Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Oldest Surviving Football Team

The Illinois School for the Deaf football team that played together in 1948 may be a group of record setters. They could be the oldest living team in the US. And not just among deaf footballers but among hearing schools as well. All 11 starters played both offense and defense together and amazingly, no one suffered a single injury that year, so they were able to play the entire season together. The team only lost one game while winning six that year. One game ended in a tie.

The team was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2004 and eight of the group were able to attend Homecoming last year at the school. When they played together, team members ranged in ages from 17-19 years old. Now, they are between the ages of 78-80. They are hoping to get recogniztion from the Guinness Book of World Records for their longivity. The only thing holding them back is finding out if there are any other still around that are even older. So far, they appear to have everyone beat.

Here's a video interview with team member Jerry Tuchman.