The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their first twenty-six games in a row. When they played their twenty-seventh, it would be Leto High graduate Gary Huff who would lead them to victory at quarterback. The Bucs beat the New Orleans Saints 33-14, thanks in part to Saints QB Archie Manning’s three interceptions and one lost fumble. (Manning’s backup gifted the Bucs with an additional three interceptions.)

You can see some highlights from that day here:

See more designs from the Leto set here.

I found this picture in the Hillsborough County Library’s collection of professional photographers the Burgert Brothers, labeled “Nicest and Quietest Couple.”

A quick check of Plant’s 1946 Panther yearbook reveals these guys as Margaret Eddy and Joe Leto, and lists them as “Sweetest & Nicest.” They do look sweet, nice, and quiet. I always wonder what became of the people in pictures like this. I was able to find an obituary for Joe Leto, who (aside from a stint at LSU) was a lifelong Tampa resident, working in the optical field. He got married and had children and grandchildren before passing away at age 81. I hope that his life was the right balance of sweetness, niceness, and quiet.

See more designs from the Plant set here.

Robinson’s football field is named Jack Peters Field. The 1961 Excalibur yearbook noted that it was dedicated on November 23, 1960, and that, “The field was named after Mr. Jack Peters, who not only worked tediously to put the lights on the field, but also helped Robinson in any way possible.”

But what the Excalibur doesn’t tell is the fact that, four weeks prior to that dedication, watching the Robinson football team was the last thing that Mr. Peters did. According to this Tampa Bay Times article, he was watching the Knights take on Lakeland. At halftime, he got up to buy a Coke, suffered a heart attack, and died at age 48.

The Times quotes his wife as describing Mr. Peters as, “a living doll. He really was tops. Everybody liked him.”

The field remains named after Jack Peters to this day, and just this month has been going renovations and updates.

See more designs from the Robinson set here.

Tampa Jesuit is one of 55 Jesuit high schools in the Jesuit Schools network, and it turns out that it’s one of 11 Jesuit high schools that we’ve posted designs for. Check out the other schools in our collection!

Bellarmine Prep (Washington), Creighton Prep (Nebraska), Gonzaga College High School (District of Columbia), Gonzaga Prep (Washington), Loyola Academy (Illinois), Marquette University High School (Wisconsin), St. Ignatius College Prep (Illinois), St. Ignatius College Prep (California), St. Joseph’s Prep (Pennsylvania), Seattle Prep (Washington).

See more designs from the Jesuit set here.

I think that “Railsplitters” is an A+ nickname if your school is named for Abraham Lincoln. Des Moines Lincoln has an impressive collection of Lincoln stuff, including a painting by famous(ish) Des Moines painter Russell Cowles of Lincoln as a boy.

All that got me wondering: did Abraham Lincoln ever visit Des Moines? And the answer is…..no. No, he didn’t. He is supposed to have spent three days in Iowa, and actually owned two parcels of land in Iowa that was granted to him due to his volunteer service in the Black Hawk War. He never saw those parcels, though.

Nonetheless, great nickname, great color scheme, great monogram. Good work, Iowans.

See more designs from the Lincoln set here.

The building that Des Moines Tech occupied started life in 1916 as a Ford Assembly Plant, cranking out Model Ts. During World War II, it was a Solar Aircraft Company factory, where airplanes for the war effort were made. In 1959, Des Moines Tech moved in.

See more designs from the Des Moines Tech set here.

Earlier this year, I became intensely interested for a day or two in the phenomenon of Iowa girls’ six-on-six basketball. The now-pretty-much-extinct game had rules that were slightly different from the five-on-five game, and it was reportedly quite the sensation in Iowa, oftentimes overshadowing the boys’ games.

The 1979 Des Moines East Scarlets featured Lorri Bauman, who went on to set the record for most points in a women’s NCAA tournament game (50, which stands to this day.) The Scarlets won the 1979 championship, which can be seen below. It’s not the finest specimen of a six-on-six game I’ve ever seen, but it’s worth maybe a few minutes of watching to get a feel for it.

According to the Des Moines Register, Bauman’s college coach at Drake had this to say about her:

“I had great athletes at Drake who would work on their games all summer. Not Lorri. You couldn't get her there for a game in the summer. She was busy swimming or riding her motorcycle. She wasn't playing ball, and that's what was so amazing. Honest to God, she made the other kids crazy.”

See more designs from the East set here.

Walla Walla High School is the alma mater of TV’s Batman, Adam West. Since Mr. West’s death, Walla Walla has observed Adam West Day, which has included a very cool bat signal displayed from the top of a local hotel. Funds are being raised for an Adam West statue in Walla Walla.

See more designs from the Walla Walla set here.

I recently saw a 2014 movie that I had never heard of. It was called Rubber Soul, and it was a dramatization of two real life interviews given by John Lennon and Yoko Ono—one from 1970 and one from 1980. The actor who played John did such a fantastic job, and the contrast between the two Lennons (separated by a decade) was fascinating.

See you next week! Tell your friends!