Super Monday Week 31

SUPER MONDAY

A motivational and informational morning message from Superintendent Willis

Week 31 ~ March 24th, 2025

Super Monday Message

If you were asked to name which college team had the greatest college football season of all time you might try naming some of the big names of the day such as Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and you might be optimistic and name BYU or Utah. According to a vote of football experts held in 2012, the greatest football season of all time was not accomplished by any of the current 134 division I college football teams, it was the achievement of the 1899 Sewanee Tigers.

Sewanee is called the University of the South and it is located in rural Tennessee. The University is nearly 200 years old and is a religious school. The school was one of the original members of the powerful SEC conference. To understand what made the 1899 season so inspiring and so impressive, you have to understand some of the context of the early days of football.

Football in 1899 was not a sport for the weak. It was not unheard of for players to be killed during a game or to die from injuries later. Nearly every participant in the games walked away with some level of injury. The game was played with almost no padding and the few pieces of safety gear that existed made the wearer a frequent target of ridicule. Many players considered the simple leather helmets and nose guards a sign of weakness. If a player left the game, they couldn’t come back in. It was not uncommon for players to continue playing despite severe concussions and sometimes even broken bones.

In 1899 there were no airplanes and traveling across the country to play football games was a huge expense in both money and time. College professors then frequently had little patience for sports and would prevent athletes from traveling to games if they believed it would hinder their studies.

Despite these challenges, the little university of the south designed the most aggressive football schedule ever created. They intended to play all of the most notable teams of the day. The idea of playing all of the most difficult teams is impressive in and of itself, but the manner in which it was done makes it even more impressive. 

The professors were insistent that the players miss as little schooling as possible and meeting their demands was difficult. Games were scheduled on back to back days with the most difficult stretch including 5 games in 6 days, all on the road. After each game the players would be rushed back to the train station. When the train came to a stop they frequently only had a few hours before they were again stretching and preparing to play. 

That season they went 12-0 and only one opponent managed to score against them. They beat the Auburn Tigers 11-10 in the most difficult game of their season. They also defeated the big names of Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and others. This greatest season is an example of David defeating Goliath 12 times with little preparation, in unfavorable conditions, and with the home crowd against them. Sewanee had no substitutes and every player played offense and defense. They are now called the Iron Men because of how strong they were together. Today Sewanee plays in Division III in college sports, but they have a contractual right to rejoin the SEC conference anytime they choose. 

When the Iron Men finished their season there was no professional football league to be drafted into. They went back to their studies and prepared for careers. Some would say there was little motivation for them to sacrifice so much for the team. They did it simply for their teammates and for their personal pride in their accomplishments. Sometimes we may not see a strong motivation in the difficult challenges we face, no money or material things. But we know overcoming the challenge will make us a better version of ourselves. Let’s make making ourselves better, the goal of every day this week. Have a great week 31.

Super High Fives

Just a couple of the awesome recent accomplishments that need a big thank you. 

• A super high five to the Utah Health Department for organizing a fantastic Family Fun Night last Thursday. The event brought in dozens of organizations to provide information for the community. Big thank you to our Melissa Gleave and Shaylee Beus for being a big part of making it happen. 
• A super high five to our bus drivers that make all of our elementary field trips possible. Our spring field trips have started and we’re grateful for our drivers that rearrange schedules and work extra to make these great educational experiences possible.

Other Super Information

• Latest Elementary School Design (CES) (OES)
• Spring Sports Calendar
• 2024-2025 School District Calendar
• 2025-2026 School District Calendar

Super Weekly Schedule