Rodney Harrison "A Football Life"

[ST_Lawson]

I am signing the contract if and only if the Peach Blossoms make their appearance by riding in on the fenders of this bad boy:

Ha....you get that to make an appearance at a Leatherneck football game and I bet the Peach Blossoms would be willing to ride in on it.

[wiu712]

I am signing the contract if and only if the Peach Blossoms make their appearance by riding in on the fenders of this bad boy:

That would certainly a few steps up from their old pickup truck!

Long-time Western football fans will remember that the Peach Blossoms would always arrive at the game sometime in the 2nd quarter after making their pre-game stop downtown. They would arrive riding in the back of a pickup truck which would circle the Hanson Field track!

[leatherneckcountry]

I use to like the peach blossoms but i think some of there antics over the last couple of years have gone to far and are just more annoying to the fans than anything.

[sealhall74]

I use to like the peach blossoms but i think some of there antics over the last couple of years have gone to far and are just more annoying to the fans than anything.

The raising of the drinking age to 21 circa 1986 was essentially a dagger in the heart of the Peach Blossoms. The one and only thing that the majority of the student body shared in common with these former defenders of our freedoms was suddenly stripped away. Their plungers became dry and totally useless and silly at sporting events. Back in the day, I don't think the Peach Blossoms ever made it to the west side of Hanson where they MIGHT have offended some folks. I am sure they still do some good things in and around the community but they certainly do not have the on-campus impact they once did.

[wiu712]

Back in the day, I don't think the Peach Blossoms ever made it to the west side of Hanson where they MIGHT have offended some folks.

Back in the 60's and 70's, the Peach Blossoms were a presence on both sides of Hanson Field. They were very effective in getting the crowd to cheer/yell.

For example, they would have the west side yell "Go". The east side would respond with "Western". This would be repeated multiple times and would get very loud with most of the crowd joining in.

Another west side / east side combo-yell would be "Beat" followed with "(name of opponent)".

A favorite Peach Blossom chant from that era was:
"California oranges, Arizona cactus.
We play (name of opponent) just for practice."

[BobLovely]

Let's just say he didn't have a choice to stay. He was told to go pro because he wasn't going to be allowed to come back.

No need to discuss this because a few people are working on getting him back and feeling comfortable again. They have made great strides in doing so. I've communicated with him a little on Twitter. It will work itself out...

Things happen just like it did with Don Patterson. I believe that hatchet was buried back in April at Football Alumni Weekend and Coach Fisher was instrumental in that connection.

Thank you for the insight and the excellent points! Getting Rodney "on board" with current program is what matters and will be very beneficial to the future of Leatherneck football.

Bob

[South Side Lnecks]

Nice to read that WIU is trying to bring Rodney Harrison back into the fold. Not sure where the football bridges were burned with Rodney Harrison, Don Beebe, Aaron Stecker, and possibly JR Niklos as well.

What many WIU fans and/or WIU alumni would like to see is a ring of honor or wall of honor at Hansen Field inside the stadium. A wall or ring of honor for Leathernecks Football greats may possibly form a stronger bond with former players which also will help WIU recruiting for football, and/or help recruiting for other sports as well as Academics. All 4 of the above players mentioned in the previous paragraph went on to have notable and successful NFL careers but ya hardly hear anything of them playing for WIU.........Yes there were other notable WIU greats that went on to have NFL success and we all would like to see them welcomed into the fold / ring / wall of honor: Mike Scrifes, Bryan Cox, Frank Winters, Jason Williams, Frisman Jackson, Mike Wagner (member of the famed Pittsburgh Steelers "Steel Curtain" defense. There are more names as well. But it's the four names above in the very first paragraph that boggle the mind for sure. Bryan Cox also played for the Chicago Bears and he's currently a defensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons. Mr. Cox like Rodney Harrison, Frisman Jackson and others grew up on The South Side which means they are local guys.

It seems that every up & coming program over the past 15 - 20 years wanted to be like Western Illinois Football. Those programs (North Dakota State, Coastal Carolina, Boise State, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and others) have gone on to great success over the past 15 - 20 years including the past 1 - 3 years.

Whether people like it or not WIU Football is the signature athletic program for the Leathernecks; it's what puts WIU on the map. WIU President Jack Thomas realizes this and new 1st year HC Charlie Fisher realizes this as well. Nice to see/read the commitment is there. Additionally it was nice to see a WIU Leathernecks billboard on Southbound 294 near O'hare Airport advertising WIU...More on that banner in a future post.

We all know budgets are tight. But extending invitations to all these former WIU greats and repairing the burned bridges will do wonders not only for WIU Football, but for WIU as an academic institution of higher learning.

Go Leathernecks!!

[Tere North]

Let's not forget Frank Winters, the Center for many years under Brett Favre.