less than 10 percent of people attended college. Athletic young men who wanted to play football after high school could enlist in the military and play for their regimental or base team. If the military was not their cup of tea, the local semi-pro or town team provided an option.

All kinds of towns had teams gridiron teams. Most followed eligibility assumptions that players had to live there, work there, or otherwise have a good claim to being a citizen of Whatever Town, USA.

Previous articles about town teams and similar outfits include the following, one of which covers a town team playing the state prison:

The Carlinville-Taylorville Scandal Of 1921

The Washington Glee Club's Monumental Season

Pounding the Rock: Football at Joliet's Stateville Penitentiary

So, I recently acquired the postcard below. It's an action shot, though the image does not provide clues about who is playing in the game.

The M on the back of one player's jersey suggests Southington might be playing Meriden, a frequent opponent. (RPPC, Personal collection)