Friday Night Heroes: Press & Media Area

News Release

Contact:

Core Communications

Renee Haines

Phone: (619) 997-1637

E-mail: corecom@aol.com

For immediate release

New History of California High School Football
Focuses on State's Famed Bakersfield High Drillers

BAKERSFIELD (July 25, 2006) — The makings of an American football dynasty took shape in 1896 with a first high school football game in Bakersfield played amid rolling farmlands and acres of oil derricks in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The Bakersfield High School Drillers would lead the way in California from the earliest days of the new phenomenon of high school football into the 20th century record books.

A landmark new book, Friday Night Heroes: 100 Years of Driller Football, offers the first comprehensive history of California's best high school football program of the 20th century, along with an insightful history of the evolution of the sport on and off the fields — from the first contests by paper invitation through world wars and the advent of televised sports to modern rivalries.

“Football is a great American tradition, and it is my hope that every football fan will enjoy the extraordinary story of one of this country's finest sports legacies,” says Friday Night Heroes author Rick Van Horne of Bakersfield, who also is a former Driller player and coach.

Van Horne chronicles each decade of championship seasons, accompanied by engaging stories from on and off the field, with detailed player, team and game records, and profiles of the fans, players and coaches who helped catapult the Drillers to the top ranks of high school football in California.

Bakersfield High – the training ground for Frank Gifford and other college and professional football greats — still ranks No. 1 in California for most all-time reported wins (576) and most undefeated seasons (21) from 1896-1996. Bakersfield High also ranks 1st in the state for most CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) State Championships, Most Consecutive CIF Championships and Most CIF Section Championships.

The famed rivalries of Bakersfield High and neighboring schools that would become the basis for the Hollywood movie, “The Best of Times,” are captured inside the pages of Friday Night Heroes, based on more than a decade of research. The book features hundreds of interviews and photographs, previously unpublished diary excerpts and the unique perspective of a writer who also played and coached the game.

The first Driller games in the early 1890s were played by rules popularized by early Ivy League college teams for a game that more resembled rugby. The blue-collar city quickly embraced the new high school sport and Bakersfield's soon-to-be powerhouse team. More than 100 miles from the big city schools of Los Angeles, Driller team members came from throughout rural Kern County, many housed in high school dormitories that were in place until the mid-1950s. During the early years of the 20th century, some players were required to hunt for their food at pre-season football camps.

By 1908, the first of many legendary coaches arrived on campus. Dwight M. Griffith coached the team to seven state titles between 1916 and 1927. “Many people say the reason California did away with state championships was because of the Drillers' dominance,” Van Horne says.

During World War II, CIF officials temporarily postponed interscholastic play, with the '43 season counted as intramural play. By the 1950s, legendary Drillers coach Paul Briggs was at the helm, nationally recognized for helping to popularize a new era of playbook strategies and for his own award-winning “Screwy Louie,” which he defined as moving 10 men to one side of the center “in a surprise Pearl Harbor attack.”

Briggs also continued to promote the Driller traditions and motto, “Once a Driller, Always a Driller,” which author Van Horne says helped “create a mystique about Bakersfield High” in the fiercely-fought contests among neighboring Kern County and Central/South California teams. “He had a tremendous likeness to another very famous coach at the time, Paul “Bear” Bryant of Alabama,” says Van Horne, who, like his father, played for Briggs. The record-shattering Driller teams also took their contests out-of-state, with the book describing games played in Arizona and Hawaii.

By 1993, a year the Drillers would boast six players who would go on to play pro ball, as many as 23,000 fans would crowd the local college stadium to watch the Drillers in action. Through 1996, Friday Night Heroes details team and player rankings, records, a new Driller Hall of Fame, comprehensive lists of Driller Lettermen, memorable Q&A sections with former players and coaches, and “Did you know?” highlights of Driller history.

Van Horne is dedicating a portion of the proceeds from each sale of the book to the history program at his alma mater, where history students helped compile many of the photographs, early press clippings, photographs, game announcements and other materials featured inside Friday Night Heroes.

