David Foster
PEOPLE SAY IT’S ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL, BUT IT’S NOT. IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER, AND THE ONE GOOD THING WE HAVE, WE ALL LIKE, IS OUR FOOTBALL TEAM.
EVEN THE FOOTBALL TEAM ISN’T ONLY ABOUT FOOTBALL. THEY’RE LIKE FAMILY. AND FOR THOSE FOUR YEARS, THOSE PLAYERS ARE THEIR BROTHERS.
—Denise Hallett, Tiger Mom
In Massillon, football is a cradle-to-grave tradition that is woven into every phase of life.
For decades, members of the Tiger Football Booster Club have visited maternity wards to place mini footballs in the bassinets of baby boys born to parents from Massillon.
Many from Massillon describe their earliest and most compelling memories as those associated with Tiger football traditions. They remember the first time they went to a game. They remember youth leagues and football games in the backyard or on “the hill,” an area overlooking Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Young boys have practiced passing and catching on the hill for generations, picturing themselves one day playing in a stadium packed with thousands of cheering fans.
Many of the young men who play football for the Tigers today are the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons of former players.
The same families have been sitting in reserved stadium seats for decades. Season tickets are passed on to the next generation, and debates about who gets the season tickets have been known to be included in property settlements and divorce proceedings. Senior citizens who can no longer attend the games gather around the radio in their orange and black to enjoy the games together.
For the most faithful fans, Tiger memories and memorabilia are part of their calling hours, and caskets with an image of Obie, the Massillon Tigers’ mascot, are available. Like the bassinet footballs, the Obie caskets reflect the significance of Tiger football to generations of Massillon people.
BASSINET FOOTBALLS
Michelle Del Rio-Keller, Massillon mom
It’s a big thing in Massillon for baby boys to receive a football in the bassinet. As a girl who never had that embellishment, and as a mother who found out I was having a boy, it was exciting for me.
MY BOYS
Karla Marsh, Tiger Mom
When my boys were younger, they’d be out in the yard playing football, and they would yell, “Mom, you’re gonna hear, ‘Marsh in for the Tiger touchdown’ over the speaker.”
Jared was the backup kicker and he loved it. He loved being part of the family. I think that’s what I’ll miss the most, because that kept him dedicated.
Right now we’re working on getting Trent trained to be a kicker. He’s 10 and he wants to do what his older brother did. He looks up to all these guys so much. He knows all their numbers.
ALL I’D EVER WANT
Frank Page, Boys & Girls Club of Massillon coach
I grew up in Fort Lauderdale and played for St. Thomas Aquinas. We won two state football championships. My wife is from Mineral Ridge, a small town near here. When we graduated from college, we started looking for jobs, and a friend of mine said, “If you want to coach, try to get to Massillon if you can. That’s the mecca of football.”
The day we came to visit, my wife said, “I think we should make this happen.” We’ve been here ever since. We started our family here, and you couldn’t pry my boys out of this town.
I love being active, so being a coach with the Boys & Girls Club seemed to be the best way to do that. I’ve coached both of my boys, but Ryan had that little spark, and he understands why he’s doing the things we ask him to do. He gets so excited when he’s on the field.
My ultimate coaching experience was [when] we were down by a touchdown and the other team had the ball and was driving down the field. We called timeout and I looked at Ryan. “I need you to make one play, buddy. Just make one play.” They called a pass play, and the kid goes to catch the ball but he tips it up in the air. Ryan catches it and runs it back for the touchdown. We made the two-point conversion to win the game. Just to see the excitement on his face was the ultimate feeling for me.
I know he wants to be successful. All he ever talks about are the state championships I won when I was in Florida, and he’s seen the rings in the box. He’s asked, “I can win one of those, can’t I, Dad?” I said, “Yeah, of course you can. You can do whatever you want to do, if you put your mind to it.”
I’m quite sure both of my boys will do something special in their lives. I just want to be a part of it.
That’s all I’d ever want.
THE HILL
Brody Tonn, Tiger defensive back
As a boy, you picture yourself in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, jam-packed with fans watching you play. Now I play in the stadium that I always dreamed of. Friends who played football with me on the hill had the same dream of being out there on the field as I did. We still have that fire in us. It’s just brought out in different ways. Now these friends are some of my biggest supporters. They get the student section going and make the student section what it is.
When I was playing during my senior year, I looked out on the hill during pre-game and saw that there were still kids playing on the hill.
WHITFIELD TRADITION
Whitfield grandfathers, uncles, fathers, brothers, nephews, cousins, sons, and grandsons have been playing Massillon football for generations.
Granddad: David Whitfield Sr., Tiger ’63,’64,’65
When I was younger, Paul Brown was a big part of our playing experience because we would watch the teams and the types of athletes he produced. All 11 people on offense and defense were all-stars.
When we played, it was about business. My coach was Earle Bruce, and he was outstanding. He knew how to bring out the best in his players. We looked ahead to being a national champion or a state champion, because the teams before us were champs. When I played, we were up to 19 state championships, so winning a championship was expected of us. We thought it was our legacy. It was just built into us.
When I think about the pride that comes from being a Tiger football player, it’s about coming up in a city that teaches you how to respect yourself and how to play the sport in a manner that means something to yourself, to your family, and to your city. When you’re a champion and you repeat the championship, it’s because people before you taught you how to become a champion. I tried to pass that down, pay it forward.
Dad: David Whitfield Jr., Tiger ’87,’88,’89
My whole family played football ever since we were little. My dad coached me when I was in flag football, all the way through high school. I tried to do the same with Marcus. I coached him in flag through fifth or sixth grade to keep the family tradition going.
It was fun coaching, not just Marcus, but all his friends: Brody Tonn, Beau Huffman, Ronnie Humphrey, and Tanner Mast. It was a great job and a good experience coaching with their fathers. Although we might have been a year or two apart, we all went through high school together. We were all on the same team. It seemed like we had our kids together, so coaching together was a lot of fun.
It’s a passion that we have. It’s in our blood.
Son: Marcus Whitfield, Tiger ’11,’12,’13
Even in flag football, it was pretty serious. Flag football is supposed to be laid-back. We’re a bunch of little first and second graders running around having a