The Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) is 
proud to present the IHSA Traditions Series throughout the 2022-23 school year. The IPPA represents Generations of Commitment to Illinoisans and is proud to highlight some of the most unique high school sports traditions that are passed down from generation to generation within IHSA school communities.
Each month during the 2022-23 school year, the IPPA Traditions Series will feature a storied school tradition and provide a unique perspective on the history and story behind it…
Byron High School Hog Trailer
During the 2017 high school football season, a popular national sports website stumbled upon a video of Byron High School’s tradition of bringing out its offensive linemen out in a hog trailer prior to home football games.
What had been one of the most unique traditions in high school sports, suddenly went from being a cherished local curiosity in Northern Illinois to a worldwide sensation. Videos of the Byron hog trailer intro have since been shared time and again by just about every sports website and social media platform on the internet.
When the video initially went viral in 2017, most viewers assumed it was new content of a new tradition, but the hog trailer actually debuted all the way back in 1993.
The idea was the brainchild of legendary Byron football coach Everett Stine. The Stine was the Tigers head coach from 1967 to 2003, amassing 222 career victories, including the program’s first state championship in 1999.
Stine developed the hog trailer intro as a way to shine a light on the oft-overlooked linemen who were the lifeblood of his run-centric offense and physical defense. That style, just like the hog trailer, continues today under current head coach Jeff Boyer. Boyer played on the 1999 state championship team and led the Tigers to a second state title in 2021 as a coach. The “hogs” were vital in that latter championship contest, as Byron ran for 373 yards and attempted just five passes.
The hog trailer doesn’t make an appearance at every home game, as it is generally reserved for special games like in the playoffs, and its usage is determined by the coaching staff. A former BHS players lends his trailer for the intro and is behind the wheel when the hogs are brought into the stadium. But enough reading about it, it truly must be seen to be believed…