About the Author: Rick Van Horne is a third-generation Bakersfield High School alumnus who, like his father Richard Van Horne, was a member of California's championship Bakersfield High Drillers teams. (Rick's son Vince is a junior at Bakersfield High and a third-generation Driller.) Rick Van Horne is a former coach at Kern County's Bakersfield High, Liberty High and East Bakersfield High who was named all-Area Coach of the Year for Football in 1988. The author of Friday Night Heroes has been teaching in the Kern High School District in Bakersfield since 1994, after 10 years as a Kern County deputy sheriff. Today, he also serves on the Board of Education for the Bakersfield City School District — the single largest K-8 District in California. Rick Van Horne lives in Bakersfield with his wife Kimberly and their three sons, Vince, Richard and Derick. He currently is at work on his next book.

Book Specifications:

Page Count:160 pages with illustrations

Dimensions: 8.5” x 11” soft cover

ISBN: 0-9786071-0-4

Price: $19.95.

Order forms: Order online at www.drillerheroes.com/buythebook

Note to the Media: Contact Author Rick Van Horne directly at (661) 747-1580 or by e-mail at rick@drillerheroes.com. Visit www.drillerheroes.com for more information. For chapter excerpts, click www.drillerheroes.com/aboutthebook. For high resolution images of the book cover, author, book photographs and illustrations, see top left of page under book cover.


