Seneca Community to Recognize First Football Win
Less than two minutes into the season opening football game on Friday, September 10, 1976, in Ohio, Illinois, Seneca Fighting Irish running back, Mark Mavity, scampered in from eight yards out to score the only touchdown of the game. Kim Jackson would kick on the extra point. The 7-0 score would stand for the rest of the game and the Seneca Fighting Irish would have their first ever football victory. After four seasons of scraping to get into the win column, Coach Joe Robinson’s squad finally did it. The events of that night may have been forgotten to history, but they will be relived this week in Seneca.
The community of Seneca and Seneca High School will mark the occasion of that first win 50 years and a day ago on Friday, September 11th as part of SHS’s homecoming and the Seneca Heritage Days to be held on the 11th and 12th. Les Patton, 1977 SHS graduate, reorganized the team, cheerleaders, and coaches, and said that “the guys were excited to huddle back up. One is coming from as far away as California.”
Seneca had agonized through five winless seasons before that first win. No one had previous playing experience, they played with borrowed uniforms, and there wasn’t even a weight room. Since that September night, Seneca has amassed 254 wins. Just fifteen seasons later, Seneca won a state championship under coach Dave Lett, this year’s homecoming Grand Marshal.
The team and coaches will be part of the SHS Homecoming Parade that steps off from the junior high parking lot at 4:00 PM. The group will also be recognized during halftime of the Seneca/Tremont Homecoming football game that kicks off at 7:00 PM. After the game, the team will gather with the community to relive the glory days at part of the Seneca Heritage Festival where food and beverages will be served with the music of a 1970s band playing in the background.
Many of the men have had sons, daughters, and grandchildren who would go on and become outstanding athletes in the area. One team member commented, “We never thought at the time that we made history, and it doesn’t seem like 50 years ago, but that makes us even more proud to be remembered for that accomplishment.”
Head Coach Joe Robinson reflected, “It was such a relief to get the first win! I was so happy for the boys and the community after they all worked so hard at a game they loved.”
Current SHS football coach, Terry Maxwell, commented, “We often tell our boys to look back and think about the players and coaches who built and contributed to this culture so we can enjoy what we have today – we are so happy to welcome that team back during this Homecoming.”
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Members of the 1976 Seneca High School Football program:
Front Row (L-R): Dave Johnson, Randy Petges, Gerald Sinclair, Mgr., Gary Mavity, Terry Martin.
Second Row (L-R): Coach Joe Robinson, Jeff Rosencrans, Mark Mavity, Dan Read, Bob Rosencrans, Coach Rod Engstrom.
Third Row (L-R): Jack Wheeler, Marty Steep, Les Patton, Kim Jackson, Frank Smith, Tim Pearson.
Back Row (L-R): Rick Maierhofer, Joe Vickers, Gary Higgins, Rick Timmons, Dave Read, Fred Hogue.
Not Pictured: Richard Virgo.
