Brickie Bowl Timeline

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1939 -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration gave Hobart the Brickie Bowl out of the Great Depression. Hobart opened the stadium with a 44-0 loss to Lew Wallace on Sept. 15. Eventual NFL Hall of Famer Hank Stram played for the Hornets and scored two touchdowns. Hobart Brickie Bowl win No. 1 came later in the season against Crown Point.

1940 -- Hobart played no home games -- or any games, for that matter -- after being suspended by the IHSAA for the entire season for playing in out-of-season games at the Indiana Dunes.

(MORE: The Brickie Bowl's Farewell Season.)

1948 -- Russ Deal won his first home game -- 27-7 over East Gary -- on Sept. 17 to start the first great coaching career in the Brickies' storied history. Deal coached until 1965, finishing 114-49-6.

1949 -- The Dust Bowl opened and the Brickies had a place to practice near their field. A locker room was also installed in the same time period.

1958 -- The Brickies beat Gary Emerson (13-7), Griffith (32-13), Hammond Tech (33-6) and Gary Tolleston (33-0) at home, and tied Michigan City (7-7) for their first undefeated season in school history. Hobart got one more in 1987.

1966 -- Don Howell coached Hobart to a 20-0 win over Portage on Sept. 2 in his first game as head coach. He would finish his career with a 314-73-1 record.

1979 -- In front of more than 10,000 frozen fans, Hobart beat No. 1 Penn 27-20 to advance to its first state title game and the legend was born. During a key Hobart drive, a train stopped and the engineer hit the whistle long and loud. Penn coach Chris Geesman said, "My God, Hobart's even got the railroad on its side."

1980 -- The Brickies beat Lew Wallace 57-7 on Aug. 29 to start a decade that would be only their own. Hobart went 69-3 at the Brickie Bowl and won two state titles and finished runner-up four other times this decade.

1987 -- On Nov. 13 in the regional against Munster, the Mustangs led 3-0 in the fourth quarter. Mustang Jim Magrames hit Hobart's Mike Golarz, forcing a fumble. But center Bill Fraze fell on the loose ball in the end zone to give Hobart a 7-3 win. The Brickies went on to win their first state title.

1988 -- Chesterton shocked the Region, as well as the state, with a 21-17 win on Sept. 23, ending Hobart's 71-game home winning streak, which dated back to 1979.

1995 -- In probably their second-greatest home playoff game, the Brickies upset top-ranked Griffith 14-13 on Nov. 10 in what became known as "The Mud Bowl." A 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty cost the Panthers a potential 14th point.

1995 -- On Nov. 17, a 21-0 second-quarter lead against Ft. Wayne Wayne in the semistate made it look like the Brickies were returning to their second home, the RCA Dome. But the Generals scored 28 straight points to shock Hobart, giving the Bricks their first home playoff loss.

1997 -- On Aug. 29, the entire town of Hobart wore purple and watched the Brickies beat Griffith 21-6, giving Howell his 300th career win. The celebration was the last in a great run. Hobart went undefeated and won the DAC. Griffith upset the Bricks in the regional and won state.

1998 -- On Oct. 16 Valparaiso beat Hobart 35-21 in what was Howell's last game at the Brickie Bowl. The next week Plymouth pounded the Brickies in the sectional opener, snapping Hobart's streak of 19 straight sectional wins. Howell retired.

2000 -- After the passing of Howell in 1999, just 10 months after he retired, the historic facility was renamed Don Howell Field at Brickie Bowl.

2008 -- On Oct. 17 Highland travels to the Brickie Bowl to play in what is scheduled to be the final regular-season game before the team moves to the new high school and accompanying field.

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