Illinois H.S.toric Menu
Historical Articles About Illinois High School Sports
There is a small but avid group of high school historians — we like to call them "H.S.torians" — who spend a lot of their time in libraries searching for long-lost names, statistics, and stories. Until now, they've had a very limited audience and no real place to publish. But now we have the Internet, and what better place to showcase their efforts than a global network where the articles will be indexed and available to scholars the world over.
If you are interested in historical research or would like to submit an article, please contact Scott Johnson (sjohnson@ihsa.org) for more information. And stay tuned for more interesting articles in the future.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Illinois High School Association.
Special Feature
- Chicago High School Football Struggles, The Fight for Faculty Control, and the War Against Secret Societies, 1898-1908, by Robert Pruter
Baseball and Softball
- Early High School Baseball in Illinois, by Robert Pruter
- New York-Chicago Intercity Championship: 1920-1926, by Robert Pruter
- Boys Softball in Illinois and its Origins from Indoor Baseball, by Robert Pruter
- History of Girls “Softball” Before IHSA Sponsorship, by Robert Pruter
Boys Basketball
- Catholic High School Basketball Tournaments in Illinois, by Robert Pruter
- Early Phillips High School Basketball Teams, by Robert Pruter
- Class A Means Small Schools but Big Memories, by Jeff Lampe
- One Magical Century: The Story of Illinois High School Basketball, by Patrick C. Heston
Girls Basketball
- Not Altogether Ladylike: The Premature Demise of Girls' Interscholastic Basketball in Illinois, by Scott Johnson
- Chicago Schoolgirls of the 1920s Play Interscholastic Basketball, by Robert Pruter
- Remembering IHSA Girls Basketball: Great Players, Great Plays, by Steve Tucker
Bowling
- Take a Roll Down Memory Lane: Girls Bowling has Come a Long Way, by Wayne Raguse
Cross Country
- The Beginnings of Cross Country, by Robert Pruter
Fencing
- Fencing: A Long-time Illinois Sport, by Robert Pruter
Field Hockey
- Field Hockey: A One-Time IHSA Sport, by Robert Pruter
Football
- A Century-Plus of Gridiron Thrills, A History of Illinois High School Football, by Ray Schmidt
- The Birth of High School Football in Illinois, by Robert Pruter
- The Greatest High School Football Rivalry In Illinois: Englewood vs. Hyde Park, by Robert Pruter
- A Century of Intersectional Football Contests, by Robert Pruter
Golf
- Early High School Golf in Illinois, by Robert Pruter
- Indoor Golf: A 1920s Rage That Captured the Chicago High Schools, by Robert Pruter
- Girls' Golf In the Golden Age of Sports, by Robert Pruter
Gymnastics
- Pioneers: Boys Gymnastics Before IHSA Sponsorship, by Robert Pruter
- Boys Gymnastics Still Evolving as Millennium Begins, by Dick Quagliano
- Girls Gymnastics Vaults Into the New Millennium, by Dick Quagliano
Marksmanship
- Boys Rifle Marksmanship, by Robert Pruter
- Girls Rifle Marksmanship, by Robert Pruter
Rowing
- Interscholastic Rowing In Illinois, by Robert Pruter
Soccer
- Early Days of Soccer, by Robert Pruter
Speed Skating
Swimming
- Early High School Swimming, by Robert Pruter
- IHSA Boys Swimmers Made a Splash in the 20th Century, by Dennis Mahoney
- Girls Interscholastic Swimming in the Chicago Public Schools, 1917-1934, by Robert Pruter
- Girls Swimming, by Dennis Mahoney
- Chicago Public Schools Make Their Mark in Swimming: Lane Tech and DuSable in the 1930s and 1940s, by Robert Pruter
Tennis
- The Pioneering Years of High School Tennis, by Robert Pruter
- The Early Days of Girls' Tennis, by Robert Pruter
Boys Track and Field
- The Origins of Illinois High School Track and Field, by Robert Pruter
- Early Interscholastic Track and Field Meets, by Robert Pruter
- The Development of Indoor Track and Field, by Robert Pruter
- Boys Track & Field Tradition Races into New Millennium, by Randy Sharer
Girls Track and Field
- Early Girls Track and Field, by Robert Pruter
- No Hurdle Too High for Girls Track Athletes to Overcome, by Brian Nielsen
Girls Volleyball
- Girls Volleyball Before IHSA Sponsorship, by Robert Pruter
Boys Wrestling
- The Beginnings of Wrestling in Illinois High Schools, by Robert Pruter
Historical Articles About Illinois High School Activities
Chess
- Shh! Quiet Chess Tournament Just Keeps Ticking Away, by Mike Zacate
Scholastic Bowl
- The Secret of Scholastic Bowl Success? It's Academic, by Charles Fabish
Speech
- A History of Speech Competition in Illinois, by Joe Gerace
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