This is Homecoming Week! I was curious about how the tradition got started and was a little surprised to learn that it dates back to the early 1900s.
In 1910, University of Illinois football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg and athletic director George Huff encouraged alumni to “come home” for a football game against the University of Chicago. A year later, University of Missouri athletic director Chester Brewer invited alumni back to Columbia for a major rivalry game against Kansas. The event featured a parade, rally and, of course, the football game. More than 9,000 people attended, and the 1911 Missouri celebration is widely regarded as the event that established the model for the modern Homecoming.
During the following decade, Homecoming traditions began making their way into public high schools. What started primarily as an opportunity for alumni to return to their schools evolved into a weeklong celebration of school spirit, community and tradition.
Our Homecoming Week itinerary is packed with activities:
Monday, September 28
• 7:00 p.m. – Coronation, KSS Auditorium
Tuesday, September 29
• 9:30 a.m. – Royalty Court community & school tours and activities
Friday, October 2: Maroon & Gold Spirit Day
• 9:45 a.m. – Iron Man Volleyball
• 11:45 a.m. – Powder Puff Football
• 1:15 p.m. – Parade Line-Up
• 2:00 p.m. – Homecoming Parade
• 7:00 p.m. – Football Game & Field Show: Fergus Falls Otters vs. Princeton Tigers
• 9:00 p.m. – Homecoming Dance, Roosevelt Gymnasium
The weekend will also provide an opportunity to recognize the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees. Sponsored by the 544 Foundation in partnership with the school district, the Hall of Fame recognizes Distinguished Alumni, Arts, Athletics and Distinguished Service. The induction ceremony will take place Saturday, October 3, at 5:30 p.m. in the KSS Auditorium. The event is open to the public.
Congratulations to this year's Homecoming Royalty Court! FFHS Queen candidates are Ella Black, Emma Synstelien, Macey Dahl and Olivia Bernstetter. King candidates are Jaden Kwapinski, Jaxin Goeden, Kellen Funkhouser and Roric Hage.
Homecoming Week generates a lot of school spirit and school pride. More deeply, however, I think it is a celebration of relationships. It is an opportunity to return to a place where roots were planted; to rehash old memories with cherished friends; to reconnect with friends and family; and to create new memories with the people who make our school community special.
That may be one of the reasons the tradition of Homecoming has endured for more than a century. Schools change. Students graduate. Buildings change. Traditions evolve. But the relationships and memories created through our schools remain.
Here's to a fantastic week of celebration!
Go Otters!