			News Release Contact: Core Communications Renee Haines Phone: (619) 997-1637 E-mail: corecom@aol.com For immediate release New History of California High School Football Focuses on State's Famed Bakersfield High Drillers BAKERSFIELD (July 25, 2006) — The makings of an American football dynasty took shape in 1896 with a first high school football game in Bakersfield played amid rolling farmlands and acres of oil derricks in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The Bakersfield High School Drillers would lead the way in California from the earliest days of the new phenomenon of high school football into the 20th century record books. A landmark new book, Friday Night Heroes: 100 Years of Driller Football, offers the first comprehensive history of California's best high school football program of the 20th century, along with an insightful history of the evolution of the sport on and off the fields — from the first contests by paper invitation through world wars and the advent of televised sports to modern rivalries. “Football is a great American tradition, and it is my hope that every football fan will enjoy the extraordinary story of one of this country's finest sports legacies,” says Friday Night Heroes author Rick Van Horne of Bakersfield, who also is a former Driller player and coach. Van Horne chronicles each decade of championship seasons, accompanied by engaging stories from on and off the field, with detailed player, team and game records, and profiles of the fans, players and coaches who helped catapult the Drillers to the top ranks of high school football in California. Bakersfield High – the training ground for Frank Gifford and other college and professional football greats — still ranks No. 1 in California for most all-time reported wins (576) and most undefeated seasons (21) from 1896-1996. Bakersfield High also ranks 1st in the state for most CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) State Championships, Most Consecutive CIF Championships and Most CIF Section Championships. The famed rivalries of Bakersfield High and neighboring schools that would become the basis for the Hollywood movie, “The Best of Times,” are captured inside the pages of Friday Night Heroes, based on more than a decade of research. The book features hundreds of interviews and photographs, previously unpublished diary excerpts and the unique perspective of a writer who also played and coached the game. The first Driller games in the early 1890s were played by rules popularized by early Ivy League college teams for a game that more resembled rugby. The blue-collar city quickly embraced the new high school sport and Bakersfield's soon-to-be powerhouse team. More than 100 miles from the big city schools of Los Angeles, Driller team members came from throughout rural Kern County, many housed in high school dormitories that were in place until the mid-1950s. During the early years of the 20th century, some players were required to hunt for their food at pre-season football camps. By 1908, the first of many legendary coaches arrived on campus. Dwight M. Griffith coached the team to seven state titles between 1916 and 1927. “Many people say the reason California did away with state championships was because of the Drillers' dominance,” Van Horne says. During World War II, CIF officials temporarily postponed interscholastic play, with the '43 season counted as intramural play. By the 1950s, legendary Drillers coach Paul Briggs was at the helm, nationally recognized for helping to popularize a new era of playbook strategies and for his own award-winning “Screwy Louie,” which he defined as moving 10 men to one side of the center “in a surprise Pearl Harbor attack.” Briggs also continued to promote the Driller traditions and motto, “Once a Driller, Always a Driller,” which author Van Horne says helped “create a mystique about Bakersfield High” in the fiercely-fought contests among neighboring Kern County and Central/South California teams. “He had a tremendous likeness to another very famous coach at the time, Paul “Bear” Bryant of Alabama,” says Van Horne, who, like his father, played for Briggs. The record-shattering Driller teams also took their contests out-of-state, with the book describing games played in Arizona and Hawaii. By 1993, a year the Drillers would boast six players who would go on to play pro ball, as many as 23,000 fans would crowd the local college stadium to watch the Drillers in action. Through 1996, Friday Night Heroes details team and player rankings, records, a new Driller Hall of Fame, comprehensive lists of Driller Lettermen, memorable Q&A sections with former players and coaches, and “Did you know?” highlights of Driller history. Van Horne is dedicating a portion of the proceeds from each sale of the book to the history program at his alma mater, where history students helped compile many of the photographs, early press clippings, photographs, game announcements and other materials featured inside Friday Night Heroes. About the Author: Rick Van Horne is a third-generation Bakersfield High School alumnus who, like his father Richard Van Horne, was a member of California's championship Bakersfield High Drillers teams. (Rick's son Vince is a junior at Bakersfield High and a third-generation Driller.) Rick Van Horne is a former coach at Kern County's Bakersfield High, Liberty High and East Bakersfield High who was named all-Area Coach of the Year for Football in 1988. The author of Friday Night Heroes has been teaching in the Kern High School District in Bakersfield since 1994, after 10 years as a Kern County deputy sheriff. Today, he also serves on the Board of Education for the Bakersfield City School District — the single largest K-8 District in California. Rick Van Horne lives in Bakersfield with his wife Kimberly and their three sons, Vince, Richard and Derick. He currently is at work on his next book. Book Specifications: Page Count:160 pages with illustrations Dimensions: 8.5” x 11” soft cover ISBN: 0-9786071-0-4 Price: $19.95. Order forms: Order online at www.drillerheroes.com/buythebook Note to the Media: Contact Author Rick Van Horne directly at (661) 747-1580 or by e-mail at rick@drillerheroes.com. Visit www.drillerheroes.com for more information. For chapter excerpts, click www.drillerheroes.com/aboutthebook. For high resolution images of the book cover, author, book photographs and illustrations, see top left of page under book cover.



	Friday Night Heroes: 100 Years of Driller Football Media: For high resolution PDF downloads of book cover and a selection of photos, click the links below. Note: All photos must be credited: Photo courtesy BHS/Rick Van Horne. Cover and author photo: Friday Night Heroes cover Rick Van Horne author photo Photos from the book: The Early Years: Early Drillers: One of the earliest known shots of the Drillers from around the turn of the 20th Century. Coach Dwight Griffith: The incomparable Dwight “Goldie” Griffith was the Drillers’ second and most influential coach from 1908 to 1953. The 1940s and 1950s The 1940s: Frank Gifford scrambles with the ball during a Drillers game. The 1950s: The 1952 Driller squad assembles for a practice session. The 1960s and 1970s The 1960s: Coach Paul Briggs leads the Drillers across the field after a game at Memorial Stadium. The 1970s: Marshall Dillard was a savior for the Drillers as the team transitioned from the late 1970s to the 1980s. The 1980s and 1990s The 1980s: A 1980s squad holds Marshall Dillard. The 1990s: From left, Curt Collins, Jason Scroggins, Aaron McDonald and Robert Ray head toward center field for the coin toss. For specific Driller photos from the book, contact: bill@drillerheroes